Claude Monet

Claude Monet is regarded as one of the worlds most prolific painters, due to his ingenuity, he is considered the father of impressionism. Impressionism is a style of painting, which was a direct result of Monet's painting "Impressionism, Sunrise". In this painting, the style of impressionism was born reflecting an open composition (open air), which captured light, nature, and atmosphere in new way. Although Monet sought to create original painting, he did study older artists who painted landscapes with what he considered to be beautiful colors. Later in his life, Monet made a goal to paint masterpieces, one of which became his Lilly Exhibit. Following are works of Monet:

The ingenuity and creativity of Monet helped create a new style of painting Impressionism. 

Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh has produced some of the most recognized and  emotionally moving paintings in history. Unappreciated during his lifetime, Vincent transformed his painting style from dark earth tones to vibrant color schemes seen today in his most admired pieces. During his lifetime, Vincent lived in a state of poverty, spending his limited amount of money on painting supplies, bread, tobacco and  coffee. Today however, Vincent's works are among the most expensive in the world. Upon working for an art dealer, Vincent rejected the notion of art as a commodity. Terminated from his position as an art dealer, he pursued other career options, but eventually became an artist. Along with his volatile working career, Vincent also suffered turmoil in relationships. Although Vincent painted numerous pictures, his most admired works were painted in the last two years of his life. Plagued with bouts of mental illness, Vincent continued to paint, developed his on style, and posthumously praised as a genius. Following are a few of Vincents paintings and drawings:

Vincent van Gogh left an everlasting impression on the concept, understanding, and practice of art. As he was quoted for saying in a letter to his brother, "Real painters do not paint things as they are...They paint them as they themselves feel them to be".

Rembrandt van Rijn

Rembrandt was a dutch painter, drawer and etcher during the 17th century. Today, Rembrandt is regarded as one of the greatest painters and etchers throughout history. Rembrandt attained success and honed his skills with portrait painting, but later progressed into landscaped drawings, narrative paintings, and lastly Biblical paintings. His Biblical paintings captured raw emotion and intuitive detail, which he interpreted through reading the Bible. Along with his paintings, Rembrandt also focused on etching. In his etches Rembrandt captured and expressed complex scenes with intricate webs of lines and space with his use of black and white tones. Following are a few of Rembrandt's works:

Although Rembrandt was a great artist, he was not immune to hardships and turmoil. Throughout his later life, he experienced financial problems, he was forced to sell his printing press. He also suffered from numerous personal set backs.  Most importantly however, Rembrandt continued to draw, paint and etch, ultimately creating works of art that are regarded as master pieces today.

Kara Walker

Kara Walker is an artist know for critiquing race, gender, and sexuality through her unique black and white paper silhouettes cut-outs. Her Victorian silhouette style is accented by her presentation of the cut-outs. Kara directly pastes each figure onto the walls of the gallery, along with colored light. By adding the colored light with a projector, the viewer's shadow is projected onto the wall, allowing them to become one of the silhouettes. This approach allows her to integrate the viewer into her exhibit. Following is a series of her works:

 

     

Kara's presentation of art is intriguing. By allowing the viewer's shadow to be projected onto the wall, she can convey her message. Along with silhouette cut-outs, she also draws, as shown above. Kara's work takes an older form of art,Victorian paper cut-outs, and transforms it into a modern critique of society.