Name

Nationality

Field

Claude Monet

French

Painter (Impressionist)

Frdric Franois Chopin

Polish

Composer and Virtuoso

Pianist

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov

Russian

Physiologist (classical
conditioning)

Johann Sebastian Bach

German

Composer and musician

John Ernst Steinbeck

American

author

Leonardo da Vinci

Italian

Polymath (many abilities)

Ludwig van Beethoven

Germany

Composer

Michelangelo Buonarroti

Italian

Sculptor, painter, architect,

poet, engineer

Rembrandt van Rijn

Dutch

Painter and etcher

Rene Descartes

French

Philosopher,
mathematician, writer

Sigmund Freud

Austrian

Neurologist
(psychoanalysis)

Socrates

Greek

philosopher

Vincent van Gogh

Dutch

Painter (post impressionist)

William Shakespeare

English

Poet, playwright, actor

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Austrian

Musician, composer

Claude Monet

French painter and founder of impressionism noted for

his examinations of the effects of changing light and
atmosphere, as in the series Water Lilies (1899-1925).

Frdric Franois Chopin

Polish-born French composer noted for the emotional

expressiveness of his works for solo piano, many of
which adopt the rhythms of Polish folk music.

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov

Russian physiologist who is best known for

discovering the conditioned response. He won a 1904
Nobel Prize for research on the nature of digestion.

Johann Sebastian Bach

German composer and organist of the late baroque

period. He wrote more than 200 cantatas, the Saint
Matthew Passion, the Mass in B Minor, orchestral
works such as the sixBrandenburg Concertos, and
numerous works for organ, harpsichord, other solo
instruments, and chamber ensembles.

John Ernst Steinbeck

American writer of short stories and novels, most

notably The Grapes of Wrath (1939), which concerns
the social and economic plight of migrant farm
workers in California. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize
for literature.

Leonardo da Vinci

Italian painter, engineer, and scientist. Often

considered the most versatile genius of the
Renaissance, Leonardo filled notebooks with
engineering and scientific observations that were in
some cases centuries ahead of their time. As a painter
Leonardo is best known forThe Last Supper (c. 1495)
and Mona Lisa (c. 1503).

Ludwig van Beethoven

German composer whose music formed a transition

from classical to romantic composition. His wellknown works, many of which were composed after he
became partially and then totally deaf, include
symphonies, concertos, sonatas, string quartets,
Masses, and one opera.

Michelangelo Buonarroti

Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet whose bestknown works include the marble sculpture David
(1501) and the paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel (1508-1512).

Rembrandt van Rijn

Dutch painter whose works often portray historical and

religious scenes and are celebrated for their subtle
expressions of human emotions. His works include a
series of self-portraits as well as group portraits, such
as The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp (1632) and The
Night Watch (1642).

Rene Descartes

French mathematician, philosopher, and scientist who

is considered the father of analytic geometry and the
founder of modern rationalism. His main works,
Meditations on First Philosophy (1641) and Principles
of Philosophy (1644), include the famous dictum "I
think, therefore I am."

Sigmund Freud

Austrian physician and founder of psychoanalysis who

theorized that the symptoms of hysterical patients
represent forgotten and unresolved infantile
psychosexual conflicts. His psychoanalytic theories,
which initially met with hostility, profoundly
influenced 20th-century thought.

Socrates

Greek philosopher whose indefatigable search for

ethical knowledge challenged conventional mores and
led to his trial and execution on charges of impiety and
corrupting the youth. Although Socrates wrote nothing,
his method of question and answer is captured in the
dialogues of Plato, his greatest pupil.

Vincent van Gogh

Dutch postimpressionist painter whose early works,

such as The Potato Eaters (1885), portray peasant life
in somber colors. His later works, including many selfportraits, a series of sunflower paintings (1888), and
Starry Night (1889), are characterized by bold,
rhythmic brush strokes and vivid colors.

William Shakespeare

English playwright and poet whose works are noted for

their exceptional verbal wit, psychological depth, and
emotional range. His plays include historical works
such asRichard II; comedies, including Much Ado
about Nothing; and tragedies, such as Hamlet, Othello,
and King Lear. He also composed 154 sonnets. The
earliest collected edition of his plays, the First Folio,
contained 36 plays and was published posthumously
(1623).

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Austrian composer noted for his graceful and

imaginative refinement of the classical style. Among
his 626 numbered works are symphonies, concertos,
operas, Masses, sonatas, and chamber works. As a
child prodigy he toured Europe with his father, the
composer(Johann Georg) Leopold Mozart
(1719-1787).