Inspiring Artists tells us what it is that makes some famous artists so important and memorable, not only in terms of their artistic legacy, but also as to their impact on the wider world. It explores their life and times through significant pieces of their art, looking at the work in terms of its context, from conflict (Goya), to festivities (Bruegel) to personal struggle (Van Gogh). Each work is also considered in terms of its style, technique and artistic innovation. Derided and overlooked during his brief lifetime, the brilliant but tortured Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) is today celebrated as one of the most important figures in modern art. His vibrant, expressive paintings of everyday settings and ordinary people have had a huge impact on artists as varied as Gustav Klimt, Francis Bacon and Anselm Kiefer.

Author Biography

Ruth Thomson is an award-winning educational author (with an MA in Museum and Gallery learning) , who specialises in writing books on art and history. Her art books include Grisly & Gruesome, Saints and Looking at Paintings for the National Gallery, London, a short biography of Georgia O'Keeffe and several hands-on art packs for Tate galleries. She has also co-written Posters and Propaganda in Wartime, published in conjunction with the Imperial War Museum. Her history books include a series about Victorian childhood and books about Plains Indians and Aztecs. Ruth's interest in Terezin was sparked during research for an educational pack on Holocaust art for the London Gallery of Jewish Art. The gallery owns a powerful series of prints by Leo Haas, one of the artists featured in the book, and Ruth became intrigued to find out more about the place that had inspired them. As well as writing educational books, Ruth travels widely, collecting recycled artefacts, which she has shown in bespoke exhibitions at major British museums and galleries for the past 7 years. In her spare time, Ruth enjoys long-distance walking, stone carving and reading modern American literature.