We use the World's Greatest Artist series (volume 1) by Confessions of a Homeschooler. The first volume is free, and is a year of curriculum. The study is made to go hand-in-hand with the books of the same name, but I think you could probably use free resources online to find the paintings and bios and facilitate the discussions that way. Here is the .pdf of the first unit: http://shared.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/art/ArtistStudy.pdf eta: it is an 'artist a month' situation.
And if you want to purchase volume 2, it's $5.50. http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/09/worlds-greatest-artists-vol-2.html
Anybody use artistic pursuits? It's pricey BUT I don't have to buy ANYTHING for next year other than basic supplies and I have an artsy fartsy kid, I like that incorporates artist study, art history and actual art (as in projects) Is it worth the price?
And I've looked into Confessions of a homeschooler, and there was some reason I didn't want it, forget what now... LOL
We tried Artistic Pursuits one year. I really, really wanted to love it...but it was just ok. If you are having a hard time getting art done at home, I don't think it will improve with AP. You have to read aloud every lesson before doing it. Sometimes I just get tired of that, because I have to do that with everything. But, that's just me...you may feel differently. We only used about half of AP that year. We switched to Home Art Studio and are very happy with that. I just pop in the DVD and let Ms. Volin do the teaching. She does talk about other artists and shows some of their artwork...but there isn't a lot of that. You might also be interested in Picture Study Portfolios.