Alice Neel | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan

Alice Neel was born on January 28, 1900 in Merion Square, Pennsylvania and spent her childhood in the small town of Colwyn, PA. In 1921, she enrolled in the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore College of Art) and graduated in 1925, the year in which she married. Alice’s earlier adult life was marked by personal tragedy and difficulties, which she credits for putting her in touch with her creative force. Alice Neel’s work was finally noticed in the 1960s, when she was over sixty years old. She achieved great success and recognition for her bold, unconventional and exciting portraits.

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Artopia / Artopia's Painting Lobby / Art History

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Andy Warhol | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan Andy Warhol was born on August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His given name was Andrew Warhola and his father, a construction worker, died in an accident when he...

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Frida Kahlo | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyoacán, a quiet town on the outskirts of Mexico City. Frida had a difficult, but triumphant life. Because of childhood polio...

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Georgia O’Keeffe | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan Georgia O’Keeffe was born on a large dairy farm outside of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin on November 15, 1887. She spent her youth in Wisconsin and Virginia. By the eighth...

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Jackson Pollock | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan Jackson Pollock was born on January 28, 1912 in Cody, Wyoming. He spent most of his childhood in Arizona and California. In 1929, Pollock moved to New York City to...

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Jean-Michel Basquiat | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York on December 20, 1960. He began his art career as a teenage graffiti artist who wrote sayings on public...

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Kara Walker | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan Kara Walker was born in 1969 in Stockton, California. She earned a B.F.A from Atlanta College of Art and an M.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design and she has...

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Marc Chagall | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan Marc Chagall was born on July 7, 1887 in Vitebsk, Belorussia, as one of eight children in a Jewish family. His given name was not Marc, but Moses. As a young man...

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Mary Cassatt | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan Mary Cassatt was born in Allegheny City (now part of Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania on May 22, 1844. She spent her childhood in Pennsylvania, and spent most of her life in...

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Pablo Picasso | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan Pablo Picasso was born on October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain. He was a brilliant art student and the son of a drawing and art teacher. His family moved to Barcelona, and...

Jackson Pollock | Artopia Painting: One Minute Art Lesson | Artopia

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Painting: One Minute Art Lesson | Artopia

People have created paintings in different ways in different places and times. This short animation provides a quick lesson on the history of painting TRANSCRIPT It all started when like cavemen...

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Salvador Dali | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan Salvador Dali was born in 1904 in Figures, Catalonia, Spain. He received his first drawing lessons at ten and he was educated at the School of Fine Arts in Madrid. He...

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Xu Bing | Artopia

Illustration by Maria Manhattan Xu Bing was born in Chongqing, China in 1955 and grew up in Beijing. He grew up in China during the Cultural Revolution, when he and other children were sent off to...