Showing posts with label Modern Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Modern Art. Show all posts

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






Plan ahead:


Check out my Pinterest boards for:
And here are my Pinterest boards for:




January 19 - Happy Birthday, Paul Cézanne

 Posted on January 19, 2021

This is an update of my January 19, 2010, post:



Paul Cézanne - born on this
 day in 1839 - is a French artist considered by many, including Matisse and Picasso, to be the father of modern painting.






Born on this date in 1839, Cézanne came out of Impressionism, in which painters used visible brush strokes to explore ordinary subject matter, and which emphasized changing light conditions. Cézanne's works are usually classified as Post-Impressionist; they are famous for small, repetitive brush strokes and planes of brilliant color. He focused on the basic forms (such as cones, cylinders, and spheres) found in nature and also on optical effects. 

Cézanne created hundreds of paintings—landscapes, still life compositions, portraits (including the self-portrait seen above), and other assorted paintings.

Here is a website with art projects inspired by 
Cézanne.

And here is a resource for lessons, videos, history, and art projects perfect for today!

At Olga's Gallery, you can scroll through small images of Cezanne's painting. Click the ones you want to see in a larger format.

At the G
arden of Praise, you can read about Cézanne and do a variety of puzzles about him and his works. You can also explore the rest of the Garden of Praise art lessons and puzzles.







December 18 - Happy Birthday, Paul Klee

Posted on December 18, 2018

Today we celebrate a Swiss German artist who was born on this date in 1879. That's a long time ago for someone who is considered super important in "modern art," but "modern art" includes art produced from the 1860s - before Klee was even born! - until the 1970s - long after Klee died. 


What makes "modern art" modern is that the traditions of the past were cast off so that artists could experiment with new styles, forms, and ideas.

Klee was influenced by such movements as Expressionism...



...Cubism...




...and Surrealism...




He wrote a lot about color and design theory, and he taught at the Bauhaus school of art, design, and architecture, and he has influenced newer generations of artists... 

Speaking of being inspired, it's a great idea to use Klee paintings as inspiration for your own art projects. Check out this Pinterest board full of Klee-inspired projects.