The most famous masterpieces of painting. The most famous and significant paintings of the world for the history of art
Art is almost as old as humanity itself, and countless unique works have been created over the centuries of our existence.
It would probably be too bold to make a list of the most outstanding masterpieces, because the criteria for evaluating creativity are too subjective. That is why our rating contains paintings and sculptures that are certainly the most recognizable in the world, which does not mean at all that they are somehow better than other brilliant works.
What creations are the most famous? Find out right now! Perhaps you are not familiar with everyone, and it's time to test your erudition and horizons.
25. Bathers by Paul Cézanne
This painting is considered a real masterpiece of modern art. "Bathers" is one of the most famous works of Paul Cezanne. For the first time, the work was presented to the general public at an exhibition in 1906. Cezanne's oil painting paved the way for the artists of the future, allowing them to move away from traditional patterns, and built a bridge between post-impressionism and the art of the 20th century. 24. Discus Thrower by Miron 
"Discobolus" is a legendary Greek statue, executed by the famous Greek sculptor Myron of Eleutherae (Eleutherae) in the period from about 460 to 450 BC. e. The Romans admired the work a lot, and they even made several copies of this sculpture before its original disappeared without a trace. Subsequently, "Discobolus" became a symbol of the Olympic Games. 23. Apollo and Daphne by Bernini 
Apollo and Daphne is a life-size sculpture created by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini around 1622-1625. The masterpiece depicts a half-naked woman trying to escape her pursuer. The sculpture clearly demonstrates the high skill of its creator, who recreated the culmination of the famous story of Ovid (Ovid) about Daphne and Phoebus (Daphna, Phoebus). 22. Night Watch by Rembrandt
A masterpiece by the internationally acclaimed Danish artist Rembrandt, The Night Watch is one of the most famous paintings of the 17th century. The work was completed in 1642 and commissioned to depict a group portrait of the rifle company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg (Frans Banning Cocq, Willem van Ruytenburgh). Today, the painting adorns the exhibition of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. 21. Massacre of the Innocents by Rubens
“The Massacre of the Innocents” is a picture that tells about the terrible order of the Jewish king Herod, by whose command all the babies of Bethlehem and its environs up to 2 years old were killed. The tyrant believed in the prediction that the day was coming when the King of Israel would remove him from the throne, and he hoped that his future rival would be among the children killed. A representative of the Flemish baroque, Rubens wrote two versions of the famous biblical story with a difference of 25 years. The first version of the picture is now in front of you, and it was painted between 1611 and 1612. 20. Campbell - Onion Soup with Beef by Warhol
Painted by American artist Andy Warhol in 1962, Campbell's Onion Soup with Beef is one of the most famous examples of contemporary art. In his work, Warhol masterfully demonstrated the monotony of the advertising industry by reproducing many copies of the same product on his giant canvas. Warhol also said that he ate these soups every day for 20 years. Perhaps that is why the can of onion soup became the object of his famous work. 19. Starry Night by Van Gogh
The Starry Night oil painting is by the Danish Post-Impressionist Vincent van Gogh, who completed this legendary work in 1889. The artist was inspired to write the picture, looking at the night sky through the window of his room in the Saint-Paul hospital, the city of Saint-Remy, Southern France (Saint-Paul Asylum, Saint-Remy). It was there that the famous creator at one time sought rest from the emotional suffering that haunted him until the end of his days. 18. Rock paintings of Chauvet cave
The drawings discovered in the south of France in the Chauvet cave are one of the most famous and best preserved prehistoric masterpieces of world art. The age of these works is approximately 30,000 - 33,000 years. The walls of the cave are masterfully depicted with hundreds of prehistoric animals, including bears, mammoths, cave lions, panthers and hyenas. 17. Kiss by Rodin 
The Kiss is a marble statue created by the eminent French sculptor Auguste Rodin in 1889. The plot of the masterpiece was inspired by the sad story of Paolo and Francesca, characters from the legendary work of Dante Alighieri "The Divine Comedy" (Paolo, Francesca, Dante Alighieri). The lovers were killed by Francesca's husband, who suddenly caught the young people when the boy and girl, enchanted by each other, exchanged their first kiss. 16. Manneken Pis, author unknown
"Manneken Pis" or "Manneken Pis" is a small bronze sculpture that has become a real attraction of the fountain in the center of Brussels. The original authorship of the work is unknown, but in 1619 it was finalized by the Belgian sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy. The visiting card of the city, "Manneken Pis" was supposedly installed in memory of the events of the Grimbergen War, during which a pissing baby, according to one version, urinated on soldiers, and according to another, he extinguished enemy ammunition that threatened to destroy the whole city. On holidays, the sculpture is dressed up in themed costumes. 15. The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali
Painted in 1931 by the famous Spanish painter Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory is one of the most recognizable masterpieces of Surrealist art in the history of painting. The work depicts a gloomy sandy shore strewn with melting clocks. For such an unusual plot, Dali was inspired by the theory of relativity of Albert Einstein. 14. Pieta or Lamentation of Christ by Michelangelo
The Pieta is a famous Renaissance sculpture created by the Florentine artist Michelangelo between 1498 and 1500. The work describes a biblical scene - Mary holds in her arms the body of Jesus taken down from the cross. Now the sculpture is in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Pieta is the only work by Michelangelo that he signed. 13. Water Lilies by Claude Monet
"Water Lilies" is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings by the world famous French Impressionist Claude Monet. The collection of these works is recognized as one of the most outstanding achievements of art of the early 20th century. If you place all the paintings together, it creates the illusion of an endless landscape filled with water lilies, trees and clouds reflected in the water. 12. Scream by Edvard Munch 
