The most famous paintings in the world are masterpieces. The most famous paintings in the world
The greatest works of world painting, which had a significant impact on the development of world art and human culture in general. The works of painting included in this list have largely shaped the idea of humanity about beauty and are the basis of the creative and cultural education of any person.
The main masterpieces of European and world painting
Duccio (c. 1260–1318/1319)
Madonna Rucellai
1285. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Giotto (1266/1267–1337)
The Capture of Christ, or the Kiss of Judas
Between 1303 and 1305. Fresco of the Chapel del Arena (Scrovegni) in Padua
Simone Martini (c. 1284–1344)
Annunciation
1333. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Andrei Rublev (c. 1360–1430)
Trinity
OK. 1425–1427 State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Masaccio (1401–1428)
Madonna and Child with Four Angels
The central part of the polyptych. 1426. National Gallery, London
Fra Beato Angelico (c. 1400–1455)
Transfiguration
Fresco. 1440–1441. Monastery of San Marco, Florence
Piero della Francesca (c. 1420–1492)
Baptism of Christ
OK. 1450. The central part of the polyptych. National Gallery, London
Jan van Eyck (c. 1390/1400–1441)
Ghent altarpiece
Closed everyday view. OK. 1425–1432 Cathedral of St. Bavo, Ghent
Ghent altar. Open holiday view
OK. 1425–1432 Cathedral of St. Bavo, Ghent
Portrait of a man in a red turban
1433. National Gallery, London
Portrait of the Arnolfini couple
1434. National Gallery, London
Rogier van der Weyden (1399/1400–1464)
St. Luke painting the Madonna
1450. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Andrea Mantegna (c. 1431–1506)
Plafond with false oculus
Fresco. OK. 1464–1474 Camera degli Sposi, Mantova
Dead Christ
After 1474. Brera Pinacoteca, Milan
Hugo van der Goes (between 1435 and 1445–1482)
Altar of Portinari
The central part of the triptych. OK. 1476–1478 Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Sandro Botticelli (1444/1445-1510)
Minerva and the centaur
1482. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Spring
1478. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Birth of Venus
OK. 1482–1483 Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Antonello da Messina (c. 1430–1479)
St. Jerome in the cell
Between 1456 and 1474. National Gallery, London
Giovanni Bellini (c. 1433–1576)
Sacred Allegory (Madonna of the Lake)
1490–1500. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Madonna in the Meadow
OK. 1500. National Gallery, London
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
Madonna in the rocks
1483–1486 Louvre, Paris
The Last Supper
1495–1498 Wall painting. Tempera, oil on plaster. Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
Madonna Litta
1490s State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)
1503. Louvre, Paris
Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1460–1516)
Removing the Stupid Stone
Before 1500. Prado, Madrid
The Garden of Earthly Delights
Between 1510 and 1515. Triptych. Prado, Madrid
ship of fools
OK. 1500. Louvre, Paris
Carrying the Cross
1515–1516 Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)
self-portrait
1493. Louvre, Paris
self-portrait
1500. Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Altar of All Saints, or Adoration of the Holy Trinity
1511. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Adam and Eve
1507. Diptych. Prado, Madrid
four apostles
1526. Diptych. Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480–1538)
Battle of Alexander the Great with Darius III at Issus
1529. Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553)
Female portrait
1526. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Adam and Eve
1526. Courtauld Institute of Art, London
Portrait of Duke Henry the Pious
Michelangelo (1475–1564)
The Sistine Chapel
Fresco. 1508–1512 General view of the ceiling painting. Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome
Creation of Adam
Fall and Expulsion from Paradise
Fresco. 1508–1512 Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome
Holy Family (Tondo Doni)
1504. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Last Judgment
Fresco. 1536–1541 Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome
Titian Vecellio (1476/1477 or 1488/1490–1576)
Denarius of Caesar
1516–1518 Art gallery, Dresden
Heavenly love and earthly love
1518. Borghese Gallery, Rome
Venus Urbinskaya
OK. 1538. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Danae
1560s. National Prado Museum, Madrid
Raphael (1483–1520)
Donna velata (veiled lady)
OK. 1516. Palazzo Pitti, Florence
Madonna in green
1506. Art History Museum, Vienna
Sistine Madonna
1514. Picture gallery, Dresden
Athenian school
Fresco. 1510–1511 Stanza della Senyatura, Vatican City, Rome
Portrait of Pope Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de' Medici and Luigi Rossi
1517. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Hans Baldung (c. 1484/1485–1545)
Three ages of man and death
OK. 1541–1544 Prado, Madrid
Rosso Fiorentino (1494–1540)
Descent from the Cross
1521. City Pinakothek, Volterra
Jacopo Pontormo (1494–1557)
Descent from the Cross
1525–1528 Church of Santa Felicita, Florence
Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/1498–1543)
Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam
1523. Louvre, Paris
Ambassadors
1533. National Gallery, London
Portrait of King Henry VIII
OK. 1539. National Gallery, Rome
Agnolo Bronzino (1503–1572)
Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo with her son Giovanni
1544–1545 Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Parmigianino (1503–1540)
Madonna with a long neck
OK. 1535. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Giorgione (1477/1478–1510)
Storm
Between 1506 and 1510. Accademia Gallery, Venice
Judith
Before 1504. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Sleeping Venus
OK. 1508. Picture gallery, Dresden
Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Vertumn. Portrait of Emperor Rudolf II as Vertumn
1591. Skokloster Castle, Sweden
Paolo Veronese (1528–1588)
Adoration of the Magi
Early 1570s. National Gallery, London
Pieter Brueghel the Elder (between 1525 and 1530–1568)
The Battle of Carnival and Lent
1559. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Hunters in the snow
1565. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
tower of babel
1563. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
El Greco (1541–1614)
Burial of Count Orgas
1586–1588 Church of Santo Tome, Toledo
Laocoön
1613–614. National Gallery of Art, Washington
View of Toledo
OK. 1600. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Caravaggio (1573–1610)
Bacchus
1594. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
fortune teller
Before 1595. Louvre, Paris
Conversion of Saul
1600–1601 Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.
Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640)
Self portrait with Isabella Brandt
1610. Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Procession of Silenus
1618. Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Toilet of Venus
1615. Private collection
The abduction of the daughters of Leucippus
OK. 1618. Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Portrait of the Maid Infanta Isabella
OK. 1625. State Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Three Graces
Frans Hals (between 1581 and 1585–1666)
Gypsy
1628–1630 Louvre, Paris
Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652)
limp
1642. Louvre, Paris
Girl with a tambourine
1637. Private collection
St. Inessa in the dungeon
1641. Picture gallery, Dresden
Diego Velasquez (1599–1660)
Venus in front of a mirror
1649–1651 National Gallery, London
Spinners, or the Myth of Arachne
1650s National Prado Museum, Madrid
Meninas
1656. Prado, Madrid
Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641)
self-portrait
Between 1627 and 1632. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Willem Claesz Heda (1593/1594–1680/1682)
Still life with cancer
1650–1659 National Gallery, London
Georges de Latour (1593–1652)
Sharpie with an ace of diamonds
1620s–1630s Louvre, Paris
Newborn (Christmas)
1640s Museum of Fine Arts, Rhine
Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665)
Landscape with Polyphemus
1649. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
arcadian shepherds
1650. Louvre, Paris
Claude Lorrain (1600–1682)
The Abduction of Europa
OK. 1635. State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin, Moscow
Morning
1661. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669)
Self-portrait with Saskia on her knees
1635. Picture gallery, Dresden
Danae
1636. State Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Return of the prodigal son
OK. 1668. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
The night Watch
1642. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Jacob van Ruisdael (1628/1629–1682)
Landscape with windmill
ca.1670. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Jan Wermeer (1632–1675)
Artist's workshop (allegory of painting)
OK. 1667. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Lacemaker
1664. Louvre, Paris
Girl with a pearl earring
1664–1665 Royal Cabinet of Paintings, The Hague
Jean Antoine Watteau (1684–1721)
Gilles
1717–1719 Louvre, Paris
Pilgrimage to the island of Cythera
1717. Louvre, Paris
Canaletto (1697–1768)
Reception of the French Ambassador in Venice
1725–1726 State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
William Hogarth (1697–1764)
Shrimp girl
1740–1745 National Gallery, London
Jean Baptiste Siméon Chardin (1699–1779)
Girl with a shuttlecock
OK. 1740. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Jean Étienne Lyotard (1702–1789)
chocolate girl
1743–1745 Parchment paper, pastel. Art gallery, Dresden
François Boucher (1703–1770)
Toilet of Venus
1751. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792)
Portrait of Colonel of the Grenadiers Georg K. H. Kusmaker
1782. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Cupid unties the belt of Venus
1788. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Young Hare
1788–1789 Louvre, Paris
Thomas Gainsborough (1727–1788)
Portrait of a lady in blue
Late 1770s. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Portrait of Robert Andrews with his wife Frances
OK. 1748. National Gallery, London
Anton Raphael Mengs (1728–1779)
self-portrait
OK. 1773. State Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806)
Happy Swing Opportunities
OK. 1768. Wallace Collection, London
Johann Heinrich Fuseli (1741–1825)
Nightmare
OK. 1790. Goethe Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Francisco Goya (1746–1828)
Umbrella
1777. Prado, Madrid
Maha nude
OK. 1800. Prado, Madrid
Maha dressed
OK. 1800. Prado, Madrid
Portrait of Dona Isabel Cobos de Porcel
1805. National Gallery, London
Milkmaid from Bordeaux
1827. Prado, Madrid
Jacques Louis David (1748–1825)
The First Consul Crosses the Alps at the Saint Bernard Pass
1801. National Palace Museum, Malmaison
Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840)
On a sailboat
Between 1818 and 1820. State Hermitage, St. Petersburg
John Constable (1776–1837)
Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Garden
1823. Victoria and Albert Museum, London
jumping horse
1825. Royal Academy of Arts, London
hay wagon
1821. National Gallery, London
William Turner (1775–1851)
The last voyage of the ship "Brave"
1838. National Gallery, London
Karl Bryullov (1799–1852)
The last day of Pompeii
1833. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780–1867)
Portrait of Mademoiselle Caroline Riviere
1805. Louvre, Paris
Large odalisque
1814. Louvre, Paris
Théodore Géricault (1791–1824)
Raft "jellyfish"
1819. Louvre, Paris
Camille Corot (1796–1875)
woman with a pearl
1869. Louvre, Paris
Carriage of hay
1865–1870 State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin, Moscow
Eugene Delacroix (1798–1863)
Freedom at the Barricades (July 28, 1830)
1831. Louvre, Paris
Alexander Ivanov (1806–1858)
Appearance of Christ to the People
1837–1857 State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Theodore Rousseau (1812–1867)
Clearing. Les l'Isle-Adam
1849. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Jean Francois Millet (1814–1875)
Gatherers of ears
1857. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Angelus
1857–1859 Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Ivan Aivazovsky (1817–1900)
Ninth shaft
1850. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Gustave Courbet (1819-1877)
Artist's workshop
1855, Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824–1898)
Girls by the sea
Before 1894. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Arnold Böcklin (1827–1910)
Dead island
1880. Art Museum, Basel
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882)
Syrian Astarte
1877 City Art Gallery, Manchester
Alexey Savrasov (1830–1897)
The Rooks Have Arrived
Édouard Manet (1832–1883)
Flutist
1866. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Breakfast on the grass
1863. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Olympia
1863. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Music at the Tuileries
1863. National Gallery, London
Ivan Shishkin (1832–1898)
Morning in a pine forest
1889. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
James Whistler (1834–1903)
Symphony in White No. 1: The Girl in White
1862. National Gallery of Art, Washington
Edgar Degas (1834–1917)
Absinthe (In a cafe)
1876. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
blue dancers
OK. 1899. State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin, Moscow
Combing woman
OK. 1886. Pastel. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Ivan Kramskoy (1837–1887)
unknown
1883. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)
Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne
1872. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Flooding in Port Marly
1876. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Paul Cezanne (1839–1906)
Maslenitsa (Pierrot and Harlequin)
1888. State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin, Moscow
Still life with apples and oranges
OK. 1900. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Smoker
1890–1892 State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Mount Sainte Victoire
1900. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
big bathers
1906. Location: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
Claude Monet (1840–1926)
Camille Monet with her son Jean (Lady with an umbrella)
1875. National Gallery of Art, Washington
"Paddling pool"
1869. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Impression. Sunrise
1872. Museum Marmottan, Paris
Boulevard of the Capuchins
1873. State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin, Moscow
Poppies near Argenteuil
1873. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Rouen Cathedral. Sun effect, sunset
1892. Museum Marmottan, Paris
A pond with nymphs. Pink harmony
1900. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Odilon Redon (1840–1916)
With closed eyes
1890. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)
Lodge
1874. Courtauld Institute Gallery, London
Ball at the Moulin de la Galette
1876. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Rowers breakfast
1880–1881 Private collection
Nude
1876. State Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Portrait of Jeanne Samary
1877. State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin
Camille Pissarro (1830–1903)
red roofs
1877. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Arkhip Kuindzhi (1841–1910)
Moonlit night on the Dnieper
1880. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Berthe Morisot (1841–1895)
At the cradle
1872. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Vasily Vereshchagin (1842–1904)
Apotheosis of war
1871. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Henri Rousseau (1844–1910)
Jaguar attack on a horse
1910. State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin, Moscow
self-portrait
1890. National Gallery, Prague
Ilya Repin (1844–1930)
Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan November 16, 1581
1885. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Vasily Surikov (1848–1916)
Morning of the archery execution
1881. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Viktor Vasnetsov (1848–1926)
Bogatyrs
1898. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)
girl holding fruit
1893. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Are you jealous?
