Google doodles

[9A]

21 Jan 2016

Grandmother's Day 2016 [Poland]



Every year on January 21st, people across Poland take a moment to honor their grandparents, so we thought we’d take a moment, too. We don’t presume to know your babci or dziadek, but hope, whether they’re your family’s best storyteller, the source of Poland’s finest pierogi or simply a cherished memory, that today’s Doodle by artist Lydia Nichols helps bring them to mind.

[9A]

21 January 2013

Emma Gad's 161th Birthday




Emma Gad, born Emma Halkier, was a Danish writer and socialite who wrote plays and books that were often satirical. Although she was a prolific writer, many of her works fell into obscurity after her death. One work that remained popular was Takt og Tone, a book of etiquette she wrote in old age.


She received a gold Medal of Merit in 1905. Today her plays are preserved in Denmark's Royal Library.

[9A]

21 January 2004


Lunar New Year 2004

[9A]

21 January 2018

Eua Sunthornsanan’s 108th Birthday




Today, we celebrate Eua Sunthornsanan, or “Khru Eua,” the prolific composer and musician behind such popular Thai songs as “Ram Wong Wan Songkran” and “Loy Krathong” and the man credited with pioneering a style of Thai music that struck a chord around the world.

Born on this day in 1910, Sunthornsanan started playing violin in an orchestra at nine years old. The young musician learned the instrument at a primary school in Bangkok and later sharpened his skills in harmony and arrangement at music school.

While playing in a big band for the government’s Performance Department, Sunthornsanan noticed the band’s concerts drew far bigger crowds than classical performances. His eclectic musical upbringing led him to experiment with different styles, mixing jazz and Westernized classical music with more traditional Thai classical music to create the romantic style that would earn him international acclaim. With the Suntaraporn band, one of the most prominent Thai big bands, he composed more than 2,000 songs.

On what would’ve been the musician’s 108th birthday, today’s Doodle depicts Sunthornsanan performing one of his lively compositions.

[9A]

21 January 2009

Grandparents' Day 2009 - Poland

[9A]

Oct 15, 2013

Friedrich Nietzsche's 169th Birthday



Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a German philosopher, cultural critic, composer, poet, writer, and philologist whose work has exerted a profound influence on modern intellectual history. He began his career as a classical philologist before turning to philosophy.

His body of work touched a wide range of topics, including art, philology, history, religion, tragedy, culture, and science, and drew inspiration from figures such as Socrates, Zoroaster, Arthur Schopenhauer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Richard Wagner and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

[9A]

June 1, 2021

Celebrating Daniel Balavoine







Today’s Doodle celebrates French singer, songwriter, and activist Daniel Balavoine, a rebellious yet sensitive champion of pop music and human rights. On this day in 1978, Balavoine released his third album “Le Chanteur” [“The Singer”], an emotional reflection on the preciousness of life that skyrocketed his career.

Daniel Balavoine was born on February 5, 1952, in Alençon, France. In his teens, he fought passionately for social causes with energy he began to channel into music in 1970. Although his early musical efforts flew under the radar of mainstream success, Balavoine’s career began to pick up steam when Swiss pop star Patrick Juvet featured him on one of his albums.

In 1975, Balavoine continued to build momentum with the release of his debut solo album “De Vous à Elle en Passant Par Moi” [“From You to Her Through Me”]. A televised performance in 1977 of one of his sophomore album’s hit songs, “Lady Marlène,” captivated French pop icon Michel Berger, who commissioned Balavoine to play Johnny Rockfort in his cyberpunk rock opera “Starmania.” The role was a smash hit that set the stage for Balavoine to become a successful innovator of French electronic pop.

In 1980, he released a hit album, “Un Autre Monde” [“Another World”], featuring some of his most famous songs, such as “Je Ne Suis Pas un Héros” [“I’m not a Hero”], “Mon Fils, ma Bataille” [“My Son, My Battle”], and “La Vie ne M’Apprend Rien” [“Life Teaches me Nothing”]. In that same year, on television he issued a call to action to politician François Mitterrand with a challenge to do more for the youth. This was a defining moment for Balavoine’s legacy as not only a musician, but a vocal activist for the community and symbol for France’s next generation.

In addition to the over 20 million records he sold, Balavoine was a devoted humanitarian. He focused much of his efforts on improving the lives of residents in remote villages of the African Sahara, especially in Mali, where he planned to supervise the installation of water pumps near the route of the 1986 Paris-Dakar rally car race. Balavoine tragically lost his life during this trip, but his legacy has lived on. That same year, Balavoine’s final album “Sauver L'Amour” [“Save Love”] won a posthumous Victoire de la Musique award, one of French music’s highest honors.

Here’s to you, Daniel Balavoine!

[9A]

Jul 28, 2017

Albert [Elea] Namatjira’s 115th Birthday





Today is the 115th birthday of renowned Aboriginal Australian artist Albert [Elea] Namatjira. Born in 1902 near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia, he joined the Arrernte community at the age of 13 where he developed his love for the rough and wild Australian landscape.

Namatjira loved sketching from the time he was a young boy, and quickly took to painting the natural beauty around him in the bush. His landscape images earned recognition in Australia and around the world. Namatjira also inspired the Hermannsburg School for his community in Alice Springs, teaching aspiring young artists to depict the Australian landscape.

Today’s Doodle is a painting created by Albert’s granddaughter, Gloria Pannka. To represent her grandfather, Gloria chose to paint the beautiful hills between Hamilton Downs and the West MacDonnell Ranges in central Australia. Albert’s homeland is not far away from this area, and Gloria says that visiting this landscape connects her to her grandparents.

Gloria is also a member of an artistic community, Iltja Ntjarra / Many Hands Art Centre inspired by her grandfather’s works. The art centre works to maintain and promote Aboriginal cultural heritage.

[9A]

Jul 21, 2017

Belgium National Day 2017






On this day, Belgium commemorates the inauguration of King Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians. Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a German prince, embraced his royal role on June 26th, 1831, and pledged his allegiance to the fledgling country just a few weeks later, on July 21.