The Scream is an iconic masterpiece by the Norwegian Expressionist Edvard Munch. He wrote 4 different versions of this story between 1893 and 1910. The famous work of the artist was inspired by the real experiences of the author associated with a walk in nature, during which Munch was abandoned by his companions (they are also depicted in the picture in the background). 11. Moai, author unknown
Moai statues are massive stone monoliths discovered on Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean, Western Polynesia. The statues are also known as Easter Island Heads, but in fact they all have bodies hidden underground. The Moai statues date from about 1400-1650 and were supposedly carved from stone by aborigines who once lived on the island of Rapa Nui (Rapa Nui, the local name for Easter Island). In total, about 1000 such gigantic masterpieces of antiquity were discovered in this area. The mystery of their movement around the island is still unsolved, and the heaviest figure weighs about 82 tons. 10. Thinker, by Rodin 
The Thinker is the most famous work of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. The author completed his masterpiece in 1880 and originally called the sculpture "The Poet". The statue was part of a composition called "The Gates of Hell" and personified Dante Alighieri himself, the author of the famous "Divine Comedy". According to Rodin's original idea, Alighieri leans over the circles of Hell, reflecting on his work. Subsequently, the sculptor rethought the character and made him a universal image of the creator. 9. Guernica by Pablo Picasso
An oil painting the size of an entire fresco, Guernica is one of the most famous works of the eminent Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. The black and white painting is Picasso's reaction to the Nazi bombardment of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The masterpiece demonstrates all the tragedy, the horrors of war and the suffering of all innocent citizens in the face of just a few characters. 8. The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
You can admire this picture today while visiting the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Santa Maria delle Grazie) in Milan. The legendary painting by Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper is one of the most famous masterpieces in the world. The artist worked on this fresco from 1494 to 1498, and depicted on it the famous biblical scene of the last supper of Jesus Christ surrounded by his disciples, which is described in detail in the Gospel of John. 7. Statue of Liberty by Eiffel, Bartholdi
The iconic sculpture is located on New York's Liberty Island and was once a gift of friendship between the peoples of France and the United States. Today, the Statue of Liberty is considered an international symbol of freedom and democracy. The author of the composition was the French sculptor Bartholdi, and it was designed and built by the architect Gustav Eiffel. The gift was presented on October 28, 1886. 6. Hermes with the baby Dionysus or Hermes Olympus, by Praxiteles (Praxiteles) 
Hermes with the Infant Dionysus is an ancient Greek sculpture discovered during an 1877 excavation in the middle of the ruins of a temple of the goddess Hera in Greece. The right hand of Hermes is lost, but archaeologists believe that according to the plot, the god of trade and athletes held a vine in it, showing it to the infant Dionysus, the god of wine, orgies and religious ecstasy. 5. Creation of Adam by Michelangelo
The Creation of Adam is one of Michelangelo's most famous frescoes. It was created between 1508 and 1512 and is considered the most popular composition of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a cult Catholic center located in the Vatican. The painting illustrates the moment of the biblical creation of the first man in history, described in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament. 4. Venus de Milo, or Aphrodite from the island of Milos 
"Venus de Milo" was born approximately between 130 and 100 BC and is one of the most famous ancient Greek sculptures. The marble statue was discovered in 1820 on the island of Milos (Milo), which is part of the Cyclades Archipelago in the Aegean Sea. The identity of the heroine has not yet been precisely established, but the researchers suggest that the author of the masterpiece carved out of stone exactly Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, who was often depicted as half-naked. Although there is a version that the statue is molded in the image of the sea goddess Amphitrite, who was especially revered on the island where the artifact was found. 3. The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli
The Birth of Venus is the work of the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, painted between 1482 and 1485, and is considered one of the most famous and valuable masterpieces of art in the world. The painting illustrates a scene from Ovid's famous poem Metamorphoses, in which the goddess Venus first comes ashore from the sea foam. The work is on display at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. 2. David by Michelangelo 
The legendary sculpture of the Renaissance was created between 1501 and 1504 by the brilliant creator Michelangelo. To date, "David" is considered the most famous statue in the world. This delightful masterpiece is the biblical hero David etched in stone. Artists and sculptors of the past traditionally depicted David during the battle, the victor over the formidable Goliath, a warlike husband and hero, but Michelangelo chose for his work the image of a charming young man who had not yet learned the art of war and murder. 1. Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
