11 Facts You Didn't Know About Famous Artists

Several art movements and artists have come into being during the years of the existence of the world.  

And these artists are a special breed of humans.

It is almost like their brains have been wired differently than ours.

This does not mean that they’re not humans. They’ve lived life like we have, different experiences shaping them as people, a childhood, and friends and families.

It is their unique way of thinking and their creative vision that has them standing apart.

Some of the most famous artists that have been, hide secrets and carry interesting facts from their lives.

Let’s get into the details!

 

1. Pablo Picasso

The Spanish painter, sculptor, theatre designer, paint maker, and ceramicist, is considered as one of the 20^th century’s most influential artists. He belonged to the Cubist Art Movement. His baptized name has 20 words in it: Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de Los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso. The first word that Picasso said was the Spanish word for Pencil, which makes sense considering his extraordinary talent in his early years.

 

2. Andy Warhol

Born Andrew Warhola, the American director, producer, and artist, was a leading man in the Pop Art Movement. He used to create time capsules, with sealed boxes of various items at the end of each month. These boxes would contain things beyond imagination. For example, he had sealed a 17th-century German book on wrestling. A couple of other “time capsules” contain the drawings of boots belonging to Clark Gable and a dress belonging to Jean Harlow, icons of the 1950s. One of the most bizarre objects in these time capsules was a mummified foot.

Credits to the Pop Art Movement for giving us pieces like the Blue Flora Ceramic Kettle and The Summer Story Glass.

 

3. Vincent Van Gogh

This Dutch painter belongs to the post-impressionism era who made an approximate of 900 paintings in a decade. After his death, his brother’s wife began the process of ensuring that Van Gogh’s work got the recognition he deserved.

We’ve got some more interesting facts about Van Gogh that you must check out!

 

4. John James Audubon

Being an ornithologist (study of birds) the American naturalist and painter from the Caribbean, decided to paint every species of bird found in America. Throughout his life, he painted 435 birds in watercolor.

 

5. Leonardo da Vinci

The Italian polymath known as one of the greatest painters of all time was not only a vegetarian but also an animal activist. Although he did not leave us with 100s of paintings, the 30 that we have are more than amazing. Inspiration can strike from the multiple sketches, drawings, and notes he made.

One of his most admired works, Mona Lisa, was stolen… What! Read about it here.

 

6. Anish Kapoor

The modern sculptor is a British Indian, who specializes in conceptual art and installation art, was knighted in 2013. He has his set of fans but had recently had to pay £350,000 in damages. Why? One art company threw away an art piece thinking it was trash.

 

7. Salvador Dali

Another Spanish artist, from the Surrealist Art Movement, is known for this precision and technical skills. Alive, he used to believe that he was his dead brother’s reincarnation. With over 1500 paintings in his name, each one contains a silhouette or portrait of himself. It is said that he was the only one who actually kept the conventional surrealist movement alive.

 

8. Georgia O’Keeffe

The American artist is most known for her paintings containing views of the New York Skyscrapers, enlarged flowers, and the landscapes in New Mexico. Also known as the Mother of Modernism, this influential artist began losing her sight at the age of 84, which forced her to stop painting in 1972. Later, she met a young potter at her ranch, who became her confidante, companion, and business manager, until her eventual demise.

 

9. Claude Monet

The French painter was a consistent part of the French Impressionism era, and in fact, the founder of the same. His father expected him to become a grocer, carry on the family business, and highly disapproved of his paintings. On the other hand, his mother, who was a singer always supported Monet’s art.

In our small attempt to honor this great French painter, we have a plate collection inspired by his work. Check it out, we’re sure you’ll fall in love with the colors!

 

10. Edgar Degas

The French artist was known for his oil paintings and pastel drawings of ballerinas. For anyone who is accustomed to his kind of work will know that he was extremely fascinated with ballet dancers. An approximate of 1500 of his prints, drawings, paintings, and pastels are of dancers.

 

11. Henri Matisse

Born Henri Émile Benoît Matisse, this French artist is widely known for his original and fluid draughtsmanship in color. One of his artworks was hung upside down for 46 days at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The piece known as Le Bateau was then hung the right way up.

 

We bet you didn’t know a lit of these things about some of the most influential people!

As art set these artists apart, art also gave them happiness.

Art is known to be a great therapist for people who feel like they’re stuck or need to uncover layers of themselves. Art therapy is a practice where a person is subjected to their emotions and left to explore it in a safe place. Learn more about it here.