Previously known as Southern Netherlands, Belgium had been governed by various foreign countries over the centuries, including Spain and France. It also withstood the Dutch Period [1815 – 1830] under King William I, a vigorous advocate of industrialization, before finally attaining its longed-for freedom from the United Kingdom of Netherlands.

Belgian National Day is a festive public holiday celebrated with military parades, air force aerial demonstrations, and free concerts, finished with fireworks. Some Belgians also show their national pride by dressing in red, yellow and black, the colors of the country’s flag.

Our Doodle, illustrated by KHUAN+KTRON, takes us on a joyful tour of Belgium’s iconic Flemish and Wallonian landmarks and sights, from the Royal Palace in Brussels, where Leopold I was sworn in, to the Sint-Truiden, known for its blossoming fruit trees, to Antwerp Cathedral and the Pairi Daiza zoo, home of the giant panda, with stops along the way for such Belgian treats as frieten [fries], cheese and chocolate.

[9A]

Jul 12, 2017

Tayeb Salih’s 88th Birthday





“There are many horizons that must be visited, fruit that must be plucked, books read, and white pages in the scrolls of life to be inscribed with vivid sentences in a bold hand,” claims the narrator of Tayeb Salih’s most critically acclaimed novel, Seasons of Migration to the North.

First published in Arabic in 1967, Seasons of Migration to the North was an international hit and is considered a national treasure of Sudan. It was eventually translated into 20 languages, and in 2011 it was deemed the most important Arabic novel of the 20th century by the Arab Literary Academy.

Before his literary successes, Salih was born to a poor family in a village in northern Sudan in 1929. He studied in the capital, Khartoum, before moving to England four years before his country gained its independence in 1956. After leaving Sudan, Salih spent much of his life living in various cities across Europe and the Arab world, but his work always found a firm foundation in his homeland -- mostly the fictional village of Wad Hamid.

Today’s doodle honors his sense of a setting, incorporating recurring elements from some of Salih’s most popular stories, like Seasons, The Wedding of Al Zein [1962], and A Handful of Dates [1964]. Through Salih’s window we can see a boy and his beloved grandfather, the shade of a palm tree, and the river Nile.

[9A]

23 January 2020

Luis Alberto Spinetta's 70th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the 70th birthday of Argentine singer, composer, guitarist, and poet Luis Alberto Spinetta. Also known as El Flaco [“Skinny”], he is often regarded as the father of Spanish-language rock and roll and a Latin American music icon. The Doodle artwork features the color green as an homage to Spinetta’s iconic and irregularly-shaped album cover of Artaud, as well as his famous red and white guitar.

Born on this day in Buenos Aires in 1950, Spinetta learned how to play guitar and sing at a young age. He continued to develop his musical skills, and at age 17 Spinetta formed one of the most influential rock bands in Argentine history, named Almendra, with two of his former high school classmates. Almendra’s self-titled debut studio album revolutionized the genre as the first band to combine Spanish-language lyrics with progressive rock.

During the 1970s and 80s, Spinetta formed and led several impactful bands that inspired the international “Rock en Español” movement, including Pescado Rabioso, Invisible, and Spinetta Jade. In addition to these group projects, he released over twenty albums as a solo artist. In 2016, his latest record Los Amigo won one of the highest honors in Argentinian music, the Gold Gardel Album of the Year award.

His music struck a major chord throughout the world and continues to impact listeners to this day. For instance, in April 2019 it inspired University of Buenos Aires informatics engineer Alex Ingberg to create an artificial intelligence program to generate song lyrics in Spinetta’s style. And in 2014, in honor of Spinetta’s birthday, Argentina moved Día Nacional del Músico [National Musician’s Day] from November to January 23rd.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Flaco!

[9A]

23 January 2010

Django Reinhard's 100th Birthday




Jean Reinhardt [23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953], known by his Romani nickname Django, was a Romani-Belgian jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most significant exponents.

With violinist Stéphane Grappelli, Reinhardt formed the Paris-based Quintette du Hot Club de France in 1934. The group was among the first to play jazz that featured the guitar as a lead instrument. Reinhardt recorded in France with many visiting American musicians, including Coleman Hawkins and Benny Carter, and briefly toured the United States with Duke Ellington's orchestra in 1946. He died suddenly of a stroke in 1953 at the age of 43.

Reinhardt's most popular compositions have become standards within gypsy jazz, including "Minor Swing", "Daphne", "Belleville", "Djangology", "Swing '42", and "Nuages". Jazz guitarist Frank Vignola says that nearly every major popular-music guitarist in the world has been influenced by Reinhardt. Over the last few decades, annual Django festivals have been held throughout Europe and the U.S., and a biography has been written about his life. In February 2017, the Berlin International Film Festival held the world premiere of the French film Django.

[9A]

23 January 2012

Chinese New Year 2012



Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar.Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture, and has strongly influenced Lunar New Year celebrations of its 56 ethnic groups, such as the Losar of Tibet , and of China's neighbours, including the Korean New Year, and the Tết of Vietnam, as well as in Okinawa. It is also celebrated worldwide in regions and countries that houses significant Overseas Chinese or Sinophone populations, especially in Southeast Asia.

[9A]

3 September 2021

Sergei Dovlatov's 80th birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the 80th birthday of Russian journalist and author Sergei Dovlatov. Both at home and abroad, Dovlatov captured the contemporary experience of Soviet citizens and dissidents in his masterful yet irreverent writing—regarded among the most influential and widely read Russian literature of the late 20th-century.

Sergei Dovlatov was born on this day in 1941 in the Eastern Russian city of Ufa and was raised in Leningrad [now St. Petersburg] in a family of creatives. He made his early living as a journalist and wrote fictional short stories that reflected the minutiae of daily Soviet life. Due to government censorship, his prose was first published in the late 1970s via samizdat, an underground publication network.

