GREAT ARTISTS

                               GREAT ARTISTS

Humans have been artists since the earliest days of their history. The oldest paintings and sculptures were made by cave dwellers thousands of years ago. Over time, artists tried to make their work look more like real life, or they developed styles to express how they felt. The greatest artists found ways to paint and sculpt that had never been tried before. Often artists are not appreciated during their lifetime. Their work is admired and respected only later, when their true greatness is fully understood.

MASTER PRINTMAKER

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was one of the greatest printmakers of Japan. He was famous for his landscapes, which had huge influence on European art.

PAINTER OF MURALS

Diego Rivera (1886-1957) created huge murals, or wall paintings, of the history and everyday life of Mexico. He especially liked to paint bold pictures of Native Americans and ordinary Mexican people, in strong colors. His most important murals are in the National Palace in Mexico City.

PAINTER OF NATURE

The American Georgia O’Keefe (1887-1986) began by making big paintings of plants and buildings. Later, when she lived In New Mexico, she painted the strong colors and strange shapes of desert landscape, including rocks and animal bones.

THE GREATEST SCLPTURE

Michelangelo (1475-1564) was an Italian sculptor, painter, and architect. Many people say he is the greatest artist the world has ever seen. His marble sculptures are very lifelike. He is also famous for his vast painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.