Book of Artists

About this curriculum

Prehistoric cave paintings dating back thousands of years show that human beings possess an innate desire to create. Even when daily life was focused on survival, people felt compelled to use the resources at their disposal, like burnt charcoal and ground-up minerals, to create. Today, design exists everywhere, from the junk mail we pitch in the recycling bin to the prints we hang on our walls. The history of art and the stories of the men and women who created it spans from ancient cave paintings to today's easily accessible works at IKEA. This book opens it all to readers in a family-friendly format, telling the stories of the people and movements behind the great art of the Western world. This book introduces readers to over ninety of history's great artists, telling their stories and providing historical and cultural context for the great paintings that have shaped our history. You will see how art reflects and shapes culture, how it can make us understand ourselves and the world, and how the creation of art is inherent in every person. You'll catch glimpses of ancient Greece, Renaissance Florence, trade-rich Amsterdam, war-torn France, and the hope-filled young United States…