Artists and Their Art

Once in a while, an amazing artist is born who gives a new definition to art. These are some of the greatest painters of all time — the ones who left their mark on the history of the painted image.

Leonardo da Vinci

Whenever the greatest artists of all time are counted, Leonardo da Vinci is the first name to come to mind. He was one of the greatest artists, philosophers and thinkers who ever lived. Born in 1452, he is the creator of the masterpieces Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. A profoundly learned man, he studied everything from anatomy to astronomy, was one of the great faces of Renaissance art, and left a lasting mark on society. He died in 1519.

Pablo Picasso

Picasso is another towering name. Born in Spain, he was a painter, sculptor and poet, with a gift for painting beautiful pictures from childhood; he began exhibiting his work at fourteen. Later he moved to Paris, where he became very famous. Picasso is credited with the discovery of Cubism, which involved capturing the essence of a subject on the canvas while exaggerating a few of its features.

One of his most famous paintings depicts the bombing of Guernica in 1937. Other masterpieces include Girl Before a Mirror, The Weeping Woman and The Old Guitarist. Picasso was driven by feeling, and most of his paintings are inspired by emotion.

A gift for painting beautiful pictures from childhood — Picasso was already exhibiting his work at just fourteen.

Raphael

Raphael was an Italian painter and architect born in 1483. He began by painting the Madonna and later painted the Stanza della Segnatura, the room of the Signatura in the Vatican Palace. He was also a successful architect, designing the Sant'Eligio degli Orefici chapel as well as palaces. His work is admired for the clarity of its form and the ease of its composition. He is considered one of the three masters of the period — the other two being Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. He died at just thirty-seven, yet left behind an enormous body of art and architecture. Among his famous works are The Marriage of the Virgin, Saint George and the Dragon, La Donna Velata, The Triumph of Galatea, Transfiguration and The School of Athens.

Paul Cézanne

Paul Cézanne was born in France in 1839 and was a post-impressionist painter. His work is said to have formed a bridge between nineteenth-century Impressionism and twentieth-century Cubism, and he was a great influence on both Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. He left a legacy ranging from Impressionism to modern art, and typically used short brushstrokes to create a uniformity across his paintings. Among his famous works are The Card Players, The Basket of Apples, The Bathers, Curtain, Jug and Fruit and Boy in a Red Waistcoat.

Michelangelo

Michelangelo was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the Renaissance, and one of the most celebrated artists of all time. Born in 1475, he was destined for art from childhood: at just thirteen he began working under Domenico Ghirlandaio, the leading fresco painter of the day. People were awed by his work, and wide appreciation followed. Among his greatest works are the Doni Tondo, The Entombment, the Manchester Madonna, the Battle of Cascina and The Crucifixion of St Peter.

Rembrandt

Rembrandt was a Dutch master and one of the greatest painters of all time — often called the greatest visual artist in the history of Dutch and world art. Born in 1606 in Leiden, in the Netherlands, his work centred on biblical scenes and self-portraits. He used special techniques of light and shadow to make his portraits come out perfectly. Among his greatest works are The Night Watch, The Anatomy Lesson and Syndics of the Drapers' Guild.