Knight & Warrior Artists

Raffaelo Sanzio was the youngest of the three giants of the High Renaissance. Born in Urbino in 1483, he was given his first lessons in art by his father, Giovanni Santi. At seventeen his father sent him to Perugia to become an apprentice under the great Perugino. He spent four years with Perugino. He learned well and his works could not be differentiated from the great Perugino himself. Slowly he began to command his own style assimilating the new techniques of Leonardo and Michelangelo. In 1504 Raphael went to Florence with a letter of recommendation from the Duchess of Montefeltro to the gonfalonier Soderini. He was twenty-one years old, and this was about the time that Leonardo was astounding people with the Mona Lisa. In 1509 Raphael commenced work for the Pope. A suite of papal rooms was to be decorated on the basis of a theologically-determined concetto. After the death of Bramante in1514, Raphael was appointed architect of St. Peter's. Paphael produced many more important works during his time spent in Rome. Madonna Della Sedia and a series of famous portraits including the one of Julius II, the Donna Velata. He also was responsible for the decorations for the upper zones of the lateral walls of the Sistine Chapel. One of the most frequently discussed paintings of the Renaissance is the Sistine Madonna.

Lez Niepo is not only a painter but he is an explorer, musician, and wind-surfer. His paintings are considered contemporary. His paintings capture a sense of village culture. Born in Poland in 1950, Lez was raised in a very artistic household. He was exposed to many art forms. His uncle was an artist and he looked up to him greatly respecting his work. At nineteen, Lez formed a blues band. He liked the musician's life, the freedom of commitments. He visited Finland where he played with Eddie Boyde while never giving up his painting. A couple of years later, he immigrated to Canada, but continued on his adventure visiting places like the Caribbean, North Africa, and Europe. In 1981 Lez established his own studio, "Allworks", in British Columbia. He had an interest in tribal art which led him to visit places as remote as Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji. He was awestruck with what he saw there. He loved the life of the tribal people and had a great respect for their spiritual beliefs, art and traditions. Everywhere he's been has in one way or another shaped his career as an artist. He likes each picture to tell a story. His paintings reflect traditional community life in a modern world.