3 images of famous masterpieces of art of different types. Masterpieces of painting (33 masterpieces of world painting - selection)

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 below speak loudly not only about the talent of their authors, but also about the many cultural trends that have come and gone, and about the most important historical events which 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 brilliant socialite in a contrastingly minimalist and simple setting, dressed in simple White dress without sleeves. It - prime example neoclassicism in portraiture.

№5

This famous painting by Jackson Pollock is his most iconic work, which vividly depicts 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 is a rather fresh work written by Mark Rothko - no more than strokes of three different shades on 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 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 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 is struggling to carry 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, it is one of the most famous paintings 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 amazing bright colors and unusual shapes.

"Composition VIII"

Wassily Kandinsky is recognized as the founder abstract art- a style that uses shapes 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. Gustav Klimt's painting is one of the most bright works 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, Edouard Manet created a real controversy, almost a scandal, since a naked woman with a gaze is clearly a mistress, not veiled by myths classical period. This one of 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 provide 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 peace.

"Starlight Night"

"Starry Night" by Van Gogh is one of the most famous images in contemporary culture. It is currently on display at the Museum. contemporary art in New York.

"Fall of Icarus"

This painting, painted Dutch artist Pieter Brueghel, shows the indifference of man to the suffering of his fellow men. strong social theme shown here pretty in a 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. Sistine Chapel in the palace of the Vatican. 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"

"Guernica" by Picasso depicts the explosion of the Spanish city of the same name during the Spanish civil war. This is a black-and-white picture that negatively depicts 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.

British newspaper The Times ranked 200 best artists who lived from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.

As a result, according to British readers, first place occupied by the great Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

Second place given to post-impressionist Paul Cezanne, the third - the founder of the Austrian Art Nouveau Gustav Klimt. The last line is occupied by modern Japanese artist Hiroshi Sujimoto.

French artists appear in the top ten Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Marcel Duchamp and American artist Jackson Pollock.
The top ten is closed by the legend of pop art Andy Warhole, representative of abstractionism Willem de Kooning and famous modernist Piet Mondrian.
It is impossible not to notice the overestimation of the rating of some artists and ignoring others, no less talented. The editors of The Times, summing up the results of the survey, are perplexed: “What does Martin Kippenberger do in the top 20? Why is he rated higher than Rothko, Schiele and Klee? Is Munch (46th) worse than Frida Kahlo? Most likely, this is due to the desire of women to place the fair sex as high as possible in the ranking.

From Russian artists appear in the ranking Basil Kandinsky(15th), creator of the Black Square " Casimir Malevich(17th). 95th marked Ukrainian-American artist Alexander Archipenko. 135th - one of the founders of constructivism Alexander Rodchenko. Also included in the list Marc Chagall-71st, and Vladimir Tatlin- 145th.

Here 20 best artists of the XX century, according to British art lovers

Top 20 Artists of the XX and early XXI century

1. Pablo Picasso

2. Paul Cezanne

3. Gustav Klimt

4. Claude Monet

5. Marcel Duchamp

6. Henri Matisse

7. Jackson Pollock

8. Andy Warhol

9. Willem de Kooning

10. Piet Mondrian

11. Paul Gauguin

12. Francis Bacon

13. Robert Rauschenberg

14. Georges Braque

15. Wassily Kandinsky

16. Constantin Brancusi

17. Kazimir Malevich

18. Jasper Johns

19. Frida Kahlo

20. Martin Kippenberger
………………
Yes, if such a survey were conducted in our country, the list would be completely different. As well as the lists of the best literary works- in each country they differ significantly.
But so far we have only this list, in which we do not know many artists.
Therefore - here short story about the first twenty artists.
BUT full list 200 best artists of the 20th and early 21st centuries- at the end of the post.
...................
1.Picasso Pablo- Spanish artist, graphic artist

8. Andy Warhol(real name - Andrew Warhola, Rusyn. Andriy Vargola; 1928-1987) is an American artist and producer, a notable person in the history of pop art and modern art in general. Founder of the "homo universale" ideology.
Warhol created several paintings that became a sensation in the art world. In 1960, he created designs for cans of Coca-Cola, which brought him fame as an artist with an extraordinary vision of art. And in 1960-1962, a cycle of works appeared depicting cans of Campbell's soup.


