Winslow Homer

popular name: George Inness

date_of_death: August 3, 1894

age: 69

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Often called "the father of American landscape painting", George Inness was a prominent American landscape painter during the late 1800s. Although Inness's style evolved through distinct stages over a prolific career that spanned more than forty years and 1,000 paintings, his works consistently earned acclaim for their powerful, coordinated efforts to elicit depth of mood, atmosphere, and emotion. Neither pure realist nor impressionist, Inness was a transitional figure who intended for his works to combine both the earthly and the ethereal in order to capture the complete essence of a locale. A master of light, color, and shadow, he became noted for creating highly ordered and complex scenes that often juxtaposed hazy or blurred elements with sharp and refined details to evoke an interweaving of both the physical and the spiritual nature of experience.

popular name: Camille Pissarro

date_of_death: November 13, 1903

age: 73

cause_of_death: Sepsis

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Camille Pissarro (1830–1903) was a French Danish painter and one of the key figures in the development of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Born in the Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands), he moved to France at age 12 to study art. His early work was influenced by the realism of Gustave Courbet, but over time, Pissarro became a central figure in the Impressionist movement. Pissarro's style evolved throughout his career, initially focusing on capturing the effects of light and atmosphere in natural scenes. He was a key contributor to the group's revolutionary approach to painting, using loose brushwork and an emphasis on outdoor scenes. His work often depicted rural landscapes, urban scenes, and daily life. Later, influenced by Georges Seurat's pointillism, Pissarro incorporated this technique into his work during his time in Paris. Pissarro was not only important as an artist but also as a mentor and friend to many other artists, including Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin,, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Georges Seurat. Despite facing financial hardships and occasional criticism of his work, he remained dedicated to his artistic vision despite living in poverty. He continued to paint prolifically until an eye disease rendered him blind and he died shortly after in 1903, leaving behind a legacy that cemented his place as one of the most significant artists in the transition from realism to modern art.

popular name: Andrew Wyeth

date_of_death: January 16, 2009

age: 91

cause_of_death: Died in his sleep after a brief illness.

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009) was a prominent American realist painter, best known for his detailed and emotionally evocative works that captured the rural landscapes and people of Pennsylvania and Maine. Born in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, he was the youngest of five children of famed illustrator N.C. Wyeth, who served as both his teacher and greatest influence. Wyeth gained national recognition in 1948 with his painting Christina’s World, which became one of the most iconic images in American art. Throughout his career, he worked primarily in watercolor and tempera, developing a muted, meticulous style that reflected his introspective nature and deep attachment to his surroundings. Despite his popularity with the public, Wyeth’s work often sparked debate among critics, some praising his technical mastery and emotional depth, while others viewed him as overly nostalgic.