Dovlatov emigrated to New York City in 1979, carrying a lone suitcase with the hope of literary freedom. He soon established himself in U.S. writing circles as the co-editor of “The New American,” a successful émigré newspaper. The first of his short stories were published in 1980 by “The New Yorker” which introduced a mass readership to Dovlatov’s trademark brand of Russian humor. After this success, he wrote a new book almost annually. This body of work includes “The Suitcase,” referenced in the Doodle artwork. This beloved 1986 collection of witty autobiographical short stories was inspired by the contents of the suitcase he carried with him to the U.S.

Although his work wasn’t published in his home country until 1989, Dovlatov is a household name in Russia today. His legacy is concretized on Sergei Dovlatov Way, a New York City street corner where Dovlatov penned many of his most famous works.

Happy Birthday, Sergei Dovlatov!

[9A]

23 January 2017

Ed Roberts’ 78th Birthday




Today’s Doodle pays tribute to an early leader of the disability rights movement, Ed Roberts. After contracting polio at age 14, Roberts was paralyzed from the neck down. He used a special wheelchair with a respirator during the day and slept in an 800-pound iron lung at night. Despite his limitations, he continued his studies via telephone hookup, attending in person a few hours a week. His mom, Zona, encouraged him persevere despite the odds.

Roberts’s activism began in earnest as early as high school, when he was denied his diploma due to his inability to complete Physical Education [PE] and Driver's Ed. After petitioning, not only did he earn his diploma, he went on to college, becoming the first student with severe disabilities to attend the University of California, Berkeley. There, he led other Berkeley students with severe disabilities in creating the Physically Disabled Students Program, the first of its kind.

Roberts went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from Berkeley, and later returned to lead the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, which inspired many similar centers around the U.S. In 1976, Gov. Jerry Brown appointed him Director of the California Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, and in 1983 he co-founded the World Institute on Disability.

His mother Zona describes: “I watched Ed as he grew from a sports-loving kid, through bleak days of hopelessness, into self-acceptance of his physical limitations as he learned what was possible for him to accomplish. His years at UCB were great ones as he both enjoyed his college status and got in touch with his leadership qualities. He took great pleasure in watching people with disabilities achieve greater acceptance.”

[9A]

14 Jan 2017

Chava Flores’s 97th Birthday




In 1946, after trying his hand at various different professions, Chava Flores, a musician and music lover, began work at a small printing press. That decision would lead him to create Álbum de Oro de la Canción, the magazine that would eventually secure Chava’s status as “The musical chronicler of Mexico City.”

Through the magazine, Chava met Mexico’s most influential songwriters and composers, inspiring his own vibrant musical style that he showcased over his long career as a composer. His repertoire was as singular as it was prolific, spanning more than 200 songs [like ”Sábado Distrito Federal”]. Chava’s talents expanded beyond the realm of music into other arts, landing him roles in films like Mi Influyente Mujer and Rebeldes sin Causa.

Today’s Doodle celebrates the legacy of Chava Flores, a prolific musician and actor who chronicled urban life in Mexico through his unique approach to songwriting.

[9A]

22 October 2022

Esther Chapa Tijerina's 118th birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the birthday of Esther Chapa Tijerina, a distinguished Mexican surgeon, professor and feminist who played a pivotal role in advancing women’s voting rights in Mexico.

Tijerina was born on this day in 1904 in Tamaulipas. She went on to study medicine at one of Latin America’s leading institutions—the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Although Tijerina came of age in a privileged environment, she was aware of the challenges of disadvantaged groups. During her time in college, she would often advocate for a stronger safety net for underserved women and children.

After graduating from medical school, she became one of the country’s few female surgeons and went on to teach microbiology at her alma mater. She later became Director of the National School of Nursing and Obstetrics, and president of the National School of Nursing.

Tijerina galvanized Mexico’s feminist movement when she co-founded the Single Front Pro-Women's Rights group in 1935 with Mexico’s first female psychiatrist, Dr. Matilde Rodríguez Cabo . Also known as Frente Unico Pro-Derechos de la Mujer [[FUPDM), the group advocated for lower taxes, electricity bills and rent prices for working-class women. It became Mexico’s largest women’s rights organization at the time.

In 1936, Tijerina published a groundbreaking book, El derecho al voto para la mujer, which played a significant role in mobilizing Mexican women to join the suffrage movement.

Happy 118th birthday, Esther Chapa Tijerina! Thank you for laying the foundation for the women’s suffrage movement in Mexico.

[9A]

22 October 2011

Franz Liszt's 200th Birthday



Franz Liszt [22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886] was a Hungarian composer, pianist and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most prolific and influential composers of his era and remains one of the most popular composers in modern concert piano repertoire.

[9A]

5 February 2019

Lunar New Year 2019 [South Korea]



Today is the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, a major holiday celebrated throughout most of Asia. Also referred to as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, this holiday celebrates ancient traditions and ancestors as well as good times ahead.

This year marks the transition from the Year of the Dog to the Year of the Pig, the last animal in the cycle of 12 that represent each year in the shēngxiào, or Chinese zodiac. Pigs are considered a sign of prosperity in Asian culture, and those born in the year of the Pig are said to be sincere, good-natured, and honest.

Today’s Doodle also celebrates the ancient tradition of shadow puppetry, which also has a special place in the festivities. This year, people all over the world can Celebrate Lunar New Year and the ancient storytelling art of shadow puppetry with Shadow Art. Users can form one of the twelve zodiac animal hand gestures in front of their camera and the AI system, built with Tensorflow, will play a short clip matching the shadow puppet that’s been made.

In South Korea, the holiday is also known as soll. Traditional commemorations include visits to pay respect to family members and a meal of dduk gook or rice cake soup. New Year’s wishes are sometimes written on kites and then flown in the sky.

Happy Lunar New Year!

[9A]

5 February 2015

Gabriel Vargas’ 100th Birthday



Gabriel Bernal Vargas [5 February 1915 – 25 May 2010] was a Mexican cartoonist, whose comic strip La Familia Burrón was created in 1937. This cartoon has been described as one of the most important in Mexican popular culture. Vargas won Mexico's "Premio Nacional de Periodismo" [National Journalism Prize] in 1983 and the "Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes en el área de Tradiciones Populares" [National Sciences and Arts Prize] in 2003.

