Francisco De Goya y Lucientes (b. March 30, 1746, Fuendetodos, Spain--d.

April 16, 1828,

Bordeaux, Fr.), consummately Spanish artist whose multifarious paintings, drawings, and
engravings reflected contemporary historical upheavals and influenced important 19th- and 20thcentury
painters.
Like Velazquez, Goya was a Spanish court painter whose best work was done apart from his
official duties. He is known for his scenes of violence, especially those prompted by the French
invasion of Spain. The series of etchings Los desastres de la guerra ("The Disasters of War",
1810-14) records the horrors of the Napoleonic invasion. His masterpieces in painting include
The Naked Maja and The Clothed Maja (c. 1800-05). He also painted charming portraits such as
Senora Sabasa Garcia.
For the bold technique of his paintings, the haunting satire of his etchings, and his belief that the
artist's vision is more important than tradition, Goya is often called "the first of the moderns."
His uncompromising portrayal of his times marks the beginning of 19th-century realism.
Honor Daumier, in full Honor-Victorin Daumier (born Feb. 20/26,
1808, Marseilledied Feb. 11, 1879, Valmondois, France), prolific French
caricaturist, painter, and sculptor especially renowned for his cartoons and drawings
satirizing 19th-century French politics and society. His paintings, though hardly
known during his lifetime, helped introduce techniques of Impressionism into
modern art.
Vincent van Gogh, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression, was born in
Groot-Zundert, Holland. The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured
atmosphere, Vincent was highly emotional and lacked self-confidence
Born in Dvinsk, Russia (in what is now Latvia), Marcus Rothkovich was the fourth
child born to Jacob and Anna Rothkovich. As Russia was a hostile environment for
Zionist Jews, Jacob immigrated to the United States with his two older sons in 1910,
finally sending for the rest of his family in 1913. They settled in Portland, Oregon,
though Jacob died only a few months after the family's arrival, requiring them to
earn a living in their new country though they only spoke Hebrew and Russian.
Rothko was forced to learn English and go to work when he was very young,
resulting in a lingering sense of bitterness over his lost childhood. He graduated
early from Lincoln High School, showing more interest in music than visual art. He
was awarded a scholarship to Yale University, but soon found the environment at
Yale conservative and exclusionary; he left without graduating in 1923.