A Short Summary Of Famous Artists Art can sometimes be an objective pursuit. When visiting an art museum or just trying to appreciate art, it can be difficult for some to fully appreciate why each work of art or each artist should be considered “great”. Here is a brief profile on why some of these well respected artists are considered the best of their times and why many of their works are still cherished today. Sandro Botticelli Sandro Botticelli was one of the greatest painters of the early Italian Renaissance. He emphasized line and detail, and used them to help bring his characters alive. He also brought together Christian and pagan ideas in the same works, however, as he grew older his works contained a much more religious feel and many of his earlier works were deemed unacceptable with the growing religious times ahead. There is also much symbolism in his paintings, some of which is still being debated today by scholars. Cezanne Paul Cezanne is known as the father of modern art. Many of Cézanne's early works were painted in dark tones with heavy, fluid pigment, showing the moody, romantic expressionism of that era. He also favored still life, and produced over two hundred of them. His interesting style also helped further the art world past the growing stodginess of impressionism at the time. El Greco
El Greco was a prominent painter of the Spanish Renaissance. His style was so unique that he belongs to no conventional school. He is best known for tortuously elongated figures and often fantastic or dream like coloration. El Greco’s dramatic and expressionistic style gained newfound appreciation in the 20th century.
Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter during the mid 1800’s. He learned to paint in the traditional style taught at the time, but his work became more spontaneous after his exposure to Impressionists. He used expressive outline, severe lighting contrasts, bold color and rich texture to portray the world around him. Some of his paintings are considered to mark the genesis of modern art, bridging the gap between Realism and Impressionism. Matisse Henri Matisse was a French painter who produced images of comfort and refuge. He was noted for his use of color and his fluid, brilliant and original draftsmanship. His styles varied from Fauvism, to Impressionism to near Abstraction at the end of his life. Monet Claude Monet’s paintings were some of the most revolutionary of their time. His landmark painting “Impression, Sunrise” started the entire impressionist movement. He was very fond of painting nature water lilies, ponds and bridges, and the banks of the Seine River all punctuated his works. Some of his other most notable series include those in London and Venice. Picasso Picasso was one of the greatest and most prolific artists of the 20th century. He produced thousands of different and varied works, working pretty much up until his death at the age of 91. His inventiveness let him seize upon any subject and transom it into an artwork. As the co-founder of cubism, Picasso was able to move objects around in his works in ways that had never previously been dreamed of. He was able to fragment objects; such as putting a woman’s one eye where it should be and the other on the back of her head. No painter had ever painted with Picasso’s freedom to move things around. Rembrandt The works of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, better known as just Rembrandt, can be characterized by their luxuriant brushwork and rich color. He was said to be a master of “chiaroscuro,” the use of deep variations and subtle gradations of light and shade to enhance the definition of the character for dramatic effect. He was also known for numerous reflective and varying self portraits that exhibited a profound penetration of his character. Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist and leading figure in the Impressionist movement. He was a prolific artist, making over 1000 paintings during his time. While many Impressionist painters focused on landscapes, Renoir painted people in intimate and candid moments. Renoir’s works are notable for their use of vibrant light and color. His style also emphasized freely brushed touches of color, so that his figures softly fuse with one another and their surroundings. Rubens Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish painter whose work was a fusion between Flemish Realism and the classical nature of Italian Renaissance paintings. While many of his paintings include portraits and landscapes, he is mostly known for his religious and mythological works. In Rubens’ works, he emphasized constant movement with vivid and dynamic designs, sometimes distorting form and contour in the process. Turner Joseph Mallord William (JMW) Turner was a British landscape artist whose style was said to have laid the groundwork for Impressionism. He often painted shipwrecks, fires, natural catastrophes, and was seemingly obsessed with the power of the sea. He also painted natural phenomena such as sunlight, storms, rain, and even fog. The hallmark styles of his paintings are an intensity of hue and interest in vanishing light. His mature works seemed to utilize broadly applied atmospheric washes of paint. Van Eyck Jan Van Eyck was a Flemish painter who is thought to have perfected the technique of oil painting. His naturalistic panel paintings and religious subjects made extensive use of disguised religious symbols. Vincent Van Gogh While Vincent Van Gogh painted for only 10 years of his life, he created close to 900 different works, almost none of them unsuccessful or mediocre. Much of his earlier work featured his lifelong interest in depicting the poor. After moving to Paris, he discovered color as well as divisionist ideas which led him to create his signature dashed brushstrokes that became prevalent in his later work. After he was voluntarily accepted into an insane asylum, his style became increasingly agitated –his dashes were increasingly used in swirling and twisted shapes, which were often seen as symbolic of his mental state. It was in this state that he created his most famous work "Starry Night" just 13 months before his death. Velazquez Diego Velazquez was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period. His paintings include landscapes, mythological and religious subjects, scenes from common life, and portraits of court notables. He was a master realist; no painter has surpassed him in the ability to seize essential features and fix them on canvas with a few broad, sure strokes. Vermeer Johannes Vermeer was one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. He was almost forgotten, but was rediscovered 200 years after his death. There are only 35 or 36 known paintings attributed to him, and there were unlikely to be many more. Vermeer’s specialty was domestic interiors, portraits and city views. He is particularly known for his intense realism and the use of light in his work. For more information on 100% hand painted Oil Painting Reproductions by artists above such as Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and more, please visit us at http://www.ownapainting.com. |