[9A]

22 October 2021

Celebrating Theodor Wonja Michael




Today’s Doodle celebrates Afro-German author, journalist, actor, government official, and social activist Theodor Wonja Michael, who survived a German labor camp to become the nation’s first Black federal civil service officer. Dedicated throughout his wide-ranging career to the struggle against racism, he lived to become one of the oldest remaining representatives of a historic generation of Black German people. On this day in 2013, Michael published his emotive memoir “Black German: An Afro-German Life in the Twentieth Century.”

In 1925, Theodor Wonja Michael was born on January 15 in Berlin, Germany to a father of Cameroonian birth and a native German mother. After elementary school, he was denied occupational training due to Germany’s discriminatory Nuremberg Laws. He pursued acting instead, but at 18 he was sent to work in a forced labor camp.

After the end of World War II, Michael went on to earn a master’s degree in political science. He pursued a career in journalism and founded and edited the journal “Afrika-Bulletin.” In 1971, he agreed to contribute his expertise of African issues to West Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, where he worked as a secret agent and retired as a director in 1987. Initially hesitant to join, Michael used his government service to fight discrimination from within and open doors for other Black Germans. He eventually returned to acting and became one of Germany’s most renowned Shakespearean stage actors.

In honor of his role as a representative of the Black German community, Michael became the first recipient of the nation’s Black History Month Award in 2009.

Thank you, Theodor Wonja Michael! Your story continues to inspire new generations to stand firm in the fight against racial prejudice.

[9A]

27 Oct 2021

Otto Wichterle's 108th birthday



Are you one of the estimated 140 million people around the world who wears contact lenses? Whether your answer is yes or no, the story of the Czech chemist who invented the soft contact lens—Otto Wichterle—might give you some fresh insight. Today’s Doodle celebrates Wichterle’s life and legacy on his 108th birthday.

Otto Wichterle was born on this day in 1913 in Prostĕjov, the Czech Republic [then, Austria-Hungary]. As a lover of science from his youth, Wichterle went on to earn his doctorate in organic chemistry in 1936 from the Prague Institute of Chemical Technology [ICT]. He taught as a professor at his alma mater during the 1950s while developing an absorbent and transparent gel for eye implants.

Political turmoil pushed Wichterle out of the ICT, leading him to continue refining his hydrogel development at home. In 1961, Wichterle [a glasses wearer himself] produced the first soft contact lenses with a DIY apparatus made of a child’s erector set, a bicycle light battery, a phonograph motor, and homemade glass tubing and molds. As the inventor of countless patents and a lifelong researcher, Wichterle was elected the first President of the Academy of the Czech Republic following the country’s establishment in 1993.

While Wichterle is most well-known as the inventor of contact lenses, his innovations also laid the foundation for state-of-the-art medical technologies such as “smart” biomaterials, which are used to restore human connective tissues, and bio-recognizable polymers, which have inspired a new standard for drug administration.

Happy birthday, Otto Wichterle—thanks for helping the world see eye to eye!

[9A]

28 Oct 2021

Kanō Jigorō's 161st birthday






Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Los Angeles, CA-based artist Cynthia Yuan Cheng, celebrates Japan’s “Father of Judo,” Professor Kanō Jigorō, on his 161st birthday. The name Judo means “the gentle way” and the sport is built on principles such as justice, courtesy, safety, and modesty. Kanō saw the martial art as a way to bring people together, even while throwing opponents to the mat.

Born in 1860 in Mikage [now part of Kobe], Kanō moved to Tokyo with his father at age 11. Though he was known as a child prodigy in school, he often faced adversity. To build strength, he became determined to study the martial art of Jujutsu. During his time as a student at Tokyo University, he finally found someone who would teach him—Jujutsu master and former samurai Fukuda Hachinosuke.

Judo was first born during a Jujutsu sparring match when Kanō incorporated a western wrestling move to bring his much larger opponent to the mat. By removing the most dangerous techniques used in Jujutsu, he created “Judo,” a safe and cooperative sport based on Kanō’s personal philosophy of Seiryoku-Zenyo [maximum efficient use of energy] and Jita-Kyoei [mutual prosperity of self and others]. In 1882, Kanō opened his own dojo [a martial arts gym], the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo, where he would go on to develop Judo for years. He also welcomed women into the sport in 1893.

Kanō became the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee [IOC] in 1909, and in 1960, the IOC approved Judo as an official Olympic sport.

お誕生日おめでとうございます

Happy birthday, Kanō Jigorō!

[9A]

1 Nov 2021

Celebrating Georgette Chen



Today’s Google Doodle honors Singaporean artist Georgette Chen, a founder of the post-Impressionist Nanyang painting style, on the 91st anniversary of her first exhibition at the Salon d’Automne in Paris.

Georgette Chen Li Ying was born in Zhejiang, China in October 1906. She grew up mostly in Paris but traveled frequently throughout China and to New York. This cosmopolitan upbringing exposed her to the mixture of cultures that would eventually shape her pioneering art. Chen’s debut followed an invitation to showcase her artwork at an exhibition hosted in one of Paris’ most prestigious modern art salons, the Salon d’Automne, which began on this day in 1930.

In 1953, Chen settled in Singapore, where she helped found the Nanyang style of painting–an experimental style that combined Asian subjects and themes with Western styles and techniques. Chen was among the generation of Chinese-born artists who emigrated to Singapore to join the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, where she taught for 26 years. She became renowned for her refined brushwork, which infused her paintings with a dreamlike quality.

Chen produced numerous works that received global acclaim including “Mosque in Kuala Lumpur” [1957] and “Singapore Waterfront” [1958]. Her work was exhibited around the world, from New York to Kuala Lumpur. The Doodle artwork evokes Chen’s Nanyang style. Starting from the left: A basket of rambutan, an easel, the artist herself, a dried chili plant, a bitter melon, and then a teapot—all elements inspired by her work.

In 1982, she received the Cultural Medallion—a national award that honors the achievements of major contributors to Singapore’s artistic and cultural landscape. As a contributing member to her local community, Chen was the administrator for the Lee Foundation Fund for the Encouragement of Local Talent in the Fine Arts and on the council of the Singapore Arts Society. Singaporean children still learn about the country’s culture from the 2009 book “Georgette’s Mooncakes,” which explores Chen’s “Still Life: Moon Festival Table'' [1965-1968].

