March 30 - Happy Birthday, Francisco Goya and Vincent Van Gogh!

  Posted on March 30, 2022

This is an update of my post published on March 30, 2011:

What a great day for art! Artist Franciso Goya was born in Spain on March 30, 1746...

...and Vincent van Gogh was born in the Netherlands March 30, 1853.

Goya was a Spanish Romantic-era painter who became a favorite of nobles and royals and, in 1789, was made court painter for Charles IV of Spain. Most of the art he produced at that time was portraits, but in his later years Goya experimented with other subjects, making prints of a series called The Disasters of War, for example, and painting pictures of bullfights. Upsetting stuff, for the most part!

One of the most disturbing things that Goya painted, to my mind, is the portrait of the Roman god Saturn devouring his son—partly because Goya painted it straight onto the walls of his own dining and sitting rooms! Yikes! How could anyone eat while staring at that mural????

Van Gogh was a Dutch post-Impressionist painter. He is well known for his use of bright colors and for his contributions to the beginnings of modern art. He is also known for his depression. He severed his ear and even painted some self-portraits with his bandaged ear (he painted 37 self-portraits during his life!), and he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest (although he did live two days after he shot himself!).

 
Van Gogh's work include some of the most recognizable and expensive paintings in the world.

And, as far as I know, it was van Gogh's art that was first made into an immersive experience - which is now becoming popular for a variety of other incredible artists' work, as well.

I went to the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit.
Highly recommended!

Celebrate today by painting a picture!

You might like the inspiration found on KinderArt.

Or try these other art-oriented activities:

• Color Goya's Sunshade. 

• Read some bios, see some paintings, and do some puzzles on the Garden of Praise website. Goya and Van Gogh are both represented. 

Also on this date:

The Grass is Always Browner on the Other Side of the Fence Day 

Seward's Day

IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad's birthday

Shouter Baptist Liberation Day in Trinidad and Tobago

Anniversary of the invention of the pencil-eraser

National Doctors Day

Historical anniversaries in Greece...

International Folding Laundry Day

Virtual Vacation Day

and more Virtual Vacation Day

Anniversary of Alaska's purchase

 

Little Red Wagon Day

 (Last Wednesday in March)

 Manatee Appreciation Day

 (Last Wednesday in March)

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• April holidays
• April birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in April
  
  

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• May holidays
• May birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in May

June 7 – Happy Birthday, Paul Gauguin

Posted on June 7, 2014

Back in the olden days, many people were born in a small town or growing city, grew up there, took on an adult life and profession that was almost identical to their parents, married and raised families in that same town or city, and died there. Sure, some people traveled, learned foreign languages, changed careers, and broke off on their own unique path – but many, many people did not.

Paul Gauguin was one of the few who did.

And he started early! He moved from Europe to South America, and then back again, as a child!

Gauguin was born on this date in 1848 in Paris, France. His father was a journalist but was from a family of French market gardeners and greengrocers—the name Gauguin means walnut-grower—and his mother was from a Peruvian family with a feminist and socialist streak. When he was just one year old, the family left Paris to move to Peru, but Gauguin's father died on the voyage. At age 18 months old, Gauguin's family had shrunk to just him, his mother, and his sister.

Paul Gauguin lived for several years in Lima, Peru, with relatives. When Gauguin was seven, the family returned to France, where little Paul learned French and went to school. He served in the merchant marine and the navy, and at 23 he became a successful Parisian stockbroker. He developed a hobby, too: painting.

This 1888 painting is not as brightly
colored as many of Gauguin's later works.

When he married a Danish woman and had five kids, Gauguin moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he became a tarpaulin salesman.

But he was driven to make art.

And he didn't speak Danish.

And he was not a success in the tarpaulin biz.

Gauguin's marriage fell apart, and he moved back to Paris.

Gauguin had an amazing life as an artist living in Paris. He made friends with other artists, and he often painted with them. He visited an art colony with his artist friends. He even lived with Vincent van Gogh for nine weeks.

