Lives of the Great Artists Hardcover - 2008

From the publisher

Through the pages of this book, young readers step into a famous artist's studio in medieval Germany, Renaissance Italy, or nineteenth-century France. As the making of a particular work is described, the child smells the paint, hears the chisel chipping into marble, or experiences the wonders of a working printing press.

The twenty artists are featured in easy-to-follow chronological order: Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Drer, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Hans Holbein the Younger, El Greco, Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Bernini, Velzquez, Rembrandt, Goya, Jacques-Louis David, Turner, Delacroix, Manet, Monet, and van Gogh. All have remarkable life stories that will entrance any child.

Beautifully produced illustrations include an introductory portrait or self-portrait of each artist, followed by reproductions of some of their greatest works. Both paintings and sculptures are represented, offering children an inspiring insight into the visual arts. The artworks--Michelangelo's colossal statue of David, van Gogh's self-portrait with bandaged ear, Velzquez's Las Meninas with little Infanta at center stage, Delacroix's dramatic Liberty Leading the People--have all been chosen specifically to appeal to a young audience.

Extended picture captions offer further information, focusing on key details or telling memorable anecdotes, and the book includes a listing of where the artworks can be seen.