Warhol one of the first to use screen printing and silk-screen printing as a method for creating paintings.
Warhol created a series of paintings depicting idols modern society. Among the stars that Andy painted: recurring Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Lenin and others. These drawings in bright colors became " calling card» Warhol. recreating the atmosphere of America in the 60s.


According to critics, these paintings reflected the vulgarity of the culture of mass consumption, the mentality of Western civilization. Warhol is considered to be among the representatives of pop art and conceptual art, such as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein. Currently, the prices for his paintings reach tens of millions of dollars. A whole subculture has gathered around the figure of Warhol.

In 2015, the painting was sold to the Qatari Museum Authority for $300 million. 287\237\225

12. Francis Bacon-(1909-1992) - English artist- expressionist. Bacon's painting is always expressive, it is a kind of cry that conveys the tragedy of existence. The main theme of his work is the human body - distorted, elongated, enclosed in geometric figures. Several works are included in the list of the most expensive paintings.

On May 14, 2008, Francis Bacon's 1976 Landmark of the Canonical 20th Century triptych was sold at Sotheby's for $86.3 million. Sold by the Muy family, owners of Château Pétrus wine production, to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. And the painter received the title of the most expensive post-war artist and took third place in the top ten most expensive artists in the world in general, losing only to Picasso and Klimt. 180\122\96

13.Robert Rauschenberg(1925, Port Arthur -2008, Captiva Island, Florida) is an American artist. A representative of abstract expressionism, and then conceptual art and pop art, in his works he gravitated towards the technique of collage and readymade, used garbage.
Like other representatives of pop art, he tried to express his vision of the world in unusual, shocking forms. For this, canvases, collages, installations were used.
In the early 50s, Rauschenberg went through three stages of creating paintings:
« white painting» - black numbers and some symbols are shown on a white background.
"Black painting" - scraps of newspapers were pasted onto the canvas, and all this was covered with black enamel.
"Red Painting" - abstract canvases in red tones, partly with stickers from newspapers, nails, photographs, etc.
In 1953, Rauschenberg erased a drawing by Willem de Kooning and exhibited it under the title "Erased De Kooning Drawing", raising the question of the nature of art.

Since the mid-50s, Rauschenberg has been creating spatial objects that he calls "combined paintings", for example:
"Odalisque" (satin pillow, stuffed chicken, photographs and reproductions)
"Bed" - a bed spattered with paint and placed vertically ...


In the late 50s, he mastered the frottage technique (rubbing introduced into art by Max Ernst) to transfer magazine photographs to paper. Rauschenberg used it to create a graphic cycle of 34 illustrations for Dante's Inferno in the pop art style. In 1962, he mastered the technique of silk-screen printing and created a number of large works in it. One of the paintings in this series way to heaven» ( sky way, 1964). On it, pop cultural symbols (for example, American astronauts) coexist with images of Rubens.

Rauschenberg is the recipient of many awards, including: Grand Prize at the Venice Biennale, Grammy, US National Medal, Japanese Imperial Prize and others.
In the 60s and 70s, Rauschenberg was involved in the field of performance, happenings and other theatrical actions.