Perhaps some of the works from this list were unknown to you, but Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is known to everyone. It is the most famous, most talked about, most celebrated and most visited painting in the world. The ingenious master wrote it in 1503-1506, and Lisa Gherardini, the wife of the silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo, posed for the canvas (Lisa Gherardini, Francesco del Giocondo). Famous for its enigmatic facial expression, the Mona Lisa is the pride of the Louvre, the oldest and richest museum in France and the world. The majestic and diverse Russian painting always pleases the audience with its inconstancy and perfection of art forms. This is the peculiarity of the works of famous masters of art. They always surprised with their unusual approach to work, reverent attitude to the feelings and sensations of each person. Perhaps that is why Russian artists so often depicted portrait compositions that vividly combined emotional images and epicly calm motifs. No wonder Maxim Gorky once said that an artist is the heart of his country, the voice of the entire era. Indeed, the majestic and elegant paintings of Russian artists vividly convey the inspiration of their time. Like the aspirations of the famous author Anton Chekhov, many sought to bring into Russian paintings the unique flavor of their people, as well as the unquenchable dream of beauty. It is difficult to underestimate the extraordinary canvases of these masters of majestic art, because truly extraordinary works of various genres were born under their brush. Academic painting, portrait, historical painting, landscape, works of romanticism, modernism or symbolism - all of them still bring joy and inspiration to their viewers. Everyone finds in them something more than colorful colors, graceful lines and inimitable genres of world art. Perhaps such an abundance of forms and images that Russian painting surprises with is connected with the huge potential of the surrounding world of artists. Levitan also said that in every note of lush nature there is a majestic and unusual palette of colors. With such a beginning, a magnificent expanse appears for the artist's brush. Therefore, all Russian paintings are distinguished by their exquisite severity and attractive beauty, from which it is so difficult to break away.Russian painting is rightly distinguished from world art. The fact is that until the seventeenth century, domestic painting was associated exclusively with a religious theme. The situation changed with the coming to power of the tsar-reformer - Peter the Great. Thanks to his reforms, Russian masters began to engage in secular painting, and icon painting separated as a separate direction. The seventeenth century is the time of such artists as Simon Ushakov and Iosif Vladimirov. Then, in the Russian art world, the portrait was born and quickly became popular. In the eighteenth century, the first artists appeared who switched from portraiture to landscape painting. The pronounced sympathy of the masters for winter panoramas is noticeable. The eighteenth century was also remembered for the birth of everyday painting. In the nineteenth century, three trends gained popularity in Russia: romanticism, realism and classicism. As before, Russian artists continued to turn to the portrait genre. It was then that world-famous portraits and self-portraits of O. Kiprensky and V. Tropinin appeared. In the second half of the nineteenth century, artists more and more often depict the simple Russian people in their oppressed state. Realism becomes the central trend of painting of this period. It was then that the Wanderers appeared, depicting only real, real life. Well, the twentieth century is, of course, the avant-garde. The artists of that time significantly influenced both their followers in Russia and around the world. Their paintings became the forerunners of abstractionism. Russian painting is a huge wonderful world of talented artists who glorified Russia with their creations
The most famous and significant for the history of art pictures of the world for your inspiration. Millions of people admire the immortal paintings of great artists. Art, classical and modern, is one of the main sources of inspiration, taste and cultural education of any person, and even more creative.
Raphael "Sistine Madonna" 1512
Stored in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden.
The picture has a little secret: the background, which looks like clouds from a distance, upon closer examination turns out to be the heads of angels. And the two angels depicted in the picture below have become the motif of numerous postcards and posters.
Rembrandt "The Night Watch" 1642
Stored in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The true name of the painting by Rembrandt is "The performance of the rifle company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg." Art critics who discovered the painting in the 19th century thought that the figures were standing against a dark background, and they called it “Night Watch”. Later it turned out that a layer of soot makes the picture dark, and the action actually takes place during the day. However, the picture has already entered the treasury of world art under the name "Night Watch".
Leonardo da Vinci "The Last Supper" 1495-1498
Located in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
Over the more than 500-year history of the existence of the work, the fresco was repeatedly destroyed: a doorway was made through the painting, and then a doorway was laid, the refectory of the monastery, where the image is located, was used as an armory, a prison, and bombed. The famous fresco has been restored at least five times, with the most recent restoration taking 21 years. Today, to view the work of art, visitors must book tickets in advance and can only spend 15 minutes in the refectory.
Salvador Dali "The Persistence of Memory" 1931
Stored at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
According to the author himself, the picture was painted as a result of associations that arose in Dali at the sight of processed cheese. Returning from the cinema, where she went that evening, Gala quite correctly predicted that no one who saw "The Persistence of Memory" once would forget it.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder "Tower of Babel" 1563
Stored at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
According to Brueghel, the failure that befell the construction of the Tower of Babel was not due to language barriers that suddenly arose according to the biblical story, but to mistakes made during the construction process. At first glance, the huge building seems solid enough, but upon closer inspection, it is clear that all the tiers are laid unevenly, the lower floors are either unfinished or are already collapsing, the building itself is tilting towards the city, and the prospects for the entire project are very sad.
Kazimir Malevich "Black Square" 1915
According to the artist, he painted the picture for several months. Subsequently, Malevich made several copies of the "Black Square" (according to some sources, seven). According to one version, the artist was unable to complete the work on the painting in the right time, so he had to cover up the work with black paint. Subsequently, after the recognition of the public, Malevich painted new "Black Squares" already on blank canvases. Malevich also painted the paintings "Red Square" (two copies) and one "White Square".
Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin "Bathing the red horse" 1912
Located in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
Painted in 1912, the picture turned out to be visionary. The red horse acts as the Destiny of Russia or Russia itself, which the fragile and young rider is unable to hold. thus, the artist symbolically predicted with his painting the “red” fate of Russia in the 20th century.
Peter Paul Rubens "The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus" 1617-1618
Stored in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
The painting "The Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus" is considered the personification of courageous passion and bodily beauty. The strong, muscular arms of young men pick up young naked women to put them on horseback. The sons of Zeus and Leda steal the brides of their cousins.
Paul Gauguin "Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?" 1898
Stored at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
At the direction of Gauguin himself, the picture should be read from right to left - the three main groups of figures illustrate the questions posed in the title. Three women with a child represent the beginning of life; the middle group symbolizes the daily existence of maturity; in the final group, according to the artist's intention, "an old woman approaching death seems reconciled and given over to her thoughts", at her feet "a strange white bird ... represents the futility of words."
Eugene Delacroix "Liberty Leading the People" 1830
Stored in the Louvre in Paris
Delacroix created a painting based on the July Revolution of 1830 in France. In a letter to his brother on October 12, 1830, Delacroix writes: "If I did not fight for the Motherland, then at least I will write for her." The bare chest of a woman leading the people symbolizes the selflessness of the French people of that time, who with “bare chest” went to the enemy.
Claude Monet "Impression. Rising Sun" 1872
Stored at the Musée Marmottan in Paris.
The name of the work "Impression, soleil levant" with the light hand of the journalist L. Leroy became the name of the artistic direction "Impressionism". The painting was painted from nature in the old outport of Le Havre in France.
Jan Vermeer "Girl with a pearl earring" 1665
Stored in the Mauritshuis Gallery in The Hague.
One of the most famous paintings by the Dutch artist Jan Vermeer is often referred to as the Northern or Dutch Mona Lisa. Very little is known about the painting: it is not dated, the name of the depicted girl is not known. In 2003, based on the novel of the same name by Tracey Chevalier, the feature film "Girl with a Pearl Earring" was shot, in which the history of the creation of the canvas is hypothetically restored in the context of Vermeer's biography and family life.
Ivan Aivazovsky "The Ninth Wave" 1850
Stored in St. Petersburg in the State Russian Museum.
Ivan Aivazovsky is a world famous Russian marine painter who has dedicated his life to depicting the sea. He created about six thousand works, each of which received recognition during the life of the artist. The painting "The Ninth Wave" is included in the book "100 Great Paintings".
Andrei Rublev "Trinity" 1425-1427
The icon of the Holy Trinity, painted by Andrei Rublev in the 15th century, is one of the most famous Russian icons. The icon is a board in a vertical format. The tsars (Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Mikhail Fedorovich) "encrusted" the icon with gold, silver and precious stones. Today the salary is stored in the Sergiev Posad State Museum-Reserve.
Mikhail Vrubel "Seated Demon" 1890
Stored in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The plot of the picture is inspired by Lermontov's poem "The Demon". The demon is an image of the strength of the human spirit, internal struggle, doubts. Tragically clasping his hands, the Demon sits with sad, huge eyes directed into the distance, surrounded by unprecedented flowers.
William Blake "The Great Architect" 1794
Stored in the British Museum in London.
The name of the painting "The Ancient of Days" literally translates from English as "Ancient of Days". This phrase was used as the name of God. The main character of the picture is God at the moment of creation, who does not establish order, but limits freedom and marks the limits of the imagination.
Edouard Manet "Bar at the Folies Bergère" 1882
Stored at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
The Folies Bergère is a variety show and cabaret in Paris. Manet frequented the Folies Bergère and ended up painting this painting, his last before his death in 1883. Behind the bar, in the midst of a crowd of drinking, eating, talking and smoking, a barmaid is absorbed in her own thoughts, watching a trapeze acrobat, which can be seen in the upper left corner of the picture.
Titian "Earthly Love and Heavenly Love" 1515-1516
Stored in the Galleria Borghese in Rome.
It is noteworthy that the modern name of the painting was not given by the artist himself, but began to be used only two centuries later. Until that time, the painting had various titles: "Beauty Embellished and Unadorned" (1613), "Three Types of Love" (1650), "Divine and Worldly Women" (1700), and, in the end, "Earthly Love and Heavenly Love » (1792 and 1833).
Mikhail Nesterov "Vision to the youth Bartholomew" 1889-1890
Stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The first and most significant work from the cycle dedicated to Sergius of Radonezh. Until the end of his days, the artist was convinced that “The Vision of the Young Bartholomew” was his best work. In his old age, the artist liked to repeat: “It’s not me who will live. The “Young Bartholomew” will live.” Now, if in thirty, fifty years after my death he will still say something to people - that means he is alive, which means that I am also alive ."
Pieter Bruegel the Elder "The Parable of the Blind" 1568
Stored in the Capodimonte Museum in Naples.
Other names of the painting are “The Blind”, “Parabola of the Blind”, “The Blind Leading the Blind”. It is believed that the plot of the picture is based on the biblical parable of the blind: "If the blind lead the blind, then both of them will fall into the pit."
Viktor Vasnetsov "Alyonushka" 1881
Stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery.
