We’re beginning a new series of articles this week that focus on short-form educational activities. Whether your children attend a regular school or you homeschool (as we do with our daughter), these activities can benefit your little scholar and ‘round out the edges’ so to speak! The aim of these activities is something you can do with your little one that won’t take up too much time but that nonetheless will be beneficial and hopefully open the doors to further, more in-depth study later. I want to especially focus on those areas of learning that are less likely to get a great deal of focus in your average learning setting.
Today we’re starting with art! I have put together a list of forty influential artists from throughout history, in no particular order (save starting with an artist famous for cat illustrations as my daughter is obsessed with cats). The idea here is to find five minutes to sit down with your little learner and on Google image search or Pinterest, for example, look up artworks by one of the artists listed below. I’ve listed when these artists lived, and the name of their style of art. If you have the time, you could ask your budding artist to create a picture of their own in their version of the style of the artist of the week!
- Louis Wain
Birth Date: August 5, 1860
Country: United Kingdom
Death Date: July 4, 1939
Age at Death: 78
Style: Cat art, humorous illustrations
- Leonardo DaVinci
Birth Date: April 15, 1452
Country: Italy
Death Date: May 2, 1519
Age at Death: 67
Style: Renaissance polymath (painting, sculpture, architecture, science)
- Michaelangelo
Birth Date: March 6, 1475
Country: Italy
Death Date: February 18, 1564
Age at Death: 88
Style: Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect
- Raphael
Birth Date: April 6 or March 28, 1483
Country: Italy
Death Date: April 6, 1520
Age at Death: 37
Style: High Renaissance painter
- Donatello
Birth Date: c. 1386
Country: Italy
Death Date: December 13, 1466
Age at Death: Around 80
Style: Early Renaissance sculptor
- Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
Birth Date: April 16, 1755
Country: France
Death Date: March 30, 1842
Age at Death: 86
Style: Rococo and Neoclassical portrait painter
- Mary Cassatt
Birth Date: May 22, 1844
Country: United States
Death Date: June 14, 1926
Age at Death: 82
Style: Impressionist painter
- Claude Monet
Birth Date: November 14, 1840
Country: France
Death Date: December 5, 1926
Age at Death: 86
Style: Impressionist painter
- Édouard Manet
Birth Date: January 23, 1832
Country: France
Death Date: April 30, 1883
Age at Death: 51
Style: Realist and Impressionist painter
- Titian
Birth Date: c. 1488 or 1490
Country: Italy
Death Date: August 27, 1576
Age at Death: Around 88
Style: High Renaissance and Venetian Renaissance painter
- Caravaggio
Birth Date: September 29, 1571
Country: Italy
Death Date: July 18, 1610
Age at Death: 38
Style: Baroque painter known for his realistic depictions and dramatic use of light and shadow.
- Hilma af Klint
Birth Date: October 26, 1862
Country: Sweden
Death Date: October 21, 1944
Age at Death: 81
Style: Pioneer of abstract art, a precursor to the modern abstract movement.
- Gustav Klimt
Birth Date: July 14, 1862
Country: Austria
Death Date: February 6, 1918
Age at Death: 55
Style: Symbolist painter and a prominent member of the Vienna Secession movement.
- Georgia O’Keeffe
Birth Date: November 15, 1887
Country: United States
Death Date: March 6, 1986
Age at Death: 98
Style: American modernist artist, known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes.
- Yayoi Kusama
Birth Date: March 22, 1929
Country: Japan
Still Alive
Age: Currently in her 90s
Style: Contemporary artist known for her avant-garde work, including her distinctive polka dots and immersive installations.
- Jeff Koons
Birth Date: January 21, 1955
Country: United States
Still Alive
Age: Currently in his late 60s
Style: Contemporary artist, known for his large-scale sculptures often referencing pop culture.
- Takashi Murakami
Birth Date: February 1, 1962
Country: Japan
Still Alive
Age: Currently in his 60s
Style: Contemporary artist, associated with the Superflat movement, blending traditional Japanese art with modern pop culture.
- Salvador Dali
Birth Date: May 11, 1904
Country: Spain
Death Date: January 23, 1989
Age at Death: 84
Style: Surrealist painter, known for his dreamlike, eccentric, and often bizarre imagery.
- Vincent Van Gogh
Birth Date: March 30, 1853
Country: Netherlands
Death Date: July 29, 1890
Age at Death: 37
Style: Post-Impressionist painter, known for his bold use of colour and emotional, expressive brushwork.