1 Pablo Picasso 21587
2 Paul Cezanne 21098
3 Gustav Klimt 20823
4 Claude Monet 20684
5 Marcel Duchamp 20647
6 Henry Matisse 17096
7 Jackson Pollock 17051
8 Andy Warhol 17047
9 Willem de Kooning 17042
10 Piet Mondrian 17028
11 Paul Gauguin 17027
12 Francis Bacon 17018
13 Robert Rauschenberg 16956
14 Georges Braque 16788
15 Wassily Kandinsky 16055
16 Constantin Brancusi 14224
17 Kazimir Malevich 13609
18 Jasper Johns 12988
19 Frida Kahlo 12940
20 Martin Kippenberger 12784
21 Paul Klee
22 Egon Schiele
23 Donald Judd
24 Bruce Nauman
25 Alberto Giacometti
26 Salvador Dali
27 Auguste Rodin
28 Mark Rothko
29 Edward Hopper
30 Lucian Freud
31 Richard Serra
32 René Magritte
33 David Hockney
34 Philip Gaston
35 Gary Cartier-Bresson 8779
36 Pierre Bonnard
37 Jean-Michel Basquiat
38 Max Ernst
39 Diane Arbus
40 Georgia O'Keefe
41 Cy Twombly
42 Max Beckmann
43 Barnet Newman
44 Giorgio de Chirico
45 Roy Lichtenstein 7441
46 Edvard Munch
47 Pierre August Renoir
48 Men Ray
49 Henry Moore
50 Cindy Sherman
51 Jeff Koons
52 Tracey Emin
53 Damien Hirst
54 Yves Klein
55 Henry Russo
56 Chaim Soutine
57 Archil Gorky
58 Amadeo Modigliani
59 Umberto Boccioni
60 Jean Dubuffet
61 Eva Hesse
62 Edward Villard
63 Carl Andre
64 Juan Gris
65 Lucio Fontana
66 Franz Kline
67 David Smith
68 Joseph Beuys
69 Alexander Calder
70 Louise Bourgeois
71 Marc Chagall
72 Gerhard Richter
73 Balthus
74 Joan Miro
75 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
76 Frank Stella
77 Georg Baselitz
78 Francis Picabia
79 Jenny Saville
80 Dan Flavin
81 Alfred Stiglitz
82 Anselm Kiefer
83 Matthew Burney
84 Georges Gros
85 Bernd and Hilla Becher
86 Sigmar Polke
87 Bryce Marden
88 Maurizio Catellan
89 Saul Levitt
90 Chuck Close 2915
91 Edward Weston
92 Joseph Cornell
93 Karel Appel
94 Bridget Riley
95 Alexander Archipenko
96 Anthony Caro
97 Richard Hamilton
98 Clifford Still
99 Luc Tuymans
100 Oldenburg class
101 Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi
102 Frank Auerbach
103 Dinos and Jake Chapman
104 Marlene Dumas
105 Antona Tapies
106 Giorgio Morandi
107 Walker Evans
108 Nan Goldin
109 Robert Frank
110 Georges Rouault
111 Arp Hans
112 August Sender
113 James Rosenquist
114 Andreas Gursky
115 Eugene Atget
116 Jeff Wall
117 Ellsworth Kelly
118 Bill Brandt
119 Christo and Jean-Claude
120 Howard Hodgkin
121 Joseph Albers
122 Piero Manzoni
123 Agnes Martin
124 Anish Kapoor
125 L. S. Lowry
126 Robert Motherwell
127 Robert Delaunay
128 Stuart Davis
129 Ed Ruscha
130 Gilbert and George 2729
131 Stanley Spencer
132 James Ensor
133 Fernard Ledger
134 Brassai (Gyula Halas)
135 Alexander Rodchenko
136 Robert Ryman
137 Ed Reindhard
138 Hans Belmer
139 Isa Genzken
140 Kees van Dongen
141 Weegee
142 Paula Rego
143 Thomas Hart Benton
144 Hans Hoffman
145 Vladimir Tatlin
146 Odilon Redon
147 George Segal
148 Jörg Imendorff
149 Robert Smithson
150 Peter Doig 2324
151 Ed and Nancy Kienholz
152 Richard Prince
153 Ansel Adams
154 Nahum Gabo 2256
155 Diego Rivera 2239
156 Barbara Hepworth 2237
157 Nicola de Stael 2237
158 Walter de Maria 2229
159 Felix Gonzalez-Torres 2228
160 Giacomo Balla 2225
161 Ben Nicholson 2221
162 Anthony Gormley 2218
163 Lionel Feininger 2216
164 Emil Nolde 2213
165 Mark Wallinger 2211
166 Hermann Nietzsch 2209
167 Paul Signac 2209
168 Jean Tigli 2209
169 Kurt Schwitters 2209
170 Grayson Perry 2208
171 Julian Schnabel 2208
172 Raymond Duchamp-Villon 2208
173 Robert Gobert 2208
174 Duane Hanson 2208
175 Richard Diebenkorn 2207
176 Apex Katz 2207
177 Alighiero Boetti 2206
178 Godier-Brzeska Henri 2206
179 Laszlo Moholy-Nagy 2205
180 Jacques-Henri Lartigue 2205
181 Robert Morris 2205artists

) in her expressive sweeping works was able to preserve the transparency of the fog, the lightness of the sail, the smooth rocking of the ship on the waves.

Her paintings amaze with their depth, volume, saturation, and the texture is such that it is impossible to take your eyes off them.