The fairy tale "About sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka" is taken as a basis. Initially, Vasnetsov's painting was called "Fool Alyonushka". Orphans were called “fools” at that time. “Alyonushka,” the artist himself later said, “as if she had been living in my head for a long time, but in reality I saw her in Akhtyrka when I met one simple-haired girl who struck my imagination. There was so much longing, loneliness and purely Russian sadness in her eyes ... Some special Russian spirit emanated from her."
Vincent van Gogh Starry Night 1889
Stored at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Unlike most of the artist's paintings, Starry Night was painted from memory. Van Gogh was at that time in the Saint-Remy hospital, tormented by bouts of insanity.
Karl Bryullov "The Last Day of Pompeii" 1830-1833
Stored in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
The painting depicts the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. e. and the destruction of the city of Pompeii near Naples. The image of the artist in the left corner of the picture is a self-portrait of the author.
Pablo Picasso "Girl on a ball" 1905
Stored in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow
The painting ended up in Russia thanks to the industrialist Ivan Abramovich Morozov, who bought it in 1913 for 16,000 francs. In 1918, the personal collection of I. A. Morozov was nationalized. At the moment, the painting is in the collection of the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin.
Leonardo da Vinci "Madonna Litta" 1491
Stored in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
The original title of the painting is Madonna and Child. The modern name of the painting comes from the name of its owner, Count Litta, owner of a family art gallery in Milan. There is an assumption that the figure of the baby was not painted by Leonardo da Vinci, but belongs to the brush of one of his students. This is evidenced by the baby's pose, which is unusual for the author's manner.
Jean Ingres "Turkish Baths" 1862
Stored in the Louvre in Paris.
Ingres finished painting this picture when he was already over 80 years old. With this picture, the artist sums up a peculiar result of the image of bathers, the themes of which have long been present in his work. Initially, the canvas was in the form of a square, but a year after its completion, the artist turned it into a round picture - a tondo.
Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Savitsky "Morning in a pine forest" 1889
Stored in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow
“Morning in a Pine Forest” is a painting by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky. Savitsky painted bears, but the collector Pavel Tretyakov, when he acquired the painting, erased his signature, so now only Shishkin is indicated as the author of the painting.
Mikhail Vrubel "The Swan Princess" 1900
Stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery
The picture was painted on the basis of the stage image of the heroine of the opera "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov based on the plot of the fairy tale of the same name by A. S. Pushkin. Vrubel created sketches for the scenery and costumes for the premiere of the opera in 1900, and his wife sang the part of the Swan Princess.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo "Portrait of Emperor Rudolf II in the form of Vertumnus" 1590
Located in Skokloster Castle in Stockholm.
One of the few surviving works of the artist, who made portraits from fruits, vegetables, flowers, crustaceans, fish, pearls, musical and other instruments, books, and so on. "Vertumnus" is a portrait of the emperor, represented as the ancient Roman god of the seasons, vegetation and transformation. In the picture, Rudolph consists entirely of fruits, flowers and vegetables.
Edgar Degas "Blue Dancers" 1897
Located in the Museum of Art. A. S. Pushkin in Moscow.
Degas was a big fan of ballet. He is called the artist of ballerinas. The work "Blue Dancers" refers to the late period of Degas's work, when his eyesight weakened, and he began to work with large color spots, giving paramount importance to the decorative organization of the surface of the picture.
The mysterious world of art may seem confusing to an inexperienced person, but there are masterpieces that everyone should know. Talent, inspiration and painstaking work on every stroke give rise to works that are admired centuries later.
It is impossible to collect all the outstanding creations in one selection, but we have tried to select the most famous paintings that collect gigantic queues in front of museums around the world.
The most famous paintings by Russian artists
"Morning in a pine forest", Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky
Year of creation: 1889Museum
Shishkin was an excellent landscape painter, but he rarely had to draw animals, so Savitsky, an excellent animal painter, painted the figures of the cubs. At the end of the work, Tretyakov ordered Savitsky's signature to be erased, believing that Shishkin had done much more extensive work.
"Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on November 16, 1581" by Ilya Repin
Years of creation: 1883–1885Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
To create a masterpiece, better known as "Ivan the Terrible kills his son", Repin was inspired by the symphony "Antar" by Rimsky-Korsakov, namely, its second movement called "The Sweetness of Revenge". Under the influence of the sounds of music, the artist depicted a bloody scene of murder and subsequent repentance, observed in the eyes of the sovereign.
Seated Demon, Mikhail Vrubel
Year of creation: 1890Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
The painting was one of thirty illustrations drawn by Vrubel for the anniversary edition of the works of M.Yu. Lermontov. The "seated demon" personifies the doubts inherent in the human spirit, the subtle, elusive "mood of the soul." According to experts, the artist was to some extent obsessed with the image of a demon: this painting was followed by "Demon flying" and "Demon defeated".
"Boyar Morozova", Vasily Surikov
Years of creation: 1884–1887Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
The plot of the Old Believer life "The Tale of the Boyar Morozova" formed the basis of the picture. The understanding of the key image came to the artist when he saw a crow spreading its black wings like a spot on a snowy canvas. Later, Surikov searched for a prototype for the noblewoman’s face for a long time, but could not find anything suitable, until one day he met an Old Believer woman with a pale, frantic face in the cemetery. The portrait sketch was completed in two hours.