1892. State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin, Moscow
Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?
1897-1898. Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890)
Self portrait with severed ear and pipe
1889. Private collection
Night cafe in Arles
1888. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven
Starlight Night
1889. Museum of Modern Art, New York
Georges Seurat (1859–1891)
Sunday walk on the island of Grand Jatte
1884–1886 Art Institute, Chicago
Valentin Serov (1865–1911)
girl with peaches
1887. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901)
Toilet (Redhead)
Gustav Klimt (1862–1918)
Kiss
1908. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Edvard Munch (1863–1944)
scream
1893. National Gallery, Oslo
Henri Matisse (1869–1954)
red fish
1912. State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin, Moscow
red room
1908–1909 State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Dance
1910. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Kazimir Malevich (1878–1935)
Black suprematist square
1913. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Georges Braque (1882–1963)
Houses in Estaca
1908. Art Museum, Bern
Amedeo Modigliani (1884–1920)
Portrait of Jeanne Hebuterne in a yellow sweater
OK. 1919. S. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944)
Composition VIII
1923, Solomon Guggenheim Museum, New York
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)
Absinthe drinker
1901. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Girl with a dove
1901. National Gallery, London
Girl on the Ball
1905. State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin, Moscow
Avignon maidens
1907. Museum of Modern Art, New York
Portrait of Ambroise Vollard
1909–1910 State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin, Moscow
René Magritte (1898–1967)
Golconda
1953. Menil Collection, Houston
Salvador Dali (1904–1983)
Young woman standing by the window
1925. Reina Sofia Art Center, Madrid
The Persistence of Memory
1931. Museum of Modern Art, New York
Boiled Bean Soft Construction: A Premonition of Civil War
1935–1936 Museum of Art, Philadelphia
Appearance of a face and a bowl of fruit on the seashore
1938. Wordsworth's Athenium, Hartwood
A dream inspired by the flight of a bee around a pomegranate a moment before awakening
1944. Collection of Thyssen-Bornemisza, Lugano
200 best paintings of all time. Rating Ranker
Ranker is a well-known digital media company (USA) specializing in compiling lists of opinions on various topics. The company's website features user surveys on entertainment, brands, sports and culture, and hundreds of thousands of opinion lists. The project is one of the largest opinion databases in the world.
100 Great Paintings
"100 Great Paintings" (100 great paintings) - British television series, released in 1980 on the BBC. Series host and creator Edwin Mullins chose 20 themed groups and featured five well-known paintings in each group. The selection is quite varied, from 12th century China to the 1950s, with an emphasis on European paintings.
1000 Meister Werke
"1000 MeisterWerke2 (1000 masterpieces) is a German television series produced by WDR from 1980 to 1994. In each of the 10-minute episodes, one picture is presented and analyzed with the help of art historians. The series was very popular and attracted up to five million viewers in the evening broadcast .
The most famous and significant for the history of art pictures of the world for your inspiration.
The immortal paintings of great artists are admired by millions of people. Art, classical and modern, is one of the main sources of inspiration, taste and cultural education of any person, and even more creative.
There are certainly more world-famous paintings than 33. There are several hundred of them, and all of them would not fit in one review. Therefore, for ease of viewing, we have selected a few that are most significant for world culture and are often copied. Each work is accompanied by an interesting fact, an explanation of the artistic meaning or the history of its creation.
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
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.
Leonardo da Vinci "Mona Lisa" 1503-1505
Stored in the Louvre, Paris.
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 in Italy: 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, "Mona Lisa" did not leave the covers of newspapers and magazines around the world, becoming an object of copying and worship.
Sandro Botticelli "The Birth of Venus" 1486
Stored in Florence at the Uffizi Gallery
The painting 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.
Michelangelo "Creation of Adam" 1511
Located in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
Magnificent works of art by the hands of great masters can surprise even people for whom art means little. That is why world-famous museums are among the most popular attractions, attracting millions of visitors a year.