Warm simplicity Valentina Gubareva

Primitive artist from Minsk Valentin Gubarev not chasing fame and just doing what he loves. His work is insanely popular abroad, but almost unfamiliar to his compatriots. In the mid-90s, the French fell in love with his everyday sketches and signed a contract with the artist for 16 years. The paintings, which, it would seem, should be understandable only to us, the bearers of the "modest charm of undeveloped socialism", were liked by the European public, and exhibitions began in Switzerland, Germany, Great Britain and other countries.

Sensual realism by Sergei Marshennikov

Sergei Marshennikov is 41 years old. He lives in St. Petersburg and works in best traditions classical russian school realistic portrait painting. The heroines of his paintings are tender and defenseless in their half-naked women. Many of the most famous paintings depict the artist's muse and wife, Natalia.

The Myopic World of Philip Barlow

In the modern era of pictures high definition and the heyday of hyperrealism creativity Philip Barlow(Philip Barlow) immediately attracts attention. However, a certain effort is required from the viewer in order to force himself to look at blurry silhouettes and bright spots on the author's canvases. Probably, this is how people suffering from myopia see the world without glasses and contact lenses.

Sunny Bunnies by Laurent Parcelier

Painting by Laurent Parcelier is an amazing world in which there is neither sadness nor despondency. You will not find gloomy and rainy pictures in him. On his canvases there is a lot of light, air and bright colors, which the artist applies with characteristic recognizable strokes. This creates the feeling that the paintings are woven from thousands of sunbeams.

Urban Dynamics in the Works of Jeremy Mann

Oil on wood panels by American artist Jeremy Mann paints dynamic portraits of a modern metropolis. “Abstract forms, lines, contrast of light and dark spots - everything creates a picture that evokes the feeling that a person experiences in the crowd and turmoil of the city, but can also express the calmness that one finds when contemplating quiet beauty,” says the artist.

The Illusory World of Neil Simon

In the paintings of the British artist Neil Simone (Neil Simone) everything is not what it seems at first glance. “For me, the world around me is a series of fragile and ever-changing shapes, shadows and boundaries,” says Simon. And in his paintings everything is really illusory and interconnected. Borders are washed away, and stories flow into each other.

The love drama of Joseph Lorasso

Italian-born contemporary American artist Joseph Lorusso transfers to canvas scenes he saw in everyday life ordinary people. Hugs and kisses, passionate impulses, moments of tenderness and desire fill his emotional pictures.

Village life of Dmitry Levin

Dmitry Levin is a recognized master of the Russian landscape, who has established himself as a talented representative of the Russian realistic school. The most important source of his art is his attachment to nature, which he loves tenderly and passionately and feels himself a part of.

Bright East Valery Blokhin

In the East, everything is different: different colors, different air, different life values ​​and reality is more fabulous than fiction - this is how a modern artist thinks

There are millions of paintings in the world that are created and shown in galleries and museums around the world. However, not all of them are as famous and recognizable as those listed below. Here is a list with photos of ten of some of the most famous paintings in the world.

Guernica

Guernica - famous painting Spanish artist Pablo Picasso painted in May 1937. It is an oil painting in black and white with incredible speed- in just one month. The canvas, 3.5 meters high and 7.8 meters long, depicts scenes of death, violence, atrocities, suffering and helplessness. It is believed that the bombing of the city of the Basque Country - Guernica became the reason for its creation. Stored in the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, the capital of Spain.

Vincent van Gogh's beardless self-portrait is by far the most famous of the few portraits of Vincent van Gogh that depicts him without a beard. In total, Vincent van Gogh painted more than 38 of his portraits. It is believed that the artist created this painting as a birthday present for his mother. Today it is one of the most expensive paintings of all time. It was sold for $71.5 million in 1998 and is now in a private collection.

The night Watch

The Night Watch or “The Performance of the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenbürg” is a famous painting by the famous artist Rembrandt van Rijn, painted in 1642. Is one of the most famous Dutch paintings golden age. The canvas is famous for three characteristics: its colossal size (363 cm × 437 cm), its efficient use of light and shadow, and its perception of movement. The painting is currently stored in State Museum(Rijksmuseum) in Amsterdam.

Girl with a Pearl Earring - famous painting Dutch artist Jan Vermeer, painted around 1665. She is often referred to as the Dutch or Northern Mona Lisa. Very little is known about the painting. According to one version, it depicts the artist's daughter Maria. The canvas, 44.5 × 39 cm, is now kept in the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague, the Netherlands.

