Bridget Riley

By Georgia M.








Bridget Riley, a British artist who was born in London in 1931 is famous for her Op Art. She studied at the famous Goldsmith College of Art in London under Sam Rabin, from 1949-52. She started Op Art in the 1960’s mainly in black and white but later in color. Op Art uses optical effects often creating a dazzle effect. She became the leading British artist to create Op Art. She has traveled extensively, and a visit to Egypt in 1981 had a big effect on her, especially
the colors of ancient Egyptian art. She won many honors and awards She also worked in Industry for the famous J Walter Thompson advertising agency.

She had a first solo show in 1962 at Gallery One. Next she was a prize winner at Venice Biennale. Later, in 1972, she won a very prestigious award in Britain, the CBE, which stands for Commander of the British Empire. She now has studios that exhibit her phenomenal talents. They are in London, Cornwall, and Provence in France.

Frank Lloyd Wright

by Robert H.






Frank Lloyd Wright was a revolutionary artist who paved the way for many architectural trends that are still in exsitance today. He was born in June 1867 and died in 1959. At an early age, he took an interest in putting things together; he says that he enjoyed playing with kindergarten blocks, and contributes this to his approach to architecture and design. Many of his works are characterized by their extreme geometric clarity. He went to college but after two years left not taking any degrees with him, but the college still honored him with a doctorate for fine arts. He moved to Chicago and worked with an architectural firm but was fired due to the fact that he was accepting clients independent from the firm. Wright, very upset, established his own firm and ultimately completed around 50 homes by 1901; kind of an I told you so, huh? His way of manipulating interior space are hallmarks of his new age style. He always believed that humanity should be central to design. In 1904, Wright took a liking to his neigbors wife(Mrs. Cheney) even though he had been married for over a decade himself. The two found there to be no reason to hide this, taking rides in Wright's automobile. Neither of their spouses would grant them a divorce; Wright's neighbors ended up moving to Europe. This whole scandal virtually destroyed his ability to practice architecture in the US. Although Wright had his fair share of problems, historians speculate that he loved to live life on the edge; he spent money the moment he got it and always seemed to be in debt. When Wright was in the US in 1914, one of his male servants set fire to his living quarters, and the deranged servant killed seven people with an axe. One of those seven were his scandalous lover, Ms. Cheney. After the death of Ms. Cheney and the death of his mother in 1923, Wright married Miriam Noel. About a year later there was a divorce due to the fact the Ms. Noel was a strong addict to morphine. Wright once again got involved in a relationship, but this one lasted and the two remained together. In general, Frank Lloyd Wright is in a class of his own. He is truly remarkable and revolutionary, ever changing and unpredictable. He will always be known for his wonderful and inovative architechture, ultimately influencing the world.

The home shown above is known as Fallingwater, but now serves as a Frank Lloyd Wright museum. Wright built it for the Kaufmann family using his extreme talent for International Modernism and Organic design. The Kaufmann family later gave the house to the state of Pennsylvania, and was designated as a museum in 1964. Over 4 million have visited the home.

Andy Warhol

by Colin S.







Andy Warhol’s real name was Andrew Warhola. He was an American painter, motion-picture director and producer, publisher and a leader of the pop art movement, which based artwork on images taken from mass, or popular, culture. Warhol was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1928. His father died when Andy was 13. He was a commercial illustrator, and a very successful one, doing various jobs like shoe ads. He first exhibited in an art gallery in 1962. However, on June 3, 1968 Valerie Solanas shot Mr. Warhol and he barely survived. He never fully recovered and had to wear a corset for the rest of his life. For years his wounds would start to bleed if he worked too hard. Warhol showed single images or rows of objects so frequently that people never stopped to examine them closely. People could immediately recognize that an image was his. These objects included dollar bills, the face of Marilyn Monroe, and Campbell's soup cans. He frequently assigned his pieces to assistants. In the early 1960s Andy Warhol was probably the best known American pop artist and he mass-produced silk-screens, turning out hundreds of identical prints of Coca-Cola bottles, Campbell's soup cans, and other familiar subjects, including identical three dimensional Brillo boxes. Warhol also improved his status as a celebrity. He worked in film as a director and producer. Andy Warhol’s studio was named The Factory. There he used his “Warhol Superstars” to make his films and art. He died in 1987. Andy Warhol was a famous artist and a leader in the pop art movement.

Salvador Dali

by Connor W.







Salvador Dali was born on May 11, 1904 in Figueres Spain. Dali attended the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid. He not only enjoyed painting but also film, sculpture, photography, and his award winning short film Destino. He worked with Walt Disney, and this short film came out in 2003. He was known as one of the best Surrealist artist to ever live. Dali had a habit for doing weird things to draw attention to his self. People thought he was insane. He once said that he would act insane so his art would become abnormal and really stand out. He was one weird, but talented artist. He had a mustache, and he would use motor oil to make his mustache do crazy things. Dali was one of the most famous painters in the twentieth century, and had an impact on many lives.