Book of Artists

Prehistoric cave paintings dating back thousands of years show that human beings possess an innate desire to create. Even when daily life was focused on survival, people felt compelled to use the resources at their disposal--burnt charcoal, ground-up minerals--to create. Today, design exists everywhere, from the junk mail we pitch in the recycling bin to the prints we hang on our walls. Between ancient cave paintings and today's easily accessible works at IKEA spans the whole history of art and the stories of the men and women who created it. This book opens it all to readers in a family-friendly format, telling the stories of the people and movements behind the great art of the Western world.

This book introduces readers to over ninety of history's great artists, telling their stories and providing historical and cultural context to the great paintings that hve shaped our history. You will see how art reflects and shapes culture, how it can make us understand ourselves and the world, and how the creation of art is inherent in every person.

You'll catch glimpses of ancient Greece, Renaissance Florence, trade-rich Amsterdam, war-torn France, and the hope-filled young United States. You'll meet artists you will fall in love with, and others who challenge your understanding of the world. You'll discover that all of the world's most beautiful art comes from less-than-perfect people. And you'll see that illustrating the world around us helps us to make sense of it, to better understand ourselves and others. Most importantly, we hope this book encourages you to pursue your own art, joining the pantheon of great artists featured here in working to see the world and all its incredible beauty in new ways.