Thank you for your contributions to the global art scene in the face of an ever-changing world, Georgette Chen!

[9A]

2 May 2022

Celebrating Elijah McCoy




Today’s Doodle celebrates the birthday of Elijah McCoy, a Black Canadian-American engineer and inventor who revolutionized train efficiency with his inventions. He held 57 patents in his lifetime, most of which were related to locomotives and railways.

In 1837, McCoy’s parents bravely escaped a life of enslavement in Kentucky through the Underground Railroad and sought freedom in Canada. Elijah was born in Colchester, Ontario and returned to the U.S. with his family at a young age. He grew up with a passion for problem-solving, mechanics, and trains. At age 15, he decided to further his education in the field and moved to Edinburgh, Scotland to become a mechanical engineer apprentice.

Upon his return, McCoy settled in Michigan as opportunities to find work in Canada were very limited. In 1866, Black Americans faced rampant racial discrimination, which made finding a job that aligned with his level of experience in mechanical engineering extremely difficult. He joined the Michigan Central Railroad as a fireman and oiler, and quickly identified how inefficient it was to have to stop trains every few miles in order to manually lubricate their engines.

Six years into his role, McCoy addressed this issue by inventing what was colloquially known as an “oil-drip cup.” The cup caused oil to steadily flow around the engine without needing to stop the train. Consequently, McCoy obtained his first patent, “Improvement in Lubricators for Steam Engines.” Future variations of his invention were later used to revolutionize oil-drilling and mining equipment along with construction and factory tools.

McCoy continued to design new inventions while working as a consultant to engineering companies, including patents for a lawn sprinkler and ironing board. He eventually founded the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company in 1920, which produced lubrication devices displaying his name.

In 2001, Elijah McCoy was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio and has a dedicated exhibit in the Detroit Historical Museum. McCoy’s innovations and ingenuity kept trains chugging and have laid the tracks for the well-oiled machines of today.

Happy birthday, Elijah McCoy!

[9A]

2 May 2016

Mario Miranda’s 90th birthday



Mario Miranda was a beloved cartoonist best known for his works in the Times of India and The Illustrated Weekly of India. Based primarily on the bustling cityscape of Mumbai, Miranda’s works often feature complex, multi-layered scenes. Humanity floods the canvas and yet each character maintains their individuality.

Our guest Doodler today is Aaron Renier, another artist known for portraying large crowds. “I approached Mario’s work by pretending I was drawing with him,” says Renier. “I chose his most popular style, very flat with criss-crossing interactions.” In this homage to Miranda, we see a rich litany of people, each unique in their perspective. “That is what I liked most about his work,” Renier explains, “trying to pick out who knows who, who's watching who, who's annoyed by who, who's enamored by who. Hopefully people will see something of [Miranda’s] spirit in it.”

Mario Miranda’s works live on throughout India, and on what would have been his 90th birthday, we honor his legacy.

[9A]

2 May 2013

Satyajit Ray's 92nd Birthday



Satyajit Ray was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of film-making, Ray is celebrated for works including The Apu Trilogy [1955–1959], The Music Room [1958], The Big City [1963] and Charulata [1964], Scarecrow.

[9A]

24 Apr 2013

Gabriel Figueroa's 106th Birthday




Gabriel Figueroa Mateos [April 24, 1907 – April 27, 1997] was a Mexican cinematographer who is regarded as one of the greatest cinematographers of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. He has worked in over 200 films, which cover a broad range of genres, and is best known for his technical dominance, his careful handling of framing and chiaroscuro, and affinity for the aesthetics of artists.

[9A]

24 April 2012

Gideon Sundback's 132nd Birthday




Few have heard of Swedish-American inventor Gideon Sundback, though most people use one of his inventions every day. I certainly hadn't heard of him before I began work on this doodle celebrating his work on the zipper, which he filed a patent for in 1914.

Such an iconic piece of fabric fastening needs little introduction, so I collaborated with doodle engineer Kris Hom to develop an interactive zipper on the homepage which zips opens to reveal search results for "Gideon Sundback."

Happy zipping!


Posted by Sophia Foster-Dimino, Doodler

[9A]

4 May 2019

Eddie Aikau’s 73rd Birthday





Today’s Doodle celebrates Eddie Aikau, big wave surfer, lifeguard, and enduring symbol of Hawaiian heritage. Born on the island of Maui on this day in 1946, Eddie moved to Oahu with his family in 1959 and went on to become the first lifeguard hired by Honolulu officials to work on the North Shore of the island.

Not a single life was lost while he served as a lifeguard at Waimea Bay, making some 500 rescues without the assistance of a jet ski or any modern equipment. Eddie was famous for making rescues even in surf that reached 30 feet high. His fearlessness went on to inspire the slogan “Eddie would go.”

Hailing from a surfing family, Eddie was one of the first native Hawaiians to win the prestigious Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship in 1977, just four years after his older brother Clyde, who was the very first. Aside from his distinguished surfing career, Eddie found other ways to represent the culture of his native island. In 1978, Eddie joined the crew of the Hokule'a, a historically accurate double-hulled canoe retracing the ancient Polynesian migration route to Hawaii. The vessel sprung a leak and capsized in rough waters. Eddie was last seen heroically paddling off on his surfboard towards the nearest island to seek help for the crew, who were later rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Today, Eddie’s legacy lives on through the Eddie Aikau Foundation as well as the prestigious Eddie Aikau Invitational, which has seen some of big-wave surfing’s greatest names competing with maximum respect for the authenticity of surf culture.

Here’s to you, Eddie.

[9A]

12 September 2022

Gabriela Brimmer's 75th birthday


Today’s Doodle celebrates Mexican-Jewish writer and disability rights activist Gabriela Brimmer on what would have been her 75th birthday. Brimmer made impactful contributions to books and films that authentically portrayed her experience as a person with cerebral palsy, ultimately creating more opportunities for those in the disabled community.

