Artists

Ansel Adams 1902-1984, American
I went to an Ansel Adams exhibit at the National Gallery when I was in high school and just getting interested in photography, and I was astounded by his magnificent black and white nature photos. It was him, more than anything, that made me want to do photography.

Rene Magritte 1898-1967, Belgian
I can't claim to truly understand his work — surely there is some symbolism I'm missing in his bizarre surrealism — but it is beautiful, and I love art that makes you take a second look.

Edvard Munch 1863-1944, Norwegian
I studied his painting The Scream in high school for a report, and I soon discovered that I liked his less-well known paintings as well. In 2006 I visited his show at MoMA and it inspired me so much that I started painting again, and this time in a more serious way.

Alphonse Mucha 1860-1939, Czech
Though most of his work is just advertisements, his beautiful portrayals of women and intricate borders are just marvelous. He's the founder of the Art Nouveau movement.

John William Waterhouse 1849-1917, British
I just love the Pre-Raphaelite movement for its classical, romantic paintings, and Waterhouse is certainly the best of them.

Frida Kahlo 1907-1954, Mexican
I was sadly unaware of Frida before I saw the movie, but I'm now in love with her surreal, personal paintings, as well as her passion for revolution.

Vincent Van Gogh 1853-1890, Dutch
I love his vibrant colors and swirling brushstrokes.

M C Escher 1898-1972, Dutch
I first became interested in Escher when we studied tessellation in my ninth grade geometry class, and later renewed my interest when I read Douglas Hofstadter's Godel, Escher, Bach. His genius continues to astound me.

Gustave Doré 1832-1883, French
I love Dore's dark and gloomy etchings illustrating famous works, and my favorite is his illustration of The Raven.

Edward Gorey 1925-2000, American
Perhaps Gorey's books fall more into the category of comics, since they're mostly sequential art, but I never think of them that way. Gorey's work is dark and macabre but always with a humorous twist.

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