- Frida Kahlo
Birth Date: July 6, 1907
Country: Mexico
Death Date: July 13, 1954
Age at Death: 47
Style: Surrealist and folk-art-inspired painter, known for her self-portraits and exploration of Mexican identity and culture.
- Wassily Kandinsky
Birth Date: December 16, 1866
Country: Russia
Death Date: December 13, 1944
Age at Death: 77
Style: Pioneer of abstract art and a key figure in the development of modern art.
- Tamara de Lempicka
Birth Date: May 16, 1898
Country: Poland (later a naturalized French citizen)
Death Date: March 18, 1980
Age at Death: 81
Style: Art Deco painter, known for her portraits and stylized, elegant figures.
- Pablo Picasso
Birth Date: October 25, 1881
Country: Spain
Death Date: April 8, 1973
Age at Death: 91
Style: Cubism, Surrealism, and various other styles throughout his career.
- Berthe Morisot
Birth Date: January 14, 1841
Country: France
Death Date: March 2, 1895
Age at Death: 54
Style: Impressionist painter, a key member of the movement.
- Edgar Degas
Birth Date: July 19, 1834
Country: France
Death Date: September 27, 1917
Age at Death: 83
Style: Impressionist and Realist painter, particularly known for his depictions of ballet dancers.
- Rembrandt
Birth Date: July 15, 1606
Country: Netherlands
Death Date: October 4, 1669
Age at Death: 63
Style: Dutch Golden Age painter and etcher, known for his masterful use of light and shadow.
- Helen Frankenthaler
Birth Date: December 12, 1928
Country: United States
Death Date: December 27, 2011
Age at Death: 83
Style: Abstract Expressionist painter, associated with the Colour Field movement.
- Rosa Bonheur
Birth Date: March 16, 1822
Country: France
Death Date: May 25, 1899
Age at Death: 77
Style: Realist painter, particularly known for her animal paintings.
- Jan van Eyck
Birth Date: c. 1390
Country: Netherlands
Death Date: July 9, 1441
Age at Death: Around 51
Style: Northern Renaissance painter, known for his detailed and realistic oil paintings.
- Judith Leyster
Birth Date: July 28, 1609
Country: Netherlands
Death Date: February 10, 1660
Age at Death: 50
Style: Dutch Golden Age painter, a leading artist in Haarlem.
- Francisco Goya
Birth Date: March 30, 1746
Country: Spain
Death Date: April 16, 1828
Age at Death: 82
Style: Romantic painter and printmaker, known for his intense and often dark depictions.
- Artemisia Gentileschi
Birth Date: July 8, 1593
Country: Italy
Death Date: c. 1656
Age at Death: Around 63
Style: Baroque painter, known for her powerful and dramatic compositions, often featuring strong female characters.
- Paul Cezanne
Birth Date: January 19, 1839
Country: France
Death Date: October 22, 1906
Age at Death: 67
Style: Post-Impressionist painter, a key figure in the development of modern art and the transition to Cubism.
- Sofonisba Anguissola
Birth Date: c. 1532
Country: Italy
Death Date: November 16, 1625
Age at Death: Around 93
Style: Late Renaissance painter, known for her portraiture and historical scenes.
- Henri Matisse
Birth Date: December 31, 1869
Country: France
Death Date: November 3, 1954
Age at Death: 84
Style: Fauvist painter and sculptor, a leading figure in modern art.
- Mary Beale
Birth Date: March 26, 1633
Country: England
Death Date: October 10, 1699
Age at Death: 66
Style: Baroque portrait painter.
- Peter Paul Rubens
Birth Date: June 28, 1577
Country: Germany (born in the Prince-Bishopric of Siegen, now part of Belgium)
Death Date: May 30, 1640
Age at Death: 62
Style: Baroque painter, known for his extravagant Baroque style and religious and mythological themes.
- Anna Dorothea Therbusch
Birth Date: July 16, 1721
Country: Germany
Death Date: November 9, 1782
Age at Death: 61
Style: Rococo and early Neoclassical portrait painter.
- Piet Mondrian
Birth Date: March 7, 1872
Country: Netherlands
Death Date: February 1, 1944
Age at Death: 71
Style: Pioneer of abstract art and a key figure in the development of the De Stijl movement.
- Jackson Pollock
Birth Date: January 28, 1912
Country: United States
Death Date: August 11, 1956
Age at Death: 44
Style: Abstract Expressionist painter, known for his “drip painting” technique.
So, there you have it, forty (because there are roughly forty school weeks in the year here in Australia) artists for you and your little scholar to learn about and appreciate this year! Keep a look out for more of our ‘Rounding out the Edges’ pieces in the near future!
