Norman Rockwell

popular name: Auguste Rodin

date_of_death: November 17, 1917

age: 77

cause_of_death: Pulmonary edema

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Auguste Rodin, a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture, lived a life marked by perseverance, innovation, and profound artistic evolution. Born into a modest family in Paris, Rodin struggled academically and faced repeated rejection from the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. These early setbacks shaped his self-reliant approach, encouraging him to pursue training through practical work rather than formal schooling. He spent many years as a craftsman and ornamental sculptor, quietly honing the technical mastery that would later underpin his revolutionary style. Later in life, his studio became a hub of creative exploration, supported by numerous assistants, collaborators, and pupils. Among them was Camille Claudel, a brilliant sculptor whose artistic and personal relationship with Rodin had a lasting impact on both their careers. He is known for such sculptures as The Thinker, Monument to Balzac, The Kiss, The Burghers of Calais, and The Gates of Hell.

popular name: Vincent van Gogh

date_of_death: July 29, 1890

age: 37

cause_of_death: Suicide - Gunshot wound

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. His early works, mostly still lifes and depictions of peasant labourers, contain few signs of the vivid colour that distinguished his later work. In 1886, he moved to Paris where he met members of the avant-garde, including Émile Bernard and Paul Gauguin, who were reacting against the Impressionist sensibility. As his work developed he created a new approach to still life and landscape. His paintings grew brighter as he developed a style that became fully realised during his stay in Arles in the South of France in 1888. During this period he broadened his subject matter to include series of olive trees, wheat fields and sunflowers. During his lifetime van Gogh was not commercially successful and, struggling with severe depression and poverty, committed suicide at the age of 37. He was laid to rest at Auvers-Sur-Oise Communal Cemetery in Auvers-Sur-Oise, Val-d'Oise, France.

popular name: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

date_of_death: January 14, 1867

age: 86

cause_of_death: Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867) was a French Neoclassical painter, widely regarded for his mastery in portraiture and his precise, smooth technique. Born in Montauban, France, Ingres showed early talent in drawing, leading him to study at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He was a student of Jacques-Louis David, a leading figure in the Neoclassical movement, which emphasized order, clarity, and idealized forms. Ingres' career spanned several decades, during which he developed a style distinct from the Romantic movement that was emerging in France. Though he was often criticized for being too rigid and traditional, he stuck to his classical ideals, focusing on linear precision, a sense of balance, and attention to detail. His most famous works include portraits like Madame Moitessier, Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière (1806) and historical paintings such as The Apotheosis of Homer. In his lifetime, Ingres achieved considerable recognition, including being appointed the director of the French Academy in Rome, where he spent a significant period of his life. His influence extended beyond his own time, impacting later artists, including the development of academic and modernist art. Upon his death at the age of 82, Ingres was interred in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris with a tomb sculpted by his student Jean-Marie Bonnassieux. The contents of his studio, including a number of major paintings, over 4000 drawings, and his violin, were bequeathed by the artist to the city museum of Montauban, now known as the Musée Ingres. Upon his death, he was interred at Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris, France.