To stand out from the huge number of paintings written throughout the history of art, the artist needs not only talent, but also the ability to express a unique plot in an unusual and very relevant way for his time.
The paintings presented below speak loudly not only about the talent of their authors, but also about the numerous cultural trends that have appeared and disappeared, and about the most important historical events that have always been reflected in art.
"Birth of Venus"
This painting, painted by the great Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli, depicts the moment when the beautiful Venus appears from the sea foam. One of the most compelling aspects of the painting is the modest pose of the goddess and her simple yet beautiful face.
"Dogs play poker"
Painted by Cassius Coolidge in 1903, this series of 16 paintings depicts dogs gathered around a coffee or gambling table playing poker. Many critics recognize these paintings as the canonical depiction of Americans of the era.
Portrait of Madame Recamier
Painted by Jacques-Louis David, this portrait depicts a glitzy socialite in a contrastingly minimalist and simple setting, dressed in a simple sleeveless white dress. This is a vivid example of neoclassicism in portrait art.
№5
This famous painting by Jackson Pollock is his most iconic work, vividly depicting all the chaos that raged in the soul and mind of Pollock. This is one of the most expensive works ever sold by an American artist.
"Son of Man"
"The Son of Man" by Rene Magritte is a kind of self-portrait depicting the artist himself in a black suit, but with an apple instead of a face.
"Number 1" ("Royal Red and Blue")
This rather recent piece by Mark Rothko is nothing more than brushstrokes of three different shades on a handmade canvas. The painting is currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.
"Massacre of the Innocent"
Based on the biblical story of the massacre of innocent babies in Bethlehem, Peter Paul Rubens created this macabre and brutal painting that touches the emotions of all who look at it.
"A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte"
Created by Georges Seurat, this unique and very popular painting depicts the relaxed atmosphere of a weekend in a big city. Such painting is an excellent example of pointillism, which combines many dots into one whole.
"Dance"
"Dance" by Henri Matisse is an example of a style called Fauvism, which is characterized by bright, almost unnatural colors and shapes and high dynamics.
"American Gothic"
"American Gothic" is a work of art that perfectly symbolizes the image of Americans during the Great Depression. In this painting, Grant Wood depicted a stern, apparently religious couple standing in front of a simple house with gothic windows.
"Flower Loader"
This painting by the most popular Mexican painter of the 20th century, Diego Rivera, depicts a man who can hardly bear a basket overloaded with bright tropical flowers on his back.
"Whistler's Mother"
Also known as Arrangement in Gray and Black. The Artist's Mother, this is one of the most famous paintings by American artist James Whistler. In this painting, Whistler depicted his mother sitting in a chair against a gray wall. The painting uses only black and gray shades.
"The Persistence of Memory"
This is a cult work of no less cult Salvador Dali, the world-famous Spanish surrealist who brought this movement to the forefront of art.
Portrait of Dora Maar
Pablo Picasso is one of the most popular and influential Spanish painters. He is the founder of the sensational style at the time, called cubism, which seeks to break up any object and convey it with clear geometric shapes. This painting is the first portrait in the cubist style.
"Portrait of an Artist Without a Beard"
This painting by Van Gogh is a self-portrait, and unique, because it depicts the painter without the usual beard. In addition, this is one of the few Van Gogh paintings that have been sold to private collections.
"Night Cafe Terrace"
Painted by Vincent van Gogh, this painting depicts a familiar sight in a whole new way, using amazingly vibrant colors and unusual shapes.
"Composition VIII"
Wassily Kandinsky is recognized as the founder of abstract art - a style that uses forms and symbols instead of familiar objects and people. "Composition VIII" is one of the first paintings by the artist, made exclusively in this style.
"Kiss"
One of the first works of art in the Art Nouveau style, this painting is almost entirely done in gold tones. The painting by Gustav Klimt is one of the most striking works of style.
"Ball at the Moulin de la Galette"
The painting by Pierre Auguste Renoir is a vivid and dynamic depiction of city life. In addition, it is one of the most expensive paintings in the world.
"Olympia"
In Olympia, Édouard Manet created a real controversy, almost a scandal, since a naked woman with a gaze is clearly a mistress, not veiled by the myths of the classical period. This is one of the early works in the style of realism.
"Third May 1808 in Madrid"
In this work, Francisco Goya depicted Napoleon's attack on the Spaniards. This is one of the first Spanish paintings to portray the war in a negative light.
"Las Meninas"
The most famous painting by Diego Velasquez depicts the five-year-old Infanta Margherita in front of a portrait of her parents painted by Velasquez.