"Bogatyrs", Viktor Vasnetsov
Years of creation: 1881–1898Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
The future epic masterpiece was born as a small pencil sketch in 1881; for further work on the canvas, Vasnetsov painstakingly collected information about the heroes from myths, legends and traditions for many years, and also studied authentic ancient Russian ammunition in museums.
Analysis of Vasnetsov's painting "Three Heroes"
"Bathing the Red Horse", Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin
Year of creation: 1912Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Initially, the painting was conceived as an everyday sketch from the life of a Russian village, but during the work the artist’s canvas acquired a huge number of symbols. By the red horse, Petrov-Vodkin meant "The Fate of Russia"; after the country's entry into the First World War, he exclaimed: "So that's why I painted this picture!". However, after the revolution, pro-Soviet art critics interpreted the key figure of the canvas as a "harbinger of revolutionary fires."
"Trinity", Andrey Rublev
Year of creation: 1411Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
The icon that laid the foundation for the tradition of Russian icon painting of the 15th-16th centuries. The canvas depicting the Old Testament trinity of angels who appeared to Abraham is a symbol of the unity of the Holy Trinity.
The Ninth Wave, Ivan Aivazovsky
Year of creation: 1850Museum
A pearl in the "cartography" of the legendary domestic marine painter, who can be without hesitation classified as one of the most famous artists in the world. We can see how miraculously surviving sailors after the storm cling to the mast in anticipation of a meeting with the "ninth wave", the mythical apogee of all storms. But the warm shades that dominate the canvas give hope for the salvation of the victims.
"The Last Day of Pompeii", Karl Bryullov
Years of creation: 1830–1833Museum: Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Completed in 1833, Bryullov's painting was originally exhibited in the largest cities of Italy, where it caused a real sensation - the painter was compared with Michelangelo, Titian, Raphael ... At home, the masterpiece was met with no less enthusiasm, securing Bryullov's nickname "Charles the Great". The canvas is truly great: its dimensions are 4.6 by 6.5 meters, which makes it one of the largest paintings among the creations of Russian artists.
The most famous paintings by Leonardo da Vinci
"Mona Lisa"
Years of creation: 1503–1505Museum: Louvre, Paris
A masterpiece of Florentine genius that needs no introduction. It is noteworthy that the painting received cult status after the incident with the abduction from the Louvre in 1911. Two years later, the kidnapper, who turned out to be a museum employee, tried to sell the painting to the Uffizi Gallery. The events of the high-profile case were covered in detail in the world press, after which hundreds of thousands of reproductions went on sale, and the mysterious Mona Lisa became an object of worship.
Years of creation: 1495–1498Museum: Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
Five centuries later, a fresco with a classical story on the wall of the refectory of a Dominican monastery in Milan is recognized as one of the most mysterious paintings in history. As conceived by Da Vinci, the picture depicts the moment of the Easter meal, when Christ notifies the disciples of the imminent betrayal. The sheer quantity of hidden symbols has given rise to an equally vast array of studies, allusions, borrowings, and parodies.
"Madonna Litta"
Year of creation: 1491Museum: Hermitage, St. Petersburg
The painting, also known as the Madonna and Child, was kept in the collection of the Dukes of Litta for a long time, and in 1864 it was bought by the St. Petersburg Hermitage. Many experts agree that the figure of the baby was not painted personally by da Vinci, but by one of his students - a pose that is too uncharacteristic for a painter.
The most famous paintings of Salvador Dali
Year of creation: 1931Museum: Museum of Modern Art, New York
Paradoxically, the most famous work of the surrealist genius was born from the thought of Camembert cheese. One evening, after a friendly dinner that ended with appetizers with cheese, the artist immersed himself in thoughts about the “spreading pulp”, and his imagination painted a picture like a melting clock with an olive branch in the foreground.
Year of creation: 1955Museum: National Gallery of Art, Washington
A traditional plot that received a surreal canvas using arithmetic principles studied by Leonardo da Vinci. The artist put the original magic of the number "12" at the forefront, moving away from the hermeneutical method of interpreting the biblical story.
The most famous paintings by Pablo Picasso
Year of creation: 1905Museum: Pushkin Museum, Moscow
The painting became the first signs of the so-called "pink" period in the work of Picasso. A rough texture and a simplified style are combined with a sensitive play of lines and colors, a contrast between the massive figure of an athlete and a fragile gymnast. The canvas was sold along with 29 other works for 2 thousand francs (in total) to the Parisian collector Vollard, changed several collections, and in 1913 it was acquired by the Russian philanthropist Ivan Morozov, already for 13 thousand francs.
Year of creation: 1937Museum: Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid
Guernica is the name of a city in the Basque country that was bombed by the Germans in April 1937. Picasso had never been to Guernica, but was stunned by the scale of the catastrophe, like a "blow of a bull's horn." The artist conveyed the horrors of war in an abstract form and showed the real face of fascism, veiling it with bizarre geometric shapes.
The most famous paintings of the Renaissance
"Sistine Madonna", Raphael Santi
Years of creation: 1512–1513Museum: Old Masters Gallery, Dresden
If you look closely at the background, which at first glance consists of clouds, you will notice that in fact Raphael depicted the heads of angels there. The two angels located at the bottom of the picture are known almost more than the masterpiece itself, due to the wide circulation in mass art.
