Shalini Vallepur - I Can Be Creative: Talented Artists Who Inspired the World

Published in 2021 by Enslow Publishing, LLC 101 W. 23rd Street, Suite 240, New York, NY 10011 2020 Booklife Publishing This edition is published by arrangement with Booklife Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Vallepur, Shalini. Title: I can be creative: talented artists who inspired the world / Shalini Vallepur. | Series: I can be | Includes glossary and index. | Series: I can be | Includes glossary and index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781978519633 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781978519657 (library bound) | ISBN 9781978519640 (6 pack) Subjects: LCSH: Artists--Biography--Juvenile literature. | Art--History--Juvenile literature. | Art movements--Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC NX511.5 V35 2020 | DDC 700.922 B--dc23 Printed in the United States of America CPSIA compliance information: Batch #BS20ENS: For further information contact Enslow Publishing, New York, New York at 1-800-542-2595 IMAGE CREDITS All images are courtesy of Inga linder. CONTENTS I CAN BECREATIVE What does being creative mean? People have always used their imaginations to create things. Think back thousands of years ago to cave paintings. Now think about the latest smartphone.

These things may be very different, but they are both pieces of art that somebody created. What makes somebody create something? Maybe they are creating something to solve a problem, or maybe they are creating something to express how they are feeling. How do you express yourself? What does expressing yourself mean? Creating art is a way for people to show their ideas about the world, explore their , or make a big statement. Sometimes art doesnt have any meaning! Art can be anything. Some artists are part of artistic movements. Art movements help creative people with similar ideas or goals create art.

Not all artists are part of an art movement, but their art is just as important. Lets take a look at some very creative people, learn about their lives, and see how you can be creative too. LEONARDO DA VINCI Born: 1452 Died: 1519 Leonardo da Vinci was born in Italy. When he was 15 years old, his father sent him to work as an to a local artist. He learned how to draw, paint, and , and he also learned about science and buildings. After some years as an apprentice, da Vinci opened his own .

His art was part of a wider movement called the Renaissance. The Renaissance covered lots of things including art and science. Da Vinci believed that art and science were not separate things. He used his knowledge of science in his artwork and went on to create famous . Throughout his life, da Vinci was inspired by all sorts of things. He never stopped learning about the world.

He filled notebooks with sketches of everything around him, from maps and bridges to people and buildings. His talents made him famous, and he created art for everyone, from kings to churches. Da Vincis creative and scientific works changed how people see and use art. BE LIKE DA VINCI AND PUT ALL THAT YOU LEARN INTO YOUR ART. LEARNING NEVER EXHAUSTS THE MIND.
- LEONARDO DA VINCI HARRIET POWERS Born: 1837 Died: 1910 Harriet Powers was born a . She was taught how to make quilts by her mother.

Quilting was a form of expression for many slaves in the United States. Many slaves were not allowed to speak their native languages, so quilting became a way of expressing and exploring their identity. Powers made quilts that retold stories from the . The quilts were a mix of the two that Powers was part of as a black American. Bible stories from Christianity were put on quilts that were made in a West African way. Powers quilts were put on display at a fair, where they were spotted by an artist named Jennie Smith.

Smith was fascinated by one of Powers quilts. She had never seen people or animals on a patchwork quilt before. Smith wanted to buy the quilt, but Powers didnt want to sell it. Soon, Powers and her family were no longer slaves. They had little money, and so Powers decided to sell her quilt to Smith for five dollars. She explained the Bible stories on each panel.

Smith wrote down Powers ideas. The artistry of this quilt and others that Powers made are still admired in museums today. WHEN HARRIET PUT HER QUILTS INTO THE FAIR, [I
THINK] IT GAVE HER CONFIDENCE THAT IF BLACKS
AND WHITES CAN AGREE ON [SOMETHING AS
SIMPLE AS] QUILTING, THEN MAYBE ONE DAY THEY
CAN BE EQUAL TO ONE ANOTHER.
- JENNIE SMITH BE LIKE POWERS AND CREATE THINGS THAT WILL MAKE PEOPLE THINK. VINCENT VAN GOGH Born: 1853 Died: 1890 Growing up in the Netherlands, Vincent van Gogh enjoyed drawing. He had many different jobs as an adult and only decided to become an artist when he was 27 years old. Van Goghs earlier paintings explored the lives of poor people.

These paintings looked dark and very sad. Van Goghs brother, Theo, worked in an art gallery in Paris. Theo wrote to Van Gogh about an art movement called Impressionism. Van Gogh was very interested by this, so he moved to Paris to learn more about it. Painting alongside other artists, Van Gogh started to use bright colors in his art. His paintings fit into a movement called Post-Impressionism.

Post-Impressionists used bright colors, shadows, and shapes to express in their art. Although Van Goghs paintings were beautiful, nobody bought them! Van Gogh struggled with money as he spent most of it on expensive paints and tools. Van Gogh was ill for a long time and eventually he went to stay in a hospital where he was looked after and allowed to paint. Van Gogh passed away at a young age. After his death, many realized how beautiful his art is. Today he is thought to be one of the greatest artists to have ever lived.

IF YOU HEAR A VOICE WITHIN YOU SAY
YOU CANNOT PAINT, THEN BY ALL MEANS
PAINT AND THAT VOICE WILL BE SILENCED.
- VINCENT VAN GOGH BE LIKE VAN GOGH AND KEEP CREATING EVEN IF PEOPLE DONT BELIEVE IN YOU. PABLO PICASSO Born: 1881 Died: 1973 Pablo Picasso was born in Spain. His father was an art teacher who encouraged him to draw and paint. Picasso loved painting so much that he went to art school when he was 13 years old. He did well in art school, but grew tired of having to paint like the artists of the past. Picasso moved to Paris where artists lived.

This is where he began to explore new painting styles. Picasso painted how he felt. When one of his friends passed away, Picasso began to paint sad, gloomy paintings. His paintings were colorful and bright when he was happy. Instead of copying the painting styles from the past, Picasso took inspiration from them to make his own style. He explored the shapes used in African art and different ways of creating art.

Picasso created a new art style called Cubism. Cubist paintings and people and objects. Picassos exploration of art and of how to interpret the world changed the face of art. BE LIKE PICASSO AND DONT WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK FIND YOUR OWN PAINTING STYLE!