Great Artists (Zaczek)

Often called the father of Impressionism, Édouard Manet was on the forefront of the art world during the mid-1800s. His paintings often looked like one scene of a larger picture, a technique he borrowed from photographs. Readers learn about Manet's life and work, including Monet in His Floating Studio, a painting featuring Manet's friend the artist Claude Monet. Details and interesting facts about each piece are called out to the reader, such as the reflections on the water in The Banks of the Seine at Argenteuil. Additional information is found in a timeline and fact boxes of famous quotes.

It's strange to think that when Paul Cézanne began his work as an artist, people laughed at him! In 1874, Cézanne's work appeared in the very first exhibition of Impressionist art. Now, he's viewed as one of the artists to shape modern art as it is today. Readers discover this incredible artist through his biography and full-color examples of his paintings, including The Card Players. Tiny details are revealed through palette samples and close-up images of small parts of his work, like the signature at the bottom of The House of the Hanged Man.

During the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci studied math, mapmaking, geography, and more. However, he may be best known as a painter and sculptor. The Mona Lisa remains a famous painting that is studied by art students and historians alike. Readers are introduced to this well-known work as well as The Last Supper and The Virgin of the Rocks. Da Vinci's biography and influence are discussed throughout, supported by famous quotes and full-color photographs of his works. Readers learn how da Vinci worked, including his color palettes for various paintings.

Mary Cassatt said, "There are two ways for a painter: the broad and easy one or the narrow and hard one." Though born in Pennsylvania, Cassatt studied traditional art in Europe, but was eventually influenced by the Impressionists and Japanese prints. Full-color photographs of her works, including At the Opera, demonstrate her techniques, which readers can learn to emulate. Details and interesting trivia about her pieces are called out, such as the reason the figure in Young Woman Sewing in a Garden is wearing white. Cassatt wanted other colors to be reflected on it!

When one thinks of Georges Seurat, one artistic technique should come to mind: pointillism. Through Seurat's study of color and light, he came to use tiny dots to create gorgeous, unique colors. Readers see full-color photographs of some of his most famous pieces, such as A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte. Close-up images of small parts of the works call readers' attention to interesting details, like the child in this painting who's looking straight out of the canvas. Through clear instructions, readers can learn how to do a pointillist painting, too-if they have the patience!

Starry Night is one of the most famous paintings known today. Vincent Van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear is also very recognizable, partly because of the story behind it. Readers are introduced to Van Gogh through biography and many of his works. Each of the featured paintings is shown in full color and details are brought to the reader's attention, such as the small signature Van Gogh put on the vase in Sunflowers. Readers learn all about Van Gogh's signature style of thick, paint-filled brushstrokes built upon each other in uneven layers. Then, they can learn to imitate him!