In this series of articles, international artist Ana Tzarev explores the history of love as depicted through art. The first installment focuses on representations of passionate love.

Ana's Thought: "Art is the most jealous Mistress. She demands all your time, all your attention, and all your Love."

My Lovers...

Ana's Thought: "All art disciplines inspire one another."

As a visual artist, I find great inspiration in the varied disciplines of creativity. When I was first introduced to the renowned cellist Jacqueline du Pré, my soul was electrified by her virtuosity and sensitivity. She performed the same way I paint--using...

Ana's Thought: "Artist, Love is your Deepest feeling - let it fill your Soul with Sunlight."

Do you recall how it feels when love's first blush takes hold of your heart?

All things are overcome with warmth and light. You are as buoyant as...

Ana's Thought: "In Art, the Divine and Human meet."

Words are among the most deft tools creative spirits use to construct their masterpieces, but the barriers of languages may prevent beauty from soaring into eager hearts. That is why visual art is such a gift -- when we wish to...

Ana's Thought: "Original Art is a signpost for history."

When it seems to us that all is standing still, the earth's dance through space goes on - and so we are all taken for a fantastic voyage! We strive to capture events as they...

Ana's Thought: "Artist, Paint out your Hurts and you will be Healed."

Reader, call to mind your favourite painting and visualize it clearly. Let your mind wander gaily between each hue and stroke; make yourself part of its composition. After swimming through this sweet...

Ana's Thought: "Artist, paint what you really Love and the world will be your cheerleader in due Time."

When we look upon beautiful works made by the hands of men, we may be swept off in their purity, the directness of vision that turned...

Ana's Thought: "The Greatest Art is a true mirror of the Artist's soul--out of step with the fashion of its time but in step with timelessness."

Shakespeare famously wrote, "To thine own self, be true." But when your words and actions are met with negativity, you may feel your spirit...

Ana's Thought: "Art possesses a limitless field of possibility within creation through the total freedom of choice."

Each day, the world wakes up and bursts into bloom, the sunrise promising to us through its radiance that the hours to come hold dazzling opportunities. In...

Ana's Thought: "Great Art is born for the benefit of all Humanity from the Universal Spirit of Love."

Earlier this month, I was honoured to host a reception for the 57th UN Commission on the Status of Women at my Gallery in...

Ana's Thought: "Art awakens the soul to the beauty of the Universe."

When we unweave the braided fabric of history, our hands fill with the shimmering threads of experience that bind our past to our present. Any belief or practice we consider familiar...

Ana's Thought: "Your Art will find its own path - just do it, and you will find peace."

To young artists first picking up their pencils and paintbrushes, the idea of creating can seem so daunting. For every ounce of enthusiasm you...

Ana's thought: "The depth of my soul is measured by the profundity of my art."

When we remember the defining moments of art history, we call to mind the painters and sculptors of the Renaissance - the geniuses Michelangelo, Raphael, da Vinci, Dürer, Van Eyck - those driving forces in...

Ana's Thought: "Critic, be gentle with your words, for they are the arrows that kill the Heart of Inspiration."

For all of its magnificent offerings and dazzling opportunities, the art world is capable of such cruelty. One can pour their soul, the very essence of his or her self, into...

Ana's Thought: "My Art is born of endless Passion for the Beauty of Life."

As Valentine's Day approaches, people across the world feel moved to speak from their hearts, letting their emotions pour forth in displays of affection for those they cherish. But no paper card or expensive gemstone can...

Ana's Thought: "Of all disciplines of Arts, the 'Muse' has been most generous to painting with the absence of all rules - giving total freedom to create."

Inspiration is an eternal mystery, the fountain that overflows to send rivulets of ingenuity directly into the minds of the receptive. It is...

Ana's Thought: "I give to my Art every Last Drop of Energy and Love."

To be an artist, you must make yourself a living, moving camera, determined to record the colour, shape, and size of all you find around you. Your ears are microphones, receptive to every sound; your hands...

In recent months, I have poured my heart into Love & Peace, a global celebration and conversational conduit in the form of large-scale flower sculptures.

One of the most thrilling facets of this creation is witnessing how people from so many diverse backgrounds, each with their own...

Ana's Thought: "Heaven or Hell is a choice inside you."

In my life, I have seen many days of sweetness - golden days of travel, of art, and of expressing my soul in the company of loved ones and strangers alike. I am eternally grateful for this, as I have...

"Greatness of Character is formed in solving great problems."

Last week, the world lost one of its true women pioneers. Gerda Lerner, Professor Emerita of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, died on Jan 2 at the age of 92.

I was touched by the way the late Native American...