Still Life with Earthenware and Bottles - Van Gogh

We just learned about Van Gogh's painting Head of a Peasant Woman with a White Cap.

Another of Van Gogh's paintings is Still Life with Earthenware and Bottles, made in Amsterdam in 1884.

This painting is part of a bunch of paintings by Van Gogh called Still Life Paintings.
For a while he lived in the town of Neunen, and made a bunch of paintings of things like bottles, bowls and fruit.
All of these things were not moving, which is why the painting type is called still life.

He tried to do a lot of contrasting to show different colors against each other, like green next to red, and he tried to work on different shades of light showing on the things in his pictures.
While he was in Neunen he also helped to teach some other people how to be painters.


(from: wikipedia - still life paintings by vincent van gogh (netherlands))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Leonardo da Vinci

Head of a Peasant Woman with White Cap - Van Gogh

We just learned about the Van Gogh painting called The Potato Eaters.

Another of Van Gogh's paintings is the Head of a Peasant Woman with White Cap, painted in 1885 in the Netherlands.

This was also from his group of paintings called the Peasant Character Studies. One special thing about this painting is that many years later when people used an X-Ray to look through the layers of paint, they found out that Van Gogh had first made a self portrait of himself on the canvas, and then painted over it with the new painting of the Peasant Woman.


(from: wikipedia - peasant character studies (van gogh series))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Statue of Jimmy Carter - Frederick Hart

The Potato Eaters - Van Gogh

We just learned about Van Gogh's painting of Still Life with Cabbage.

Another famous painting by Van Gogh is called The Potato Eaters made in 1885 in Nuenen, Netherlands.

This painting was part of what people call his "Peasant Character Studies".
During this time Van Gogh made many paintings about people that were poor but worked very hard jobs like farming or sewing.

His painting of the Potato Eaters is of a group of poor people sitting around a small table eating dinner.
He wanted it to look dirty and for the people not to look beautiful because he wanted to show how hard the people worked, and that they weren't rich.


(from: wikipedia - the potato eaters)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Flying Pins - Claes Oldenburg

Still Life with Cabbage and Clogs - Van Gogh

We just learned about the Vincent Van Gogh.

One of the first paintings from Vincent van Gogh is Still Life with Cabbage and Clogs in the Netherlands in 1881.

When Van Gogh was 28 years old he made one of his first paintings, of some cabbages and wooden shoes called clogs on a table.
Paintings of things that are not moving are called still life.
This was before Van Gogh came up with his own different style that made him famous later on.


(from: wikipedia - early works of vincent van gogh)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Monument to Joe Louis - Robert Graham

Vincent van Gogh

We just learned about Michelangelo's sculpture of The Deposition and a lot of other works of art by Michelangelo.

Another of the most famous artists in the world was Vincent van Gogh.

He was born in the Netherlands in 1853 and grew up going to a few different schools where he was not a very happy kid.
Later on he got a job helping to make and sell artwork, and that made him much happier.

Through his life he started making paintings in the impressionist style, and then later on he made his own special style.

Sadly Van Gogh was not very famous while he was alive.
He started to get a little famous right before he died, and then about 10 years after he was gone some people found out what a genius he was and since then he has become one of the most famous artists of all time.

A lot of artists are famous for making a few dozen paintings, or even a few hudred.
Van Gogh made over 2,000 works of art, and some of his most famous paintings have sold for over 100 million dollars.

Even though Van Gogh only lived to be 37 years old and didn't have much time to become a master, he is thought to be one of the best artists of all time.


(from: wikipedia - vincent van gogh)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Truncated Pyramid Room - Bruce Nauman

The Deposition - Michelangelo

We just learned about Michelangelo's sculpture of the Risen Christ.

Another famous work of art by Michelangelo is called The Deposition, made in Florence in 1555, also called The Florentine Pietà, The Bandini Pietà or The Lamentation over the Dead Christ.

This statue shows Jesus after he had died on the cross, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Nicodemus who were both followers of Jesus.
Most people believe that the sculpted face of Nicodemus was made to look just like Michelangelo's face.

People think that Michelangelo meant to make this statue to e outside of his tomb after he died, so he worked on it very hard day and night for eight years.
Then he started getting angry and was breaking parts of the sculpture because he was frustrated that it was not perfect.

Later on after Michelangelo died, another sculptor named Tiberio Calcagni was hired to fix up the broken arms and legs that Michelangelo had damaged.


(from: wikipedia - the deposition (michelangelo))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tower - Sol Lewitt

Risen Christ - Michelangelo

We just learned about Michael's artwork at St. Peter's Basilica.

Another famous sculpture by Michelangelo is called Risen Christ and was made in 1521 in Florence.

This sculpture is of Jesus after he rose from the dead standing and holding a cross.

When he was working on this sculpture, after Michelangelo started carving it he found a black mark inside the white marble block, so he put that one away and started over with a whole new block of white marble.
Even though the first sculpture was not finished, someone still wanted to have it because Michelangelo was so famous, and later on someone even finished up the sculpture.
So there are now two of the same sculpture, but one of them has a black mark on the back side.