The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli
Year of creation: 1486Museum: Uffizi Gallery, Florence
The painting is based on the ancient Greek myth about the birth of Aphrodite from sea foam. Unlike many masterpieces of the Renaissance, the canvas has survived to this day in excellent condition thanks to the protective layer of egg yolk with which Botticelli prudently covered the work.
The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo Buonarotti
Year of creation: 1511Museum: Sistine Chapel, Vatican
One of the nine frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, illustrating the chapter from Genesis: "And God created man in his own image." It was Michelangelo who first portrayed God as a wise-haired old man, after which this image became archetypal. Modern scientists believe that the contours of the figure of God and angels represent the human brain.
"Night Watch", Rembrandt
Year of creation: 1642Museum: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The full title of the painting is "Speech of the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenbürg." The painting received its modern name in the 19th century, when it was found by art historians, who, because of the layer of dirt covering the work, decided that the action in the painting takes place under the cover of night darkness.
The Garden of Earthly Delights Hieronymus Bosch
Years of creation: 1500–1510Museum: Prado Museum, Madrid
Perhaps the most famous Bosch triptych, named after the central part of the composition: the figures depicted on it selflessly indulge in the sin of voluptuousness. In contrast to the full of small, "bustling" details of the middle part, depicting a true paradise, the left wing of the picture conveys an atmosphere of peace and tranquility, and the right wing, full of diabolical mechanisms, on the contrary, recalls hellish torments.
The most famous paintings of the XX century
"Black Square", Kazimir Malevich
Year of creation: 1915Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Malevich wrote Black Square for several months; the legend says that a painting is hidden under a layer of black paint - the artist did not have time to finish the work on time and, in a fit of anger, smeared over the image. There are at least seven copies of the "Black Square" made by Malevich, as well as a kind of "continuation" of the Suprematist squares - "Red Square" (1915) and "White Square" (1918).
"Scream", Edvard Munch
Year of creation: 1893Museum: National Gallery, Oslo
Due to the inexplicable mystical effect on the viewer, the painting was stolen in 1994 and 2004. There is an opinion that the picture created at the turn of the 20th century anticipated numerous catastrophes of the coming century. The deep symbolism of The Scream has inspired many artists, including Andy Warhol, directors, musicians, and even animators.
Walk, Marc Chagall
Year of creation: 1918Museum: Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
If you were also tormented by the question: “Why do people in the painting by Marc Chagall soar in the air?”, Here is the answer from the artist himself - the power that can give a person the opportunity to fly is nothing more than love. It is believed that the man and woman on the canvas are Marc Chagall and his wife.
No. 5, 1948, Jackson Pollock
Year of creation: 1948Museum: Private collection, New York
This painting still causes a lot of controversy. Some art historians believe that the hype around the painting, painted in the proprietary spatter technique, was artificially created. The canvas was not sold until all the other works of the artist were bought, respectively, the price for a non-objective masterpiece skyrocketed. Number Five was sold for $140 million, making it the most expensive painting in history.
Diptych Marilyn, Andy Warhol
Year of creation: 1962Museum: Tate Gallery, London
A week after the death of Marilyn Monroe, the scandalous artist began work on the canvas. 50 stencil portraits of the actress were applied to the canvas, stylized in the pop art genre based on a 1953 photograph.
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The article presents 22 paintings from different times, which are masterpieces of world art and are the property of all mankind.
The painting is kept in the Louvre, Paris, France. The Mona Lisa might not have gained worldwide fame if it had not been stolen in 1911 by an employee of the Louvre. The painting was found two years later: the thief responded to an ad in a newspaper and offered to sell the Gioconda to the director of the Uffizi Gallery. All this time, while the investigation was going on, the Mona Lisa did not leave the covers of newspapers and magazines around the world, becoming an object of copying and worship. 
The painting is kept in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan.
Over the more than 500 years of the existence of the work, the fresco has been destroyed more than once: a doorway was made through the painting, and then a doorway was laid, the refectory of the monastery, where the image is located, was used as an armory, a prison, and bombed. The famous fresco has been restored at least five times, with the most recent restoration taking 21 years. Today, in order to view the work, visitors must book tickets in advance and can only spend 15 minutes in the refectory. 
The work is stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The icon of the Holy Trinity, painted by Andrei Rublev in the 15th century, is one of the most famous Russian icons. The icon is a board in a vertical format. The tsars (Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Mikhail Fedorovich) “encased” the icon with gold, silver and precious stones. Today the salary is stored in the Sergiev Posad State Museum-Reserve. 
The painting is located in Florence in the Uffizi Gallery.
The work illustrates the myth of the birth of Aphrodite. The naked goddess floats to the shore in an open shell, driven by the wind. On the left side of the picture, Zephyr (the west wind), in the arms of his wife Chlorida, blows on a shell, creating a wind filled with flowers. On the shore, the goddess is met by one of the graces. The Birth of Venus is well preserved due to the fact that Botticelli applied a protective layer of egg yolk to the painting. 
