William Harnett was a talented and influential 19th-century American still-life painter. Born in Clonakilty, Ireland, he was brought to Philadelphia by his immigrant parents as an infant. Harnett began working as an engraver before attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and later studying at New York’s National Academy of Design. Harnett’s skillful arrangements pushed …
Rufino Tamayo, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico in 1899, was a prominent painter, printmaker, and sculptor of Zapotec heritage. Tamayo began his artistic career as a teacher of drawing and physical education before moving to Mexico City in the 1920s to pursue a career in art. Tamayo’s work was influenced by Pre-Columbian art as …
Joseph Beuys was a German avant-garde sculptor and performance artist. He was associated with the international Conceptual art and Fluxus movements, which focused on challenging traditional notions of art. Beuys’ work reflected concepts of humanism, sociology, and anthroposophy. His artwork was evocative of his exploration of the human experience, physical and emotional. Beuys viewed art …
Robert Campin was a prominent Flemish painter who was born around 1378 in Tournai, France. He played a vital role in transitioning the early Netherlandish school from Gothic into the Renaissance. His works showcase his keen attention to detail and a unique ability to capture the nuances of human expression. Campin gained recognition for his …
Reginald Gray was a prominent Irish portrait artist, known for his works that capture the essence of his subjects. Born in Dublin in 1930, Gray studied at The National College of Art before becoming part of the School of London led by Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach. This experience greatly influenced Gray and …
John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) was an American painter who is widely regarded as the finest artist of colonial America. He was born to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish, on July 3, 1738 in Boston, Massachusetts. His early life and education greatly influenced his career as a portraitist in colonial New England. Later in …
Raoul Hausmann was a prominent Austrian artist and writer, who played a significant role in the Berlin Dada movement. Born to a portrait and history painter, he received formal artistic training in painting and sculpture. During this time, he became interested in art criticism and started publishing polemical articles. Hausmann’s experimental photographic collages and sound …
David Alfaro Siqueiros was a Mexican painter and muralist who was born on December 29, 1896 in Chihuahua, Mexico. Along with Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, he was one of the founders of the modern school of Mexican mural painting. His art reflected his Marxist political ideology and he was known for creating large …
Paolo Uccello was a prominent Florentine painter and mathematician who lived during the late Gothic and early Renaissance period. Despite being trained in a Gothic style of painting, Uccello attempted to reconcile this style with the emerging Renaissance art styles of his time. The artist was especially known for his obsession with perspective, which he …
Giorgio Morandi was an Italian painter and printmaker whose works of art mainly revolved around simple subjects such as vases, bottles, bowls, flowers and landscapes. He was born in Bologna to Andrea Morandi and Maria Maccaferri. Throughout his life, he lived quietly in a modest apartment that he shared with his three sisters. Morandi specialized …
