Alexander Calder
(1898-1976)
Alexander Calder was a painter who is probably best known for his colorful mobiles. He was an innovative artist who, besides sculpting, painted abstract pictures and designed jewelry. His miniature circus, made of wire and wood, delighted children of all ages.

Mary Cassatt
(1844-1926)
Mary Cassatt is considered one of the most famous American women artists. She spent much of her life in Europe and aligned herself with the Impressionists. She is best know for her pictures of mothers and their children.

Paul Klee
(1879-1940)
Pual Klee was a Swiss-born painter who belonged to no specific art movement. He was born into a musical family and was a gifted musician. He had a difficult time choosing to pursue visual art over music. He used simple geometric shapes and often incorporated numbers and letters into his paintings.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo
(1527-1593)
Giuseppe Arcimboldo was an Italian painter who used fruit, flowers, vegetables and other objects to create portraits. He was the court portraitist for emperors in Vienna and Prague and was extremely famous during his lifetime. His portraits are sometimes comical or satirical and full of amazing attention to detail.

Henri Matisse
(1869-1954)
Henri Matisse was a French artist who is known for his work with bold shapes, bright colors and rhythmic lines. He was the leader of the Fauve ("fauves" means "wild beasts" in French) or Post-Impressionist movement in the early 1900's. Collages using contrasting color and simple geometric designs are some of Matisse's most recognizable works.

David Wiesner
(1956- )
David Wiesner is a contemporary children's book author and illustrator. He has been awarded three Caldecott medals. He received his most recent Caldecott for Flotsam in 2007. Many of his books are wonderful examples of wordless storytelling. He has authored more than 20 award winning books for children.

Johannes (Jan) Vermeer
(1632-1675)
Jan Vermeer was a Dutch artist whose soft palette of color and remarkable depiction of light characterize his paintings. Less than 40 paintings have been attributed to Vermeer. He worked slowly and with great attention to detail. Most of his paintings show one or two female figures involved a simple task and illuminated by light coming through a window.