Still, Gauguin continued to travel and live in exotic places. In 1887, he visited Panama and then lived for a while in Martinique. He moved back to France for a while longer but then, in 1891, Gauguin sailed to French Polynesia: Tahiti, Hiva Oa Island, Punaauia, and Marquesas Island, where he eventually died. 

Gauguin's art is known for its use of colors and of symbols, and although his art wasn't much appreciated during his lifetime, it became highly regarded after his death. His art is considered Post-Impressionist and helped lead to modern art and Primitivism.

After serving in the armed forces and being a stockbroker and tarpaulin salesman, Gauguin became a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer.

And after living in Peru and France and Denmark, he lived on islands in the Caribbean and in the South Pacific.

What a life, huh?

Also on this date:

Drawing Day

Boone Day 

Poet Gwendolyn Brooks's birthday

Birthday of men's fashion icon Beau Brummell

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• June holidays
• June birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in June

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• July holidays
• July birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in July

March 17, 2013 - Van Gogh's Paintings Are a Hit – 1901

They were different than others' paintings.

They featured bold brush strokes and bright colors—including a notable amount of yellow—and in one case, at least, a swirling sky.

And the art world loved them!

On this date in 1901, a group of 71 paintings by Vincent van Gogh went on display at the Bernheim-Jeune gallery in Paris. People came and talked about the art and came again—and the art world recognized that van Gogh was a very important artist.

A bit late, that recognition, since van Gogh had committed suicide 11 years before! In his whole lifetime, this amazing artist had only sold one painting!

After that gallery 1901 show, van Gogh's popularity grew by leaps and bounds and zooming surges! Today he is one of the most known and loved of all painters. Even his not-so-famous paintings, the ones that are privately owned, sell for over 100 million dollars (adjusted for inflation)—and of course the really famous van Gogh paintings are considered priceless.

Explore some more!

• I always think that van Gogh's Starry Night seems to show the wind blowing the stars and moon a bit in the sky. There seems to be motion in those brush strokes! Now someone has created a YouTube video that really does add motion to the painting! Check it out. 

• Learn how to paint like van Gogh here. 

• Squidoo has pulled together activities and links about van Gogh.

• In this earlier post, I link to van Gogh coloring pages and the Garden of Praise bio and puzzles about van Gogh. 

Also on this date:

Anniversary of the patent of the rubber band 

Saint Patrick's Day and 

more Saint Patricks Day!

March 30, 2011

Van Gogh

Happy Birthday, Francisco Goya and Vincent Van Gogh!

What a great day for art! Goya was born March 30, 1746, and Van Gogh was born March 30, 1853.

Goya

Goya was a Spanish Romantic-era painter who became a favorite of nobles and royals and, in 1789, was made court painter for Charles IV of Spain. Most of the art he produced at that time was portraits, but in his later years Goya experimented with other subjects, making prints of The Disasters of War, for example, and of bullfighting. 













One of the most disturbing things that Goya painted, to my mind, is the portrait of the Roman god Saturn devouring his son—partly because Goya painted it straight onto the walls of his own dining and sitting rooms! Yikes! How could anyone eat while staring at that mural????

Van Gogh was a Dutch post-Impressionist painter. He is well known for his use of bright colors, his contributions to the foundation of modern art, and for his depression. He severed his ear and even painted some self-portraits with his bandaged ear (he painted 37 self-portraits during his life!), and he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest (although he did live two days after he shot himself!). 


Van Gogh's work include some of the most recognizable and expensive paintings in the world.

Celebrate today by painting a picture.

You might like the inspiration found on KinderArt.

Or try these other art-oriented activities:

• Color Van Gogh's Bedroom, Sunflowers,  or Starry Night.  
• Color Goya's Sunshade. 

• Read some bios, see some paintings, and do some puzzles on the Garden of Praise website. Goya and Van Gogh are both represented.