Brimmer was born in Mexico City in 1947 to parents who escaped Nazi Austria. Soon after, her parents learned she had severe cerebral palsy, a muscular disorder that can affect a person's movement, muscle tone and posture. Brimmer’scaregivers taught her to communicate through written words and poetry, as she was nonverbal.

Her left leg and foot, the only part of her body she could move, became her means of communication with the world. As depicted in today’s artwork, she wrote beautiful passages by using a typewriter that she operated with the big toe on her left foot.

Brimmer later teamed up with Mexican novelists and journalists to write three bestselling books that accurately depicted her life. She also worked with producers to repurpose her autobiography into the movie Gaby, a True Story [1987], which won Golden Globes and Oscar nominations.

Brimmer went on to found the Association for the Rights of People with Motor Disabilities and participated in many other organizations that advocated for disability rights and accessibility.

In 2016, the Gaby Brimmer National Center for Rehabilitation and Educational Integration was created in her honor.

Happy birthday, Gabriela Brimmer!

[9A]

12 September 2022

Celebrating the Lampang Rooster Bowl




Cock-a-Doodle-Do! Today’s Doodle celebrates the iconic Lampang Rooster Bowl, a traditional tableware design featuring a black-tailed rooster with peony flowers and banana leaves. This durable kitchenware is so popular in Asia that the Thai government registered the rooster bowl as a Geographical Indication product of Lampang on this day in 2013. This means international trade law affirms the quality and reputation of rooster bowls made in the region!

The rooster bowl was imported to Thailand from China. In the original artwork, the rooster symbolized hard work while the banana leaf and red peony represented dreams of good fortune.

In 1957, entrepreneurs opened many rooster kitchenware factories in Thailand’s Lampang province. The region, teeming with clay minerals, was better suited for ceramic manufacturing.

As Lampang began mass producing tableware with rooster designs, the bowl became one of the region’s best-selling products—bringing financial stability and freedom to Lampang locals.

Although Lampang continues to manufacture rooster bowls today, few factories can afford to design rooster bowls according to the traditional style and material, causing the original hand-painted rooster bowls to become a rare collector’s item.

Be sure to check your kitchen cabinets for vintage rooster bowls—they just might bring your family good fortune!

[9A]

12 September 2014

Ernesto Carneiro Ribeiro's 175th Birthday



Fellow grammarians, today you meet your hero on our homepage in Brazil. We’re celebrating the 175th birthday of linguist, educator and physician Ernesto Carneiro Ribeiro, who worked to revise Brazil’s official grammar code to include conversational speech.

[9A]

15 Sept 2016

Jean Batten’s 107th birthday


In the 1930s, female aviator Jean Batten took the skies by storm and brought the winds of change with her. After two failed attempts to fly from England to Australia, Jean made her comeback with a record-breaking return journey in 1934.

Her success elevated in 1935 when she became the first woman to ever fly solo across the south Atlantic, and then it soared in 1936 when Jean and her lucky black cat, Buddy, made the first-ever direct flight from England to New Zealand. She described the moment the wheels hit the turf as “the very greatest moment of my life,” proving to the world that the sky’s only the limit if you let it.

Today we celebrate what would have been this pioneering pilot’s 107th birthday with a reminder to fly fiercely towards our boldest dreams.

Doodle by Sophie Diao

[9A]

15 September 2010

Agatha Christie's 120th Birthday




Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, [15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976] was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

[9A]

9 March 2019

Francisca Reyes-Aquino’s 120th Birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the life and work of Francisca Reyes-Aquino, the Filipino folk dancer and cultural researcher who helped preserve numerous Filipino cultural traditions including the tinikling— one of the country’s most well-known traditional dances. Countless other regional dance forms might have been lost forever if not for the efforts of Reyes-Aquino, who is often referred to as the “Mother of Philippine Dancing.”

Born on this day in 1899, Reyes-Aquino became interested in preserving the unique folk culture that thrived throughout the 7000+ islands that make up the Philippine archipelago. Earning a degree in Education from the University of the Philippines, she began traveling to rural communities with a small team of researchers to study the Filipino people’s unique songs, games, and dances. Recording and transcribing everything in detail, Reyes-Aquino shared her findings at recitals of the university’s folk dance troupe, helping to popularize and preserve dozens of dance forms through classes held by the university’s department of physical education.

Today’s animated Doodle depicts various Philippine traditional dances Reyes-Aquino helped document and preserve including the cariñosa, singkil, pandanggo sa ilaw, and the national favorite: tinikling. Named after a small, native bird that had long been the nemesis of local rice farmers, the dance is inspired by the bird’s hopping movements. Tinikling performers hop and skip skillfully between bamboo poles, creating a rhythmic combination of footwork and arm movements.

In 1954, Reyes-Aquino was awarded the Republic Award of Merit for her “outstanding contribution toward the advancement of Filipino culture.” She was also named a National Artist of Dance in 1973.

Happy 120th birthday, Francisca!

[9A]

9 March 2013

Luis Barragan's 111th Birthday





Luis Ramiro Barragán Morfín [March 9, 1902 – November 22, 1988] was a Mexican architect and engineer. His work has influenced contemporary architects visually and conceptually. Barragán's buildings are frequently visited by international students and professors of architecture. He studied as an engineer in his home town, while undertaking the entirety of additional coursework to obtain the title of architect.

Barragán won the Pritzker Prize, the highest award in architecture, in 1980, and his personal home, the Luis Barragán House and Studio, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

[9A]

8 Mar 2013

Women's Day 2013





Creating this Doodle, while lots of fun, was quite a challenge. After all, women make up more than half of the population. How can they be fairly represented in just one illustration? While no attempt is perfect, it took a number of tries to arrive at the final concept that you see on the homepage.

I initially thought it might be fun to simply depict some ladies having fun outside. I then tried to anthropomorphize the Google letters into women from different backgrounds and lifestyle choices. Ultimately, I didn’t feel that any of these fairly represented women as a whole.