A lot of sculptures at the time were just of people standing straight up, but Michelangelo made this one of Jesus with his leg bent and his head turned, and people really liked that it then looked different depending on where you were standing and looking at the statue.


(from: wikipedia - risen christ (michelangelo, santa maria sopra minerva))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Repetition Ninetee - Eva Hesse

St. Peter's Basilica - Michelangelo

We just learned about Michelangelo's painting of The Crucifixion of St. Peter.

Another one of Michelangelo's masterpieces was St. Peter's Basilica - Michelangelo.

In Rome, they wanted to rebuild an old church and make it one of the greatest churches in all the world.
They asked Michelangelo to help build it, so he drew up all the plans for the church.

Many other artists had worked on the church, but Michelangelo took over and came up with the plans for how to make the dome of the church.
When it was made it was the widest dome in the world, and it is still the tallest dome in the world.


(from: wikipedia - st. peter's basilica)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Double Negative - Michael Heizer

The Crucifixion of St. Peter - Michelangelo

We just learned about Michelangelo's painting of The Conversion of Saul.

Another famous work of art from Michelangelo is The Crucifixion of St. Peter, made in 1550 in Italy.

In the Bible, St. Peter was one of the Apostles of Jesus, and after Jesus died he was one of the first leaders of the church for Christianity.
The Bible does not say when or how St. Peter died, but many stories from history say that he was crucified upside down, because he didn't feel like he was good enough to die in the same way that Jesus did.

Michelangelo's painting shows Peter upside down on the cross in the middle, surrounded by a bunch of other people.
One interesting thing that people noticed in this painting is that in most paintings from those days where they showed someone who was dying in a sad way they would show the person crying or with their head down looking sad.
In this painting, Peter is lifting himself up to look angrily at the people who are putting him on the cross, to show them that even though he is going to die he is not happy and that they should feel bad for what they are doing.

This painting was a fresco, which means it was painted on wet plaster, and it was the last fresco that Michelangelo ever did.


(from: wikipedia - the crucifixion of st. peter (michelangelo))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: 43 Roaring Forty - Carl Andre

The Conversion of Saul - Michelangelo

We just learned about Michelangelo's Sagrestia Nuova at the Medici Chapel.

Another work of art by Michelangelo is The Conversion of Saul - Michelangelo.

In 1545 Michelangelo was paid by the Pope to make a painting of the Bible story of Saul from the book of Acts.
Acts 9 tells about how Saul was on his way to put the followers of Jesus in jail.
He saw a great light and had a vision from God telling him to help Jesus' followers instead of putting them in jail.

The painting shows Jesus and his angels in heaven, and Saul down below.
Jesus is sending light down to Saul who is on the ground looking scared.


(from: wikipedia - the conversion of saul (michelangelo))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Roden Crater - James Turrell

Sagrestia Nuova - Medici Chapel - Michelangelo

We just learned about Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting of The Last Judgement.

Another famous work of art by Michelangelo is the Sagrestia Nuova that he made for the Medici Chapel in Florence Italy, in 1524.

The Medici family was very rich, and also really liked sculptures, so before they died they paid Michelangelo to make sculptures for them in a church.
He made the Sagrestia Nuova, which means New Sacristy, which is a name for a room in a church.

In the church he made statues of people that were supposed to be for Day and Night, Dawn and Dusk.
This was because he wanted people to think about how time passes by from day to night and dawn to dusk.


(from: wikipedia - medici chapel)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Circles of Time - Alan Sonfist

Jesus' Ancestors - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo

We just learned about the Sistine Chapel paintings of Jesus' ancestors, Aminadab, Naason.
Salmon, Boaz and Obed, Jesse, David and Solomon.
Another few of the ancestor paintings are of Rehoboam and Abijah.

There are 14 total paintings of the ancestors of Jesus around the outside of the Sistine Chapel.
Each one has the names of the ancestors and some people next to the names.

The paintings are of:
Asa, Jehosaphat, Joram
Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz
Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon
Josiah, Jechoniah, Sheatiel
Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim
Azor, Sadoch
Achim, Eliud
Eleazar, Mathan
Jacob, Joseph

Joseph is the father of Jesus, so Michelangelo showed 14 paintings and named 33 of the ancestors of Jesus that are listed in the Bible book of Matthew.










(from: wikipedia - gallery of sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Two Running Violet V Forms - Robert Irwin

Rehoboam and Abijah - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo

We just learned about the Sistine Chapel paintings of Jesus' ancestors, Aminadab, Naason.
Salmon, Boaz and Obed, Jesse, David and Solomon.

Another of the ancestor paintings is called Rehoboam and Abijah.

In the old testament of the Bible, King Solomon had a son named Rehoboam, and then Rehoboam had a son named Abijah.
In the Bible they were not very good followers of God and did not have a great time.

The painting shows a person on the left and right, and a small person who is maybe a child on the right.
These are probably not supposed to be Rehoboam and Abijah.