Stored at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
According to the author of the picture, the failure that befell the construction of the Tower of Babel is not due to language barriers that suddenly arose according to the biblical story, but to mistakes made during the construction process. At first glance, the huge building seems solid enough, but upon closer inspection, it is clear that all the tiers are laid unevenly, the lower floors are either unfinished or are already collapsing, the building itself is tilting towards the city, and the prospects for the entire project are very sad. 
The painting is stored in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow.
The painting ended up in Russia thanks to the industrialist Ivan Abramovich Morozov, who bought it in 1913 for 16,000 francs. In 1918, the personal collection of I. A. Morozov was nationalized. At the moment, the painting is in the collection of the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin. 
The painting is in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
“Morning in a Pine Forest” is a painting by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky. Savitsky painted bears, but the collector Pavel Tretyakov, when he acquired the painting, erased his signature, so now only Shishkin is indicated as the author of the painting. 
Aivazovsky's painting is kept in St. Petersburg in the Russian State Museum.
Ivan Aivazovsky is a world famous Russian marine painter who has dedicated his life to depicting the sea. He created about six thousand works, each of which received recognition during the life of the artist. The painting "The Ninth Wave" is included in the book "100 Great Paintings". 
The painting is kept in the Louvre, Paris.
Delacroix wrote a work based on the July Revolution of 1830 in France. In a letter to his brother on October 12, 1830, Delacroix writes: "If I did not fight for the Motherland, then at least I will write for her." The bare chest leading the people symbolizes the selflessness of the French people of that time, who with "bare chest" went to the enemy. 
The masterpiece is kept in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The original title of Rembrandt's work is "Speech of the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg". Art critics who discovered the painting in the 19th century thought that the figures were standing against a dark background, and they called it “Night Watch”. Later it turned out that a layer of soot makes the picture dark, and the action actually takes place during the day. However, the picture has already entered the treasury of world art under the name "Night Watch". 
The painting is stored in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
The original title of the painting is "Madonna and Child". The modern name of the painting comes from the name of its owner - Count Litta, the owner of a family art gallery in Milan. There is an assumption that the figure of the baby was not painted by Leonardo da Vinci, but belongs to the brush of one of his students. This is evidenced by the posture of the baby for the author's manner. 
The painting is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
The fairy tale "About sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka" is taken as a basis. Initially, Vasnetsov's painting was called "Fool Alyonushka". Orphans were called “fools” at that time. “Alyonushka,” the artist himself later said, “as if she had been living in my head for a long time, but in reality I saw her in Akhtyrka when I met one simple-haired girl who struck my imagination. There was so much longing, loneliness and purely Russian sadness in her eyes ... Some kind of special Russian spirit emanated from her. 
The work is kept in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
The painting "The Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus" is considered the personification of courageous passion and bodily beauty. The strong, muscular arms of young men pick up young naked women to put them on horseback. The sons of Zeus and Leda steal the brides of their cousins. 
The painting is in the Russian State Museum in St. Petersburg.
The painting depicts the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. e. and the destruction of the city of Pompeii near Naples. The image of the artist in the left corner of the picture is a self-portrait of the author. 
The painting is kept in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden, Germany.
The picture has a little secret: the background, which looks like clouds from a distance, upon closer examination turns out to be the heads of angels. And the two angels depicted in the picture below have become the motif of numerous postcards and posters. 
The painting is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
The plot of the work is inspired by Lermontov's poem "The Demon". The demon is an image of the strength of the human spirit, internal struggle, doubts. Tragically clasping his hands, the Demon sits with sad, huge eyes directed into the distance, surrounded by unprecedented ones. 
The painting is exhibited at the State Tretyakov Gallery.
The artist painted this picture for several months. Subsequently, Kazimir Malevich made several copies of the Black Square (according to some sources, seven). According to one version, the artist was unable to complete the work on the painting in the right time, so he had to cover up the work with black paint. Subsequently, after the recognition of the public, Malevich painted new "Black Squares" already on blank canvases. Malevich also painted the paintings "Red Square" (two copies) and one "White Square". 
The painting is in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
According to the author himself, the picture was painted as a result of associations that arose in Dali at the sight of processed cheese. Returning from the cinema, where she went that evening, Gala quite correctly predicted that no one who saw "The Persistence of Memory" once would forget it. 
The painting is kept at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Unlike most of the artist's paintings, Starry Night was painted from memory. Van Gogh was at that time in the Saint-Remy hospital, tormented by bouts of insanity. 
The fresco is in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
The painting "The Creation of Adam" is the fourth of the nine central compositions of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, dedicated to the nine plots of the book of Genesis. The fresco illustrates the episode: “And God created man in His own image” 
The painting is in the Musée Marmottan in Paris.
The name of the work "Impression, soleil levant" with the light hand of the journalist L. Leroy became the name of the artistic direction "Impressionism". The painting was created from nature in the old outport of Le Havre in France. 
The painting is in the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
The Folies Bergère is a variety show and cabaret in Paris. Manet often visited the Folies Bergère and ended up painting this painting - the last before his death in 1883. Behind the bar, in the midst of a crowd of drinking, eating, talking and smoking, a barmaid is absorbed in her own thoughts, watching a trapeze acrobat, which can be seen in the upper left corner of the picture.
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