"Portrait of the Arnolfinis"
This painting is one of the oldest works of painting. It was painted by Jan van Eyck and depicts Italian businessman Giovanni Arnolfini and his pregnant wife in their home in Bruges.
"Scream"
A painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch depicts a man's face distorted by fear against a blood-red sky. The landscape in the background adds a dark charm to this painting. In addition, The Scream is one of the first expressionist paintings where realism is kept to a minimum to allow more freedom for emotion.
"Waters"
Water Lilies, by Claude Monet, is part of a series of 250 paintings depicting elements of the artist's own garden. These paintings are exhibited in various art museums around the world.
"Starlight Night"
Van Gogh's "Starry Night" is one of the most famous images in contemporary culture. It is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
"Fall of Icarus"
This painting, painted by the Dutch artist Pieter Brueghel, shows a person's indifference to the suffering of their fellow men. A strong social theme is shown here in a rather simple way, using the image of Icarus drowning under water and people ignoring his suffering.
"The Creation of Adam"
The Creation of Adam is one of several magnificent frescoes by Michelangelo adorning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Palace. It depicts the creation of Adam. In addition to depicting ideal human forms, the fresco is one of the first attempts to depict God in the history of art.
"The Last Supper"
This fresco by the great Leonardo depicts the last supper of Jesus before his betrayal, arrest and death. In addition to composition, form and color, the discussion of this fresco is replete with theories about hidden symbols and the presence of Mary Magdalene next to Jesus.
"Guernica"
Picasso's "Guernica" depicts the explosion of the Spanish city of the same name during the Spanish Civil War. This is a black-and-white picture, negatively depicting fascism, Nazism and their ideas.
"Girl with a Pearl Earring"
This painting by Johannes Vermeer is often referred to as the Dutch Mona Lisa, not only because of its extraordinary popularity, but also because the expression on the girl's face is difficult to capture and explain.
"Beheading of John the Baptist"
The painting by Caravaggio very realistically depicts the moment of the murder of John the Baptist in prison. The semi-darkness of the painting and the facial expressions of its characters make it a true classic masterpiece.
"The night Watch"
The Night Watch is one of Rembrandt's most famous paintings. It depicts a group portrait of a rifle company led by its officers. A unique aspect of the painting is the semi-darkness, which gives the impression of a night scene.
"School of Athens"
Painted by Raphael in his early Roman period, this fresco depicts famous Greek philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Socrates, Pythagoras and others. Many philosophers are depicted as contemporaries of Raphael, for example, Plato - Leonardo da Vinci, Heraclitus - Michelangelo, Euclid - Bramante.
"Mona Lisa"
Probably the most famous painting in the world is Leonardo da Vinci's Gioconda, better known as the Mona Lisa. This canvas is a portrait of Mrs. Gherardini, who attracts attention with a mysterious expression on her face.
Art appeared almost immediately after the advent of mankind, and over the centuries many of the greatest works in painting, sculpture and other areas of art have been created. Which of them is considered the best is a very controversial issue, because even experts disagree on this matter. Today we will try to compile a list of the ten most famous works of art of all time.
10 PHOTOS
1. Starry Night, Van Gogh.
Painting painted by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh in 1889. The inspiration for this work of art was the night sky, which he observed from the window of his room at St. Paul's Orphanage.
2. Drawings in the Chauvet cave. Prehistoric rock carvings of animals created approximately 30,000 years ago. The Chauvet cave is located in the south of France.
3. Moai statues. Stone monolithic statues located on Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean. It is believed that the statues were created by the natives of the island between 1250 and 1500 AD.
4. "Thinker", Rodin. The most famous work of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin, created in 1880.
5. "The Last Supper", da Vinci. This painting, painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1494 and 1498, is the scene of the last meal of Jesus with his disciples, described in the biblical gospel of John.
6. The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo. One of Michelangelo's most famous frescoes is in the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The fresco illustrates the story of the creation of Adam from the biblical book of Genesis.
7. "Venus de Milo", the author is unknown. One of the most famous ancient Greek sculptural works, created sometime between 130 and 100 BC. The marble sculpture was discovered in 1820 on the island of Milos.
8. The Birth of Venus by Botticelli. The painting, painted by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, depicts the scene of the appearance of the goddess Venus from the sea. The painting is in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. 
10. "Mona Lisa", da Vinci.
A masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci, created approximately between 1503 and 1506. The painting is in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
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.
