Howard Pyle was born on March 5, 1853 in Wilmington, Delaware. He was an author and illustrator, and naturally illustrated many of his own books. If you ever get an itch for reading about knights smiting each other great buffets, Howard Pyle is your man. … Continue readingHow Arthur Drew Forth the Sword by Howard Pyle
In case you’ve been dreaming of going to Rome all your life, we’ve got great news for you–that’s where Sylvester is taking us today! Roman culture is perhaps the best known and wealthiest in available knowledge among ancient cultures. Art, however, is harder to classify. … Continue readingAugustus of Primaporta
Joaquín Sorolla was born on February 27, 1863 in Valencia, Spain. He painted portraits and landscapes, but he is best recognized for his beach scenes, with their warm sunlight and reflections on the water. Sorolla was so well recognized that he received a medal of … Continue readingGirl on the Beach by Joaquín Sorolla
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born on February 25, 1841 in France. He is one of the most prominent figures in the Impressionist movement in art. His legacy lived on not only in his art, which has survived and thrived since his time, but also in his … Continue readingYoung Girls at the Piano by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Winslow Homer was born on February 24, 1836 in Boston. He painted landscapes, particularly marine scenes, capturing in loose brush strokes the wild spirit of the vastness of nature. You can nearly feel the wind in his paintings when you let yourself enter into the … Continue readingWatching the Breakers by Winslow Homer
Today Sylvester is going to take us into Etruscan culture, which will be particularly interesting since no one really knows much about who the Etruscans even were! Everything we do know, we got from art–which is pretty cool. Art can be a powerful window into … Continue readingTomb of the Triclinium
Rembrandt Peale was born on February 22, 1778 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his portraits of famous people, particularly presidents. Peale’s father was an accomplished artist and named him after the Dutch master Rembrandt. The boy had much to live up … Continue readingWashington Before Yorktown by Rembrandt Peale
Today, Sylvester is going to take us to ancient Greece and tell us about the Kritios Boy. Now, it’s hard to get any sense of Greek art from looking at one piece because there was such an evolution in style over the years. We’ll talk … Continue readingKritios Boy
Pierre Auguste Cot was born on February 19, 1837 in Bedarieux. He was a French academic painter of some renown, and two of his paintings in particular, The Storm (showed above) and Springtime (showed below) have maintained popularity. Cot studied at l’Ecole des Beaux-Arts and then moved on to Paris, … Continue readingThe Storm by Pierre Auguste Cot
Louis Comfort Tiffany was born on February 18, 1848. He is best known for his stained glass art, that which he created and designed, and his name has lived on as his family stained glass company has continued to prosper. Tiffany grew up in Pennsylvania … Continue readingPastoral Window by Louis Comfort Tiffany