The Persistence of Memory is one of the most recognizable and famous paintings by the Spanish painter Salvador Dali. Was written in 1931. This small canvas (24×33 cm) was first shown at the Julien Levy Gallery in 1932. Now stored in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

scream

The Scream is a famous painting painted by the Norwegian Expressionist painter Edvard Munch in 1893. This is the most famous of the four oil versions of The Scream that the artist created between 1893 and 1910 using various techniques. Stored in National Museum Norway.

Starlight Night

Starlight Night is a famous painting painted by post-impressionist Vincent van Gogh in June 1889. Considered one of his best works, as well as one of the most famous in history. Western culture. Stored at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Creation of Adam - famous fresco Italian master renaissance era by Michelangelo, painted around 1511. Forms part of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and illustrates biblical narrative from the Book of Genesis, in which God breathes life into Adam, the first man. Along with a painting by Leonardo da Vinci The Last Supper"is the most religious painting of all time.

The Last Supper is a world-famous mural painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, created in 1495-1498 on the back wall in the refectory of the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The painting depicts a scene described in the Bible as the Last Supper - the last supper of Christ with his disciples. The size of the painting is approximately 460 × 880 cm.

Mona Lisa, also known as Gioconda, is perhaps the most famous painting in the world by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, painted approximately between 1503-1505. It is believed to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a silk merchant from Florence. The most recognizable painting in the world belongs to the French government and is kept in the Louvre in Paris.

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Today we present to your attention twenty paintings that are worthy of attention and recognition. These pictures were painted famous artists, and they should be known not only by the person who is engaged in art, but also by ordinary mortal people, since art paints our life, aesthetics deepens our view of the world. Give art its due place in your life...

1. "The Last Supper". Leonardo Da Vinci, 1495 - 1498

Monumental painting by Leonardo da Vinci depicting the scene of the last meal of Christ with his disciples. Created in the years 1495-1498 in the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

The painting was commissioned by Leonardo from his patron, Duke Lodovico Sforza and his wife Beatrice d'Este. The coat of arms of Sforza is painted on the lunettes above the painting, formed by a ceiling with three arches. The painting was begun in 1495 and completed in 1498; work was intermittent. The date of commencement of work is not exact, because "the archives of the monastery were destroyed, and an insignificant part of the documents that we have dated 1497, when the painting was almost completed."

The painting became a milestone in the history of the Renaissance: the correctly reproduced depth of perspective changed the direction of development of Western painting.

It is believed that many secrets and hints are hidden in this picture - for example, there is an assumption that the images of Jesus and Judas are written off from one person. When Da Vinci painted the picture, in his vision, Jesus personified goodness, while Judas was pure evil. And when the master found “his Judas” (a drunkard from the street), it turned out that, according to historians, this drunkard had served as a prototype for painting the image of Jesus a few years before. Thus, we can say that this picture captured a person in different periods his life.

2. "Sunflowers". Vincent van Gogh, 1887

Name of two cycles of paintings by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. The first series was made in Paris in 1887. It is dedicated to lying flowers. The second series was completed a year later, in Arles. She depicts a bouquet of sunflowers in a vase. Two Parisian paintings Acquired by van Gogh's friend Paul Gauguin.

The artist painted sunflowers eleven times. The first four paintings were created in Paris in August-September 1887. Large cut flowers lie like some strange creatures dying before our eyes.

3. "The ninth wave". Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky?, 1850.

One of the most famous paintings by the Russian marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky is kept in the Russian Museum.

The painter depicts the sea after the strongest night storm and people who were shipwrecked. The rays of the sun illuminate the huge waves. The largest of them - the ninth shaft - is ready to fall on people trying to escape on the wreckage of the mast.

Despite the fact that the ship is destroyed and only the mast remains, the people on the mast are alive and continue to fight against the elements. The warm tones of the picture make the sea not so harsh and give the viewer hope that people will be saved.

Created in 1850, the painting "The Ninth Wave" immediately became the most famous of all his marinas and was acquired by Nicholas I.

4. "Nude Maja". Francisco Goya, 1797-1800

Painting by Spanish artist Francisco Goya, painted around 1797-1800. Pairs with the painting "Maja dressed" (La maja vestida). The paintings depict maja - a Spanish townswoman of the 18th-19th centuries, one of the favorite objects of the artist's image. "Nude Maja" is one of the early works Western art depicting a fully nude woman without mythological or negative connotations.

