Technology is truly miraculous. I have discovered that out there on the internet is real video footage of artists I never imagined I’d see actually in the process of creating their art. I didn’t know you could watch Monet painting at Giverny, or Rodin sculpting in his studio, but you can!

I’ve gathered a selection of very brief videos of the likes of Matisse, Picasso and Kandinsky doing what they did best, and while I’m blown away by the miracle of technology that allows us to watch these art giants in action, I find that they also make me want to get in the studio and Make Some Art. {Always a bonus.}

If nothing else, they are a fascinating peek at a different world, another life. Who isn’t intrigued by the mystery of how an artist works, even if you’re an artist yourself?

Enjoy and be inspired!

Monet painting in the garden at Giverny after a brief chat with a mystery man smoking a cigarette:

Matisse describing his thoughts about drawing {translation below video} while drawing a portrait.

And here he is making some of his famous cut outs:

Rodin walking about and chipping away at a sculpture. {My favourite part is when he smiles.}

Picasso drawing on glass.

Auguste Renoir painting in his studio. He suffered terribly from rheumatoid arthritis as you can see from his clenched up hands in this video, where his son is helping him hold a brush and a cigarette.

Giacometti painting a face.

Kandinsky drawing one of his famous abstracts, 1926.

Frida Kahlo in a series of images and brief footage of her painting, and with her beloved Diego Rivera.

Georgia O’Keeffe talking about her painting, aged nearly 90.