Claude Monet

by Susie Brooks

Published 30 December 2015

Inspiring Artists tells us what it is that makes some famous artists so important and memorable, not only in terms of their artistic legacy, but also as to their impact on the wider world. It explores their life and times through significant pieces of their art, looking at the work in terms of its context, from conflict (Goya), to festivities (Bruegel) to personal struggle (Van Gogh). Each work is also considered in terms of its style, technique and artistic innovation.

Claude Monet (1840-1926) was one of the founders of Impressionism and a hugely successful artist in his own right. His bright, dappled paintings, which captured subjects as varied as seascapes, railways and his famous waterlilies, created a turning point in art and gave colour a new importance. Monet's innovations paved the way for artists as diverse as Wassily Kandinsky, Roy Lichtenstein and Joan Mitchell.


Paul Cezanne

by Susie Brooks

Published 30 December 2015

Inspiring Artists: Paul Cézanne

by Susie Brooks

Published 26 November 2015

Inspiring Artists is a series of children's biographies that tells us what it is that makes some famous artists so important and memorable, not only in terms of their artistic legacy, but also as to their impact on the wider world.
When people first saw Paul Cézanne's paintings, they criticised, rejected and even laughed at him! He went on to change the art world forever. His pictures of apples and mountains paved the way for a new approach to painting. Today he's widely celebrated as the 'father' of modern art, inspiring artists as diverse as Pablo Picasso and Jasper Johns.

These lavishly illustrated books are a visual treasure trove, with famous paintings alongside lesser-known works. Aimed at readers aged 9+, the content has been expertly checked by the ex-Head of Education at the National Gallery in London.