Top 10 Artists

The world as we know it today has been shaped by artists over the centuries. The buildings we live in, the cars we drive, the food we eat, our furniture and the movies we go to and all the songs we listen to are created by artists. Artists are in tune with the world and God. They create because they have to, they have no choice, it is their nature. This is how the world progresses. It can be an author, a musician, a painter or an architect. The world as we know it today has been invented by artistic geniuses. Our every move and word spoken has been shaped by artists who came and went away down the centuries. Let us have a look at the important artists who created in the past so that we could live in a cultured present.

1. Michelangelo

Michelangelo was born on 6th March, 1475 in Italy. His full name was Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. He died in 1564. His life is full of beautiful creations by him. He was a sculptor, painter, architect and poet. Two of his statues Pieta and David are so beautiful that viewers are spellbound in their presence. A masterpiece of his painting talent is the Sistine Chapel in Rome with its picture from Genesis called The Last Judgment. He contributed to the building of St Peter’s Basilica.

2. Shakespeare

Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died on 23rd April 1616. His contribution to English literature is enormous. He is famous as the Bard of Avon. He wrote about 38 plays and more than a hundred and fifty sonnets and poems. His famous players are Hamlet, Macbeth, Twelfth Night and Julius Caesar. Shakespeare had his plays performed in London and he became famous during his lifetime. The plays are so important and the lines spoken in them are etched in the memories who love to watch Shakespearean Theatre. Many movies have been made from his plays.

3. Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German music composer and pianist. He wrote many famous symphonies. He was born on 17 December,1770 and died on March 26, 1827. He was born in Bonn. He went to Vienna to study and further his musical career but the death of his mother brought him home to Bonn for five years. He went back to Vienna again in 1792 where he studied under Joseph Haydn. As the years progressed he wrote concertos, symphonies and piano sonatas. His many famous symphonies are the fifth and the ninth. The prolific Beethoven continued writing music even after he turned deaf.

4. Auguste Escoffier

Auguste Escoffier was a French chef. He was born on 28 October in 1846 in Villeneuve-Loubert, France. He died on 12th February 1935 at Monte Carlo, Monaco. Escoffier was known as the king of chefs in France. He is credited with developing modern French cuisine. It was because of Escoffier that Chefs became respected by society. He published the book Le Guide Culinaire, which is a text book for chefs even today. Kaiser Wilhelm II gave him the title of Emperor of Chefs.

5. Antonio Stradivari

Antonio Stradivari and his family members are famous for making the celebrated violins. He was born in 1644 and died in 1737. He was the manufacturer of violins, cellos and guitars. These are priced in millions of dollars today. By 1680 Antonio had a reputation as a violin maker. From 1700 to his death he made darkly varnished and a little longer violins. A cello currently used by Yo-Yo Ma is a Stradivarius. A Stradivarius was owned by the fictional character Sherlock Holmes. The violins are made of a mixture of three trees, that is, spruce, willow and maple.

6. Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lincoln Wright was born on June 8, 1867. He died on April 9, 1959. During his long life he became a famous architect and interior designer. He was respected as a writer and educator too. His famous works include the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Price Tower and Johnson Wax Building. In 1991 he was recognised as the greatest Architect of America. He is famous for the Prairie style of architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright married three times and had rather a scandalous life style.

7. Picasso

Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born on25th October, 1881 and he died in 1973. He was born in Malaga, Spain. This Spaniard turned the face of art forever. His famous works are Guernica, Les Damoiselles d’Avignon and The Weeping Woman. He moved to Paris in 1900.Gertrude Stein befriended him and became his chief patron. He divided his life between Barcelona in Spain and Paris in France. Picasso also wrote hundreds of poems. A good portion of his life was spent with younger women and he was not faithful to any of his romantic partners often much younger than him. He was a loyal member of the communist party and was honoured by the USSR with the Stalin Peace Prize and the Lenin Peace Prize. He had many different painting periods in his life but is famous for his Cubist period.

8. Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 and he died because of an overdose of medicine in2009. During his lifetime he became a cult figure for his fans. He was famous for his Moon walk. He is also referred to as the King of Pop. His famous hits include Billie Jean, Thriller and Remember the Time. Michael Jackson was inspired by singer James Brown. In later life he became obsessed with the sharpness of his nose and the colour of his skin and he was also accused of indulging in child sex.

9. Robert DeNiro

Robert DeNiro was born on August 17, 1944 in New York City. He is one of the greatest actors the world has seen and has won him an Oscar for his acting in Raging Bull and many nominations. He has had a long term association with Martin Scorsese, the director. He is a rare breed a mixture of Italian and Irish parents. His role as the young Godfather has been one of the most memorable. Another much appreciated gangster role he did was in Goodfellas. He has become better as an actor as he has grown older.

10. Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci was born on 15 April, 1452 in Vinci (at present Province of Florence). He has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance Man because of his wide knowledge in different areas. He has workerd as a painter, a sculptor, architect, scientist, mathematician, musician and a writer. But he is probably most successful as painter. Even nowadays a huge number of artists all over the world are influenced by his point of view.