5. "Flight of lovers." Marc Chagall, 1914-1918

Work on the painting "Above the City" began in 1914, and finishing touches the master applied only in 1918. During this time, Bella turned from a beloved not only into an adored spouse, but also the mother of their daughter Ida, forever becoming the main muse of the painter. The union of a rich daughter of a hereditary jeweler and a simple Jewish youth, whose father made a living by unloading herring, can only be called a misalliance, but love was stronger and overcame all conventions. It was this love that inspired them, lifting them to heaven.

Karina depicts Chagall's two loves at once - Bella and dear Vitebsk. The streets are presented in the form of houses, separated by a high dark fence. The viewer will not immediately notice a goat grazing on the left side of the center of the picture, and a simple peasant with his pants down in the foreground - humor from the painter, escaping from general context and the romantic mood of the work, but this is the whole Chagall ...

6. "The face of war." Salvador Dali, 1940

Painting by Spanish artist Salvador Dali, painted in 1940.

The painting was created on the way to the USA. Impressed by the tragedy that broke out in the world, the bloodthirstiness of politicians, the master starts work on the ship. Located in the Boijmans-van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam.

Having lost all hope for normal life in Europe, the artist from his beloved Paris leaves for America. War covers the Old World and seeks to take over the rest of the world. The master does not yet know that staying in the New World for eight years will make him truly famous, and his works - masterpieces of world art.

7. "Scream". Edvard Munch, 1893

The Scream (Norwegian Skrik) is a series of paintings created between 1893 and 1910 by the Norwegian Expressionist painter Edvard Munch. They depict a human figure screaming in despair against a blood-red sky and a highly generalized landscape background. In 1895, Munch created a lithograph on the same subject.

The red, fiery hot sky covered the cold fjord, which, in turn, gives rise to a fantastic shadow, similar to some kind of sea monster. Tension distorts space, lines break, colors don't match, perspective is destroyed.

Many critics believe that the plot of the picture is the fruit of a sick fantasy of a mentally ill person. Someone sees in the work a premonition of an ecological catastrophe, someone solves the question of what kind of mummy inspired the author to do this work.

8. "Girl with a pearl earring." Jan Vermeer, 1665

The painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (Dutch. "Het meisje met de parel") was written around 1665. AT given time is stored in the Mauritshuis Museum, The Hague, the Netherlands, and is the hallmark of the museum. The painting, nicknamed the Dutch Mona Lisa, or Mona Lisa of the North, is written in the Tronie genre.

Thanks to Peter Webber's 2003 film Girl with a Pearl Earring, great amount people who are far from painting learned about the wonderful Dutch artist Jan Vermeer, as well as about his most famous painting, Girl with a Pearl Earring.

9. "Tower of Babel". Pieter Brueghel, 1563

Famous painting by Pieter Brueghel. The artist created at least two paintings on this subject.

The painting is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

There is a story in the Bible about how the inhabitants of Babylon tried to build a high tower in order to reach the sky, but God made them speak different languages, ceased to understand each other, and the tower remained unfinished.

10. "Algerian women." Pablo Picasso, 1955

"Women of Algeria" - a series of 15 paintings created by Picasso in 1954-1955 based on the paintings of Eugene Delacroix; the paintings are distinguished by the letters assigned by the artist from A to O. "Version O" was written on February 14, 1955; for some time it belonged to the famous American art collector of the 20th century, Victor Ganz.

Pablo Picasso's "Women of Algiers (version O)" was sold for $180 million.

11. "New planet". Konstantin Yuon, 1921

Russian Soviet painter, master of landscape, theater artist, art theorist. Academician of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. People's Artist USSR. Laureate Stalin Prize first degree. Member of the CPSU since 1951.

This amazing, created in 1921 and not at all characteristic of the realist artist Yuon, the painting “New Planet” is one of the brightest works that embodied the image of the changes that the October Revolution became in the second decade of the 20th century. New system, new way and new image thinking just born Soviet society. What awaits humanity now? Bright future? They didn't think about it at the time, but what Soviet Russia and the whole world is entering an era of change, as is the rapid birth of a new planet.

12. "Sistine Madonna". Raphael Santi, 1754

Painting by Raphael, which has been in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden since 1754. Belongs to the generally recognized peaks of the High Renaissance.