(from: wikipedia - gallery of sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Spiral Jetty - Robert Smithson

Jesse, David, Solomon - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo

We just learned about the Sistine Chapel paintings of Jesus' ancestors, Aminadab, Naason.
and Salmon, Boaz and Obed.

Another of the ancestor paintings is called Jesse, David and Solomon.

We know of King David in the old testament, one of the most well known kings of all time of Isreal, and one of the ancestors of Jesus.
Jesse was David's father, and Solomon was David's son.

For this painting, Michelangelo painted a servant woman, and old man and an old woman.
People think these are not supposed to be Jesse, David and Solomon, but just people who maybe lived at the time they were around.


(from: wikipedia - gallery of sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Untitled - Dan Flavin

Salmon, Boaz, Obed - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo

We just learned about the Sistine Chapel paintings of Jesus' ancestors, Aminadab, and Naason.

Another of the ancestor paintings is of Salmon, Boaz and Obed, sometimes spelled like Booz and Obeth.

Just like the other ancestors, Salmon, Boaz and Obed are in the Old Testament of the Bible a few times, throughout the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Chronicles, usually just being listed as part of the old family of God's people.

In the book of Matthew in the New Testament, in the list of relatives of Jesus, Salmon is the son of Nahson that we just learned about.
Salmon is the father of Boaz who married Ruth.
Boaz and Ruth were the parents of Obed.

Obed is the Grandfather of David.

Michelangelo painted a woman holding a baby, and an old man.
Most people think that the woman is supposed to be Ruth, the baby is Obed, and the old man is Boaz.
The mother is painted to look very colorful and tender, while the old man is supposed to look hunched and angry.


(from: wikipedia - gallery of sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Anne Truitt - A Wall for Apricots

Naason - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo

We just learned about one of the Sistine Chapel paintings of Jesus' ancestors, Aminadab.

Another of the ancestor paintings is of Naason, also sometimes spelled Nashon.

Just like Amminadab, Nashon is in the Old Testament of the Bible a few times, throughout the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Chronicles, usually just being listed as part of the old family of God's people.

In the book of Matthew in the New Testament, in the list of relatives of Jesus, Nashon is the son of Amminadab that we just learned about.
So Nashon is the Great great great great great great grandson of Abraham, and the Great great great grandfather of David.


Michelangelo painted two people sitting beside a side that says "Naason".
There weren't really any paintings of Naason, since he was alive many years before Michelangelo did this painting, so he just imagined some people to put next to the sign to be part of Jesus' family.

(from: wikipedia - gallery of sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bronze Gate - Robert Morris

Aminadab - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo

We just learned about Michelangelo's painting of Judith and Holfernes.

Another part of the Sistine Chapel are 14 half circles around the outside, showing the ancestors of Jesus.
One of those paintings is of Aminadab, which is sometimes spelled like "Amminadab".

Amminadab is in the Old Testament of the Bible a few times, throughout the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Chronicles, usually just being listed as part of the old family of God's people.
In the book of Matthew in the New Testament, there is a list of relatives of Jesus, going all the way back through some of the well known people like King David, and ending up all the way back at Abraham.
Amminadab is the Great great great great great grandson of Abraham, and the Great great great great grandfather of David.
So he was kind of in the middle of some more famous people in the Bible.

Michelangelo painted two people sitting beside a side that says "Aminadab".
There weren't really any paintings of Amminadab, since he was alive many years before Michelangelo did this painting, so he just imagined some people to put next to the sign to be part of Jesus' family.


(from: wikipedia - gallery of sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Caterpillar - Norman Carlberg

Judith and Holofernes - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo

We've learned about three of the corner stories from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings: David Slaying Goliath, The Brazen Serpent, and The Punishment of Haman.

The painting in the fourth corner is Judith and Holofernes.

In the book of Judith, the story is that Israel was in trouble with a powerful army.
So a woman named Judith went to see one of the generals that liked her.
She tricked him into thinking she liked him too, and then when he was asleep she killed him and saved Israel from being attacked.


(from: wikipedia - sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Stegosaurus - Jim Gary

The Punishment of Haman - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo

We've learned about two of the corner stories from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings: David Slaying Goliath, and The Brazen Serpent.

Another of the corner pictures is The Punishment of Haman.

In the Bible book of Esther chapter 3, a man named Haman is trying to get the king to have all of God's Hebrew people killed.
Esther is the king's wife and she tells the king about it, and Haman is put to the death.


(from: wikipedia - sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Street Crossing - George Segal

The Brazen Serpent - Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo

We've just learned that Michelangelo made paintings about four stories in the four corners of the Sistine chapel.
The first was a painting of David Slaying Goliath.

Another corner has a painting called The Brazen Serpent.

In the Bible book of Numbers chapter 21, it talks about God's people complaining and saying bad things about God, so he sent snakes to come out and bite them to teach them a lesson.
God told Moses to make a bronze snake and have people look at it if they believed in God and they would be saved.

This painting shows a group of people being attached by snakes, and then another group of people looking at the bronze snake and being saved.


(from: wikipedia - sistine chapel ceiling)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Contour - Richard Serra