The idea for the final illustration came to me while I was doing one of my favorite things -- sketching in a coffee shop. When drawing from life, you really observe how each human face is unique. People come in all shapes and sizes!

I realized that I could use a similar concept with the Women’s Day Doodle. Using simple shapes to write “Google” with negative space seemed to be the best way to approach this assignment; I now had far more to work with than simply replacing the 6 letters in “Google”.

I had fun painting this Doodle, and hope that others enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the creative process!

Posted by Betsy Bauer, Doodler.

[9A]

6 Mar 2018

Celebrating Semla



Semla season is in full swing, sending fans of these storied Swedish buns, flavored with cardamom and filled with almond paste and whipped cream, into a frenzy!

Dating back to around 1541, semlor [plural of semla, because who could consume just one?] were originally eaten by Sweden’s monarchy and upper-classes, usually every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter, prior to Lenten fasting.

King Adolf Frederick, a ruler with an enormous appetite, devoured 14 semlor in one sitting, shortly before his demise on February 12, 1771. Unlike typical buns of the time, his were soaked in hot milk [[known as hetvägg), and fancified with cinnamon and raisins. Alas, they were to be his last.

Almond paste and whipped cream further sweetened the bun in the 1930s. and over the years semlor in all shapes and sizes have filled bakery windows, from traditional semlor with cut-off tops and powdered sugar to modern takes like semmelwrap, made with flattened dough and the Princess semla, a cross between the Prinsesstårta, a traditional green layer cake, and the cardamom bun. [In other parts of Scandinavia, semlor are known as fastlagsbulle or fastelavnsbolle.]

Today’s Doodle celebrates this enduring treat in all of its delicious variations. Enjoyed during a fika [coffee break] a semla is worth flipping your lid over!

[9A]

6 Mar 2018

Gabriel García Márquez’s 91st Birthday




Deep in the Amazonian jungle, through the lush green canopy and multi-hued vibrance of the hot and humid rainforest, look carefully and you might catch a glimpse of a city of mirrors; a city separated from the world by an expanse of water and yet reflecting everything in and about it; a city that is home to the Buendia family and the site of strange otherworldly happenings. Here, little fish made of pure gold dazzle the eye; large yellow butterflies flit through the flowers; a train chugs along once in a blue moon; and the only visitors are the all-knowing, mysterious gypsies who come bearing strange tales.

Depicted in today's Doodle is this magical city of Macondo, brought to life by the Colombian author, journalist, and Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez [affectionately known as Gabo throughout Latin America] in his book, One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Born in Aracataca, Colombia, Gabo is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. In his long literary career, he penned over 25 books, transporting readers into a world of magical realism where they find themselves in the lush, humid tropics — moldering into solitude or being slowly consumed by the throes of passion.

Gabo’s keen sense of political activism and courage also allowed him to author a number of non-fictional works that eloquently document the times that he lived in, News of a Kidnapping being among the most famous of these.

For all this and more, we celebrate the 91st birthday of a cultural icon whose star continues to shine brightly over the literary and journalistic worlds of Latin America and beyond.

Feliz cumpleaños, Gabo!

[9A]

5 Mar 2018

Celebrating the Edelweiss Flower




Today's Doodle celebrates Leontopodium nivale – more commonly known as the edelweiss flower – which for centuries has beckoned soldiers, hikers, and other adventurers from the slopes of the highest mountains of Europe. The name edelweiss was first found in writing on this date in 1784, and is a direct German translation of the words ‘noble’ and ‘white’.

The flower only blooms in the summer months of June through September. Its characteristic double-star shape and wooly-white texture make it highly recognizable both in nature and in folklore.

Embarking on a quest to find the edelweiss requires bravery, determination, and a little bit of luck. Romance is also a central theme in the story of this flower because its white blooms are thought to represent deep love and devotion. In fact, the gift of an edelweiss was once the equivalent of giving an engagement ring, a true sign of adoration and faithfulness.

Once on the brink of extinction, the edelweiss is no longer at risk, and blooms more and more across the mountainous landscape of Europe.

Today’s Doodle was created by Kassel-based artist Rita Fürstenau and depicts the edelweiss flower in a traditional cross-stitch design.

[9A]

4 March 2016

42nd Anniversary of Rio-Niteroi Bridge Opening



Completed 42 years ago today, Brazil’s Rio–Niterói Bridge beautifully exemplifies the ingenuity of the human spirit. It met with great international praise when it opened in 1974 as the second-longest bridge in the world, spanning the vast Guanabara Bay. Guest Doodler Patrick Leger has crafted a lovely recreation of the bridge on the bay with the Brazilian coast visible in the background.

At 13.29 km [8.3 mi], it remains the longest bridge in Latin America and one of the longest in the world. On the day it opened it was second only to the near-infinite Lake Pontchartrain Bridge in Louisiana [38.35 km, 28.3 miles long].

But this structure’s greatest accomplishment is connection. Carrying over 100,000 passengers daily, it unites Nieterói and Rio de Janeiro, cities with populations of 487,000 and 6.5 million respectively. With that kind of impact, the Rio–Niterói Bridge reminds us that nothing lies beyond the reaches of the human imagination.

[9A]

4 March 2014

Hatsusaburo Yoshida's 130th Birthday [born 1884]





Hatsusaburō Yoshida was a Japanese cartographer and artist, known by his bird's-eye view maps of cities and towns. Known as the "Hiroshige of the Taisho Era," Yoshida created over 3,000 maps in his lifetime.

[9A]

17 March 2021

Celebrating Charoen Krung Road




Today’s Doodle celebrates Charoen Krung Road, the very first paved road in Bangkok, which officially opened to travel on this day in 1864. Built alongside the banks of the Chao Phraya River, a tributary that flows through the heart of the city’s urban center, this historic thoroughfare paved the way for the modernization of the Thai capital, all while retaining the charm of its long and winding cultural history.

In the 1860s, the Bangkok economy relied mostly on its network of canals for trade. But as the Thai capital became home to foreign traders and their horse-drawn buggies, the city sought to revamp its water-based infrastructure to land transportation in order to meet the demands of international commerce. The local government answered with the 1862 construction of Charoen Krung, which loosely translates to “Prosperous City” but is also often referred to as the “New Road.”

