Author: The Artist Editorial

Laura Knight, born in 1877, was an English painter. Over her lengthy career, Knight became one of the most successful artists to have ever come out of Britain, blazing a trail for consequent female artists to follow in the male-dominated art world of the time. Knight was raised by her single mother in a poor household. For a short time, she was sent to wealthier relatives in France, but after they went bankrupt, she returned to her mother in England. Her mother was an art teacher at the Nottingham School of Art, and this gave Knight a chance to receive…

Hans Hofmann, born in 1880, was a German painter. Hofmann was drawn to science and mathematics from a young age. This interest led to him developing a number of patents at the Department of Public Works for the Bavarian government. In his late teens, Hofmann developed an interest in creative pursuits.  Hofmann started studying art in 1898 in Munich. By 1904 the artist had moved to Paris where he was affected by the works of Henrie Matisse and Robert Delaunay. Hofmann exhibited his works in Paris until the outbreak of World War I, at which time he was forced to…

Theo van Doesburg, born Christian Emil Marie Küpper in 1883, was a Dutch painter, writer, poet, and architect. He trained in acting and singing for a brief period before becoming a storekeeper. He regarded his stepfather, Theodorus Doesburg, to be his real father which prompted the artist to sign his works as Theo van Doesburg.  Van Doesburg’s first exhibition was in 1908, and from 1912 he was supporting his painting by writing for various magazines. His work was greatly influenced by Vincent van Gogh with the literal representations in his work.  This changed dramatically in 1913 after he read Wassily…

Janos Mattis-Teutsch, widely known as Mattis Teutsch, was a Hungarian painter, poet, sculptor, graphic artist, and art critic. He was born in 1884 in present-day Romania, which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary at the time of his birth. Mattis Teutsch is known as the first artist to present expressionist paintings to the Romanian public.  The artist attended the National Hungarian Royal School for Applied Arts between 1901 and 1903 where he studied sculpture. He then pursued an education in Munich where he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He later moved to Paris, where his work…

Sonia Delaunay, born in 1885 in what was then the Russian Republic, was a French artist, textile, and fashion designer. She is most well known for co-founding the Orphism art movement, which relied heavily on strong colors and geometric shapes.  At a young age, Delaunay was adopted by her affluent aunt and uncle in St. Petersburg. Here she received a privileged upbringing and ended up visiting many galleries and art museums while traveling Europe widely. At age 16, her proficiency in drawing was noticed by a teacher at her school. This same teacher encouraged her to move to Germany to…

Francesco Hayez, born in 1791, was an Italian artist. He came from a poor family in Venice, but despite this, he was still surrounded by art. He showed a special interest in drawing from a young age and was sent to live with a better-off aunt who was married to an art dealer. Recognizing his talent, his family sent him off to apprentice for a famous artist at the time by the name of Francesco Maggiotto, where he stayed for three years. In 1806 he enrolled at the New Academy of Fine Arts to study oil painting. In 1809 he…

Wassily Kandinsky, born in 1866, was a Russian painter. He’s considered to be one of the pioneers of modern abstract art. Kandinsky believed that copying from nature for his art only interfered with his process and that complete abstraction gave him the freedom for transcendental expression.  Kandinsky learned to play musical instruments from a young age and it was one of his music teachers who introduced him to drawing. When speaking about this time in his life, Kandinsky says that drawing and painting lifted him out of reality.  Kandinsky came from a wealthy family with a businessman as a father,…

František Kupka, born in 1871 in Austria-Hungary, was a Czech painter and graphic artist. He was an early adopter and co-founder of the abstract art movement as well as orphic cubism. Although his work was initially based on realism, he eventually moved to purely abstract art.  In 1889 he spent three years studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague where he painted historical and patriotic themes. He then enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna where he focused his attention on the symbolic and allegorical subject matter.  Kupka’s first exhibition was at the Kunstverein in Vienna,…

Introduction  Europe’s artistic history is rich, and a tourist’s visit to Europe would be replete without enjoying some of the masterpieces that have resulted from this history. Its extraordinary history, including everything from the 1200s such as architecture, hotels, and art are all available to be seen.  In the interest of seeking out a combination of the two, both Europe’s amazing historical locations and amazing artistic richness, there are many museums across Europe that will allow visitors to enjoy all these aspects together in unison. These top 30 museums in Europe are found across some of the continent’s most visited…

Pyotr Konchalovsky, born in 1876 in the Russian village of Slavyanka, was a Russian painter. Konchalovsky’s father was a well-known literary publisher and greatly influenced his son. His father was arrested for revolutionary activities when Konchalovsky was seven years old. As a result of this, the family’s estate was seized and they were forced to move to Kharkiv. This proved to be influential in the direction the artist’s life would take.  Konchalovsky became interested in painting after attending an art school in Kharkiv at the tender age of eight. Once his father was released from prison the family moved to…