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Chaïm Soutine (1893-1943), the unconventional and controversial painter of Belorussian origin, combines influences of classic European painting with Post-Impressionism and Expressionism. As a member of the Artists from Belarus, a group within the Parisian School, he created an oeuvre mainly consisting of landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. His individual style, characterised by displays of humour and despair and by use of luminous colours, makes him a modern master who is still little understood.

Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) was a Russian painter credited as being among the first to truly venture into abstract art. He persisted in expressing his internal world of abstraction despite negative criticism from his peers. He veered away from painting that could be viewed as representational in order to express his emotions, leading to his unique use of colour and form. Although his works received heavy censure at the time, in later years they would become greatly influential.