Today, Charoen Krung serves as an asphalt artery that connects a melting pot of old and new in areas like Bangkok’s first “Creative District.” This riverside neighborhood features some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks such as the Old Customs House, where 19th century foreign traders paid taxes before entering and exiting the country, alongside an eclectic mix of everything from French bistros to international street murals. This intersection of modernity and history emphasizes how Charoen Krung has always been a progressive cultural center of Thailand; one that continues to clear the path for the ingenuity of the days to come.

Here’s to Bangkok’s oldest New Road!

[9A]

10 Mar 2021

Prof. Udupi Ramachandra Rao's 89th birthday



Today’s Doodle celebrates the 89th birthday of renowned Indian professor and scientist Udupi Ramachandra Rao, remembered by many as “India’s Satellite Man.”

Born in a remote village of Karnataka on this day in 1932, Prof. Rao began his career as a cosmic-ray physicist and protégé of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, a scientist widely regarded as the father of India’s space program. After completing his doctorate, Prof. Rao brought his talents to the U.S., where he worked as a professor and conducted experiments on NASA’s Pioneer and Explorer space probes.

On his return to India in 1966, Prof. Rao initiated an extensive high energy astronomy program at the Physical Research Laboratory, India’s premier institution for space sciences, before spearheading his country’s satellite program in 1972. Motivated by the practical applications of aerospace technology to solve societal problems such as poverty and food shortages, Prof. Rao supervised the 1975 launch of India’s first satellite—“Aryabhata”—one of over 20 satellites he developed that transformed much of rural India by advancing communication and meteorological services.

From 1984 to 1994, Prof. Rao continued to propel his nation’s space program to stratospheric heights as chairman of India’s Space Research Organization. Here, he developed rocket technology such as the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle [[PSLV), which has launched over 250 satellites. Prof. Rao became the first Indian inducted into the Satellite Hall of Fame in 2013, the same year that PSLV launched India’s first interplanetary mission—“Mangalyaan”—a satellite that orbits Mars today.

Happy Birthday, Prof. Rao! Your stellar technological advancements continue to be felt across the galaxy.

Art by David Lu.

[9A]

10 Mar 2021

Dr. Wu Lien-teh's 142nd birthday




Today’s Doodle celebrates the 142nd birthday of Chinese-Malaysian epidemiologist Dr. Wu Lien-teh, who invented a surgical face covering that is widely considered the precursor to the N95 mask.

Born into a family of Chinese immigrants in Penang, Malaya [[modern-day Malaysia) on this day in 1879, Wu went on to become the first student of Chinese descent to earn his MD from Cambridge University. Following his doctoral studies, he accepted a position as the vice director for China's Imperial Army Medical College in 1908. When an unknown epidemic afflicted north-eastern China in 1910, the Chinese government appointed Wu to investigate the disease, which he identified as the highly contagious pneumonic plague that spread from human to human through respiratory transmission.

To combat the disease, Wu designed and produced a special surgical mask with cotton and gauze, adding several layers of cloth to filter inhalations. He advised people to wear his newly invented mask and worked with government officials to establish quarantine stations and hospitals, restrict travel, and apply progressive sterilization techniques; his leadership contributed greatly to the end of the pandemic [known as the Manchurian plague] by April 1911—within four months of being tasked with controlling its spread.

In 1915, Wu founded the Chinese Medical Association, the country’s largest and oldest non-governmental medical organization. In 1935, he was the first Malaysian—and the first person of Chinese descent–nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work to control the pneumonic plague. A devoted advocate and practitioner of medical advancement, Wu’s efforts not only changed public health in China but that of the entire world.

Happy birthday to the man behind the mask, Dr. Wu Lien-teh!

[9A]

10 March 2013

Joseph von Eichendorff's 225th Birthday



Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff [10 March 1788 – 26 November 1857] was a German poet, novelist, playwright, literary critic, translator, and anthologist. Eichendorff was one of the major writers and critics of Romanticism. Ever since their publication and up to the present day, some of his works have been very popular in Germany.

[9A]

7 Mar 2013

Volodymyr Dakhno's 81st Birthday




Volodymyr Dakhno [ March 7, 1932 — July 28, 2006, Kyiv, Ukraine] was a Ukrainian animator, animation film director and scriptwriter. He was a laureate of the Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine [1988], and a People's Artist of Ukraine [1996]. Dakhno was best known for the animation series Cossacks [[Козаки) which featured characters who were Zaporozhian Cossacks. He worked at Kievnauchfilm, also translated Kyivnaukfilm, which has since been renamed Ukranimafilm.

[9A]

4 Mar 2013

Miriam Makeba's 81st Birthday


South African singer and civil rights activist Miriam Makeba was born in 1932 in Johannesburg. Unfortunately, her early life was marred by tragedy and hardship; when she was just 18 days old, her mother was sent to prison and Makeba went with her. Makeba later lived with her grandmother in Pretoria and joined her church and school choirs. In the 1950s, she moved to Sophiatown, where music filled the streets — big band, African jazz, and anything else that moved people to sing. Thanks to her musical talent, by the end of the decade, she had made a name for herself throughout the country.

Makeba performed with a few different bands and embarked on an acting career. In 1959, she appeared in a documentary that angered the South African authorities; as a result, her passport was revoked. The advent of apartheid led her to leave South Africa. She found success in the United States however, winning a Grammy Award in 1965 and joining Paul Simon on his Graceland tour in the 1980s. She used her newfound fame to draw attention to the suffering and oppression of South Africa under apartheid.

Makeba continued making music and fought for humanitarian causes throughout the rest of her life. Upon her passing, Nelson Mandela said, "Her haunting melodies gave voice to the pain of exile and dislocation which she felt for 31 long years. At the same time, her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us."

[9A]

1 Mar 2013

Ramón Gómez Cornet's 115th Birthday





Ramón Gómez Cornet [1 March 1898 - 9 April 1964] was an Argentine painter. He was one of the forerunners of the modern Argentine painting.