Charles Willson Peale was an Enlightenment-era American artist who used portraiture, scientific study, and museum-making to shape a new nation’s identity by teaching people to observe, classify, and understand the world through reason, order, and careful seeing. Introduction Charles Willson Peale (1741–1827) lived at a crossroads in history. He was present at the birth of…
Summary: Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque painter who masterfully used light, composition and color to create calm, quiet domestic scenes, like The Milkmaid, that revealed the sacred dignity of ordinary life, showing that faithful everyday work can be an act of worship. Classical Conversations Challenge 2 students study Vermeer as part of their debate strand,…
Picture an artist who dared to tell people that Michelangelo couldn’t paint well, who claimed that daylight bothered him because it interfered with his “inner light,” and who created some of the most distinctive paintings of the Renaissance. That artist is Domenico Theotocopuli, aka El Greco (The Greek) – a bold artist who blazed his…
Let’s talk about an artist who was THE moody, obsessive genius of the Renaissance. Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) wasn’t just another painter or sculptor – he was a creative force that completely changed how we think about art. Imagine being so talented that centuries later, people are still in awe of your work. From the breathtaking…
Albrecht Dürer was a visionary artist, mathematician, and thinker who helped shape the Northern Renaissance. His engravings, woodcuts, and paintings showcase his mastery of detail and his fascination with geometry and nature. In this post, we’ll explore his most thought-provoking quotes and dive into discussion questions that bring his work and ideas to life. Our…
Fra Angelico’s art beautifully blends the Gothic style with early Renaissance techniques, reflecting his deep spiritual devotion and sensitivity to the natural world. In this blog post, we explore his unique approach to painting. Through a series of thought-provoking quotes and discussion questions, we dive deeper into his artistic contributions and the worldviews that shaped…
Let’s explore the artistry of Lorenzo Ghiberti, the master behind Florence’s iconic bronze doors. His innovative blend of realism, detail, and classical influence helped shape the course of Renaissance art. Our Other Resources about Ghiberti Don’t forget that we have some other really helpful resources about Ghiberti! Cool Quotes By or About Ghiberti These quotes…
Let’s dive deeper into our study of Giotto di Bondone! We covered some of the basics in our “Why Study Giotto” blog post/ podcast, so let’s dive deeper into what others said about him and how he influenced art and culture. Our Other Resources about Giotto Don’t forget that we have some other really helpful…
This unusual Impressionist didn’t enjoy plein-air painting (painting outside) or the airy natural light. Instead, he sketched and then returned to his studio to paint. He’s most famous for his paintings of ballet dancers, but he also painted everyday people in the city and action scenes from polo games! In fact, he was incredibly skilled…
It’s time for a celebration of the Renaissance period! Are you ready for a quick overview of Renaissance artists? This ‘best-of’ episode is a sample of about 10 minutes of each of our six episodes about Renaissance Artists (#36-41). This will be a great refresher for you and your kids if you listened to those…
We all would love our students to be familiar with a collection of important works of art (and we kinda would like to improve our own familiarity with famous works of art too!) Familiarity with famous art is part of why we want to include art in education to begin with. But who has the…
Deanna & Julie discuss Andrew Wyeth: Who was he? What were his paintings like? Why should we study him? Join us as we chat about Wyeth’s subdued pallet and discover what it means to train your eyes to see color. Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Play | Listen on Stitcher Andrew Wyeth Discussion…
I’m getting excited thinking about our upcoming unit on American Artists! Every January and February we do six art projects, each focused on one artist per project. Studying these historical artists is such a fun way to incorporate a little art history into our homeschool week! It’s also a great introduction for the art history…
Roy Lichtenstein lead such an interesting and varied life! In fact, my first draft of my Lichtenstein lesson plan included over two full pages of background on him! However, since we usually try to only spend 5 minutes talking about the artist before getting into our art project, I went back and cut it down to…
Andrew Wyeth’s paintings carry a contemplative depth to them that is characteristic of his work. He usually used a very limited and sometimes muddy / muted color pallet, achieving incredible emotion. This is not the shock of an Andy Warhol painting, but a more subtle emotion. I find myself staring at Wyeth’s paintings much longer…
