Arts and Artists

Michael Jackson was an American singer and songwriter born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He started performing in a group with his brothers at the age of 5 years old and became the lead vocalist and star attraction. Even in the early stages of his career he showed remarkable range and depth for such a young performer, impressing audiences with his ability to convey complex emotions(Biography, 2009). He and his brothers moved to Los Angeles in 1969 and recorded their first album entitled Diana Ross presents the Jackson 5 and the first single "I want you back" went to number 1 on Billboards hot 100 in January, 1970(Biography, 2009). Michael and his brothers went on to have more hit singles until 1979 when Michael went solo with his off the wall album produced by Quincy Jones. His thriller album in 1982 sold more albums than any other and it was Michael Jackson that introduced the mini movie videos on MTV that launched the age of music videos. It turned out to be a pioneering effort. He went on to perform sold out concerts over the years all around the world and was prepared to launch a comback series of concerts before his untimely death in June, 2009. If there was any doubt about his status as an icon and musical legend, that was put to rest with the out pouring of tributes from fans around the world, the more than 9 million albums sold in the weeks after his death and the 31 million viewers who watched his memorial service on television.

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso is a name known to the world as an extraordinary artist of the twentieth century. Even if a person did not know exactly what made him extraordinary, people knew he made an indelible mark on the art world. Born in 1881 in Spain Picasso worked in almost every major art style of the century. He produced thousands of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints---a body of work that in its size, inventiveness, and influence, is nothing short of phenomenal (Fiero, 2006). His art work is displayed in museums and private showcases around the world for its uniqueness and breath of vision.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was born on June 8, 1867 in Richland Center, Wisconsin. He spent a few semesters at the engineering school at the University of Wisconsin before leaving for Chicago in 1887 (delmars, n.d.) Anyone who has lived in Chicago is familiar with his name. He designed homes in Chicago including one in Oak Park and Hyde Park. Frank Lloyd Wright worked as a draftsman on the auditorium building in Chicago which when completed in 1890 was the tallest building at the time (delmars, n.d.). He was a truly prolific architect who had a style that was unique and fresh. His most famous work is probably the Guggenheim museum in New York City. His work is unparallelled and lives on as a monument to his achievements. He died in April of 1959 at the age of 91.

Mark Twain

Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. Samuel Clemens was his real name. According to the Marktwainhouse website Mark headed to New York City and Philadelphia at the age of 18 where he found some success writing articles and working for several newspapers. He adopted the pen name of Mark Twain while writing for the Territorial Enterprise. His greatest success began when he started writing short stories like Jim Smiley and his Jumping Frog in 1865. His writings became so popular he begin doing lecturing tours and gained notoriety with his best sellers like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876 and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884. He also wrote about society and its institutions of slavery and domination of smaller weaker countries by European powers. No other writer has ever matched his witty intellect and crisp observations of the world that he lived in. Mark Twain died in 1910 at the age of 74.

John Steinbeck

He was born in Salinas, California on February 27, 1902 and according to the website John Steinbecks biography his love of writing and reading was fostered by his mother Olive a former school teacher. He attended Stanford University and left in 1925 to pursue his writing career. Johns first novel was called Cup of Gold published in 1929 which drew little attention. Tortilla Flat published in 1935 was his first success and paved the way for other successes including Grapes of Wrath in 1939 which won him a Pulitzer Prize. He was a war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune. In 1962 he won the Nobel Prize for literature for his realistic as well as imaginative writings according to the John Steinbeck biography website. His writings were insightful and richly rewarding. John Steinbeck died on December 20, 1968 at the age of 66.

References

Biography. (2009). Michael Jackson Biography. Retrieved July 19, 2009, from http://www.biography.com

Frank Lloyd Wright biography. (n.d.) Retrieved July 19, 2009 from http://www.delmars.com

Fiero, G., (2006) The Humanistic Tradition, Modernism, Globalism, and the Information Age Book 6, (5^th ed), McGraw-Hill, New York City, New York.

John Steinbeck Biography (n.d.) Retrieved July 19, 2009 from http://www.steinbeck.org

Mark Twain Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2009 from http://www. Marktwainhouse.org