Thanks to technology and social media, art lovers can see how their favorite artists work. Many contemporary artists post video footage or time-lapse videos of their creative process, giving us precious insight into their creative minds. And while it may be rarer, did you know that we have similar types of videos from some of the greatest artists in history?
Since moving video was developed at the end of the 19th century, it has been used to document life as we know it. Many artists have allowed video footage to be taken either while they were working or in an interview setting where they explain their artistic philosophy. From Claude Monet painting in his garden to Georgia O’Keeffe’s reflection on her career, there is so much to learn.
While the footage might be rare, plenty of it has been uploaded to YouTube, and it just takes a bit of searching to unearth these hidden gems. We’ve done a lot of the heavy lifting and found some incredible videos for you, which can be viewed below. Standouts include a 74-year-old Renoir struggling through the pain of rheumatoid arthritis to keep painting. Taken in 1915, the video shows Renoir’s 14-year-old son Claude placing a paintbrush in his father’s hand, which had been permanently deformed by the illness.
Roy Lichtenstein’s 1966 interview, in which he confronts criticism about Pop Art, is a fascinating look at how the artist views his work and its role in society. There are also some fun oddities, like Salvador Dalí painting a rhinoceros at the Paris Zoo and Keith Haring executing a live painting during a television show in Italy.
Whether you love watching artists in action or enjoy hearing them discuss the theory behind their art, you’ll enjoy this different look at Western art history.
There is a lot of rare footage of artists at work to be found; here are some of our favorites, from Monet to Hopper to Haring.
Claude Monet, 1915
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1915
Auguste Rodin, 1915
Wassily Kandinsky, 1926
Henri Matisse, 1946
Pablo Picasso, 1950
Jackson Pollock, 1951
Salvador Dali, 1955
Marcel Duchamp, 1956
Alberto Giacometti, 1965
Edward Hopper, 1965
Roy Lichtenstein, 1966
Georgia O’Keeffe, 1977
Keith Harring, 1984
Gerhard Richter, 2011
(Please note that this list reflects what’s been made available, hence the lack of female representation commensurate with the absence of their public exposure throughout art history.)
h/t: [Open Culture]
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