Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953 – November 1, 1999)
      

Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest and most influential artists
of the 20th century, is born in Malaga, Spain.

Picasso’s father was a professor of drawing, and he bred his
son for a career in academic art.

Picasso had his first exhibit at age 13 and later quit art school
so he could experiment full-time with modern art styles.

The work of Picasso, which comprises more than 50,000
paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures, and ceramics
produced over 80 years, a series of overlapping periods.

On June 14, 1877 Henry Ossian Flipper (1856 – 1940), born
into slavery in Thomasville, Georgia, in 1856, became the
first African American cadet to graduate from the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point, New York, earning a
commission as a second lieutenant in the United States
Army.

Flipper was also an author who wrote about scientific topics
and his life experiences.

A painting depicting Lt. Flipper near the Rio Grande River,
TX in 1880 while scouting with company A, 10th US Cavalry
Regiment.

On December 23, 1888, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering
from severe depression, cut off the lower part of his left ear with a
razor while staying in Arles, France.

Van Gogh suffered from psychotic episodes and delusions. He
worried about his mental stability, and often neglected his
physical health, did not eat properly and drank heavily. He
spent time in psychiatric hospitals.

He later documented the event in a painting titled Self-Portrait
with Bandaged Ear. Today, Van Gogh is regarded as an artistic
genius and his masterpieces sell for record-breaking prices.

His depression persisted, and on 29 July 1890 Van Gogh died
from his injuries after shooting himself in the chest with a
revolver.

Vincent Van Gogh
        
         
         
       

LIFE Magazine cover with a Fletcher Martin war painting.

Fletcher Martin (April 19, 1904 – May 30, 1979)