Huge in size (265 × 196 cm, as indicated by the size of the painting in the catalog Dresden Gallery) the canvas was created by Raphael for the altar of the church of the monastery of St. Sixtus in Piacenza, commissioned by Pope Julius II. There is a hypothesis that the painting was painted in 1512-1513 in honor of the victory over the French, who invaded Lombardy during the Italian Wars, and the subsequent incorporation of Piacenza into the Papal States.

13. "Penitent Mary Magdalene". Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), painted around 1565

Painting painted around 1565 Italian artist Titian Vecellio. Belongs State Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Sometimes the date of creation is given as "1560s".

The model of the painting was Giulia Festina, who struck the artist with a shock of golden hair. The finished canvas greatly impressed the Duke of Gonzaga, and he decided to order a copy of it. Later, Titian, changing the background and posing of the woman, painted a couple more similar works.

14. "Mona Lisa". Leonardo Da Vinci, 1503-1505

Portrait of Mrs. Lisa del Giocondo, (ital. Ritratto di Monna Lisa del Giocondo) - a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, located in the Louvre (Paris, France), one of the most famous works painting in the world, which is believed to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of the Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo, painted around 1503-1505.

According to one of the put forward versions, "Mona Lisa" is a self-portrait of the artist.

15. “Morning in a pine forest”, Shishkin Ivan Ivanovich, 1889.

Painting by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky. Savitsky painted the bears, but the collector Pavel Tretyakov erased his signature, so one painting is often listed as the author.

The idea for the painting was suggested to Shishkin by Savitsky, who later acted as a co-author and depicted the figures of cubs. These bears, with some differences in posture and number (at first there were two of them), appear in preparatory drawings and sketches. The animals turned out so well for Savitsky that he even signed the painting together with Shishkin.

16. "We didn't wait." Ilya Repin, 1884-1888

Painting by Russian artist Ilya Repin (1844-1930), painted in 1884-1888. It is part of the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery.

Painting shown at XII traveling exhibition, is included in the narrative cycle dedicated to the fate of the Russian populist revolutionary.

17. Ball at the Moulin de la Galette, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1876.

Painting painted by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1876.

The place where the painting is located is the Musée d'Orsay. The Moulin de la Galette is an inexpensive tavern in Montmartre where the students and working youth of Paris gathered.

18. Starry night. Vincent van Gogh, 1889

De sterrennacht- a painting by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, written in June 1889, with a view of the predawn sky over a fictional town from the east window of the artist's dwelling in Saint-Remy-de-Provence. Since 1941 it has been kept at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Considered one of the best works Van Gogh and one of the most significant works Western painting.

19. "Creation of Adam". Michelangelo, 1511.

Fresco by Michelangelo, painted around 1511. The fresco is the fourth of nine central compositions on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

The Creation of Adam is one of the most outstanding mural compositions in the Sistine Chapel. In endless space, God the Father flies, surrounded by wingless angels, with a fluttering white tunic. Right hand outstretched towards Adam's hand and almost touching it. Lying on a green rock, Adam's body gradually begins to move, awakens to life. The whole composition is concentrated on the gesture of two hands. The hand of God gives impulse, and the hand of Adam receives it, giving the whole body vital energy. By the fact that their hands do not touch, Michelangelo emphasized the impossibility of connecting the divine and the human. In the image of God, according to the artist, not a miraculous principle prevails, but a gigantic creative energy. In the image of Adam, Michelangelo sings of strength and beauty human body. In fact, it is not the very creation of man that appears before us, but the moment at which he receives a soul, a passionate search for the divine, a thirst for knowledge.

20. "Kiss in the starry sky." Gustav Klimt, 1905-1907

Painting by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, painted in 1907-1908. The canvas belongs to the period of Klimt's work, called "golden", last work the author in his "golden period".

On a rock, on the edge of a flower meadow, in a golden aura, lovers stand completely immersed in each other, fenced off from the whole world. Due to the uncertainty of the place of what is happening, it seems that the couple depicted in the picture is moving into a cosmic state that is not subject to time and space, beyond all historical and social stereotypes and cataclysms. Complete solitude and the man's face turned back only emphasize the impression of isolation and detachment in relation to the observer.

Source - Wikipedia, muzei-mira.com, say-hi.me