Paintings portraits of famous artists titles. Masterpieces of painting (33 masterpieces of world painting - selection)

“Every portrait painted with feeling is, in essence, a portrait of the artist, and not of the one who posed for him” Oscar Wilde

What does it take to be an artist? Mere imitation of work cannot be considered art. Art is something that comes from within. The author's idea, excitement, searches, desires and sorrows, which are embodied on the artist's canvas. Throughout the history of mankind, hundreds of thousands, and perhaps millions of paintings have been written. Some of them, indeed, masterpieces, are known all over the world, they are known even to people who are not related to art. Is it possible to single out 25 of the most outstanding among such paintings? The task is very difficult, but we tried ...

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25

The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali

Thanks to this painting, Dali became famous at a fairly young age, he was 28 years old. The picture has several other names - " soft watch”, “The hardness of memory”. This masterpiece has attracted the attention of many art historians. Basically, they were interested in the interpretation of the picture. It is said that the idea of ​​Dali's canvas is connected with Einstein's theory of relativity.

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24

"Dance", Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse was not always an artist. He discovered his love for painting after receiving a degree in law in Paris. He studied art so zealously that he became one of the the greatest artists in the world. This picture has very little negative criticism of art critics. It reflects a combination of pagan rituals, dance and music. People are dancing in a trance. Three colors - green, blue and red - symbolize the Earth, Sky and Humanity.

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23

The Kiss, Gustav Klimt

Gustav Klimt has often been criticized for being nude in his paintings. The Kiss was critically acclaimed as it merged all forms of art. The painting could be an image of the artist himself and his lover, Emilia. Klimt painted this canvas under the influence of Byzantine mosaics. The Byzantines used gold in their paintings. Similarly, Gustav Klimt mixed gold in his paints to create his own style of painting.

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22

Sleeping Gypsy, Henri Rousseau

No one but Rousseau himself could describe this picture better. Here is his description - “a nomadic gypsy who sings her songs to a mandolin, sleeps on the ground from fatigue, her jug ​​of drinking water lies nearby. A lion passing by came up to sniff her, but did not touch her. Everything is bathed in moonlight, a very poetic atmosphere.” It is noteworthy that Henri Rousseau is self-taught.

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21

"The Last Judgment", Hieronymus Bosch

Without further ado - the picture is simply magnificent. This triptych is the largest of Bosch's surviving paintings. The left wing shows the story of Adam and Eve. The central part is doomsday» on the part of Jesus - who should go to heaven and who should go to hell. The earth we see here is on fire. On the right wing is depicted a disgusting image of hell.

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20

Everyone knows Narcissus from Greek mythology- a man who was obsessed with his appearance. Dali wrote his own interpretation of Narcissus.

The story is like this. The beautiful young man Narcissus easily broke the hearts of many girls. The gods intervened and, to punish him, showed him his reflection in the water. Narcissus fell in love with himself and ended up dying because he couldn't hug himself. Then the Gods regretted that they had done this to him, and decided to immortalize him in the form of a narcissus flower.

On the left side of the picture is Narcissus looking at his reflection. Then he fell in love with himself. The right panel shows the events that unfolded after, including the resulting flower, the daffodil.

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19

The plot of the picture is based on the biblical massacre of the babies in Bethlehem. After the birth of Christ became known from the Magi, King Herod instructed to kill all the small male children and babies in Bethlehem. In the picture, the carnage is at its peak, the last few children taken from their mothers are waiting for their merciless death. Also visible are the corpses of children for whom everything is behind them.

Through the use of rich colors, the painting by Rubens has become a world-famous masterpiece.

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18

Pollock's work is very different from other artists. He placed his canvas on the ground and moved around the canvas and walked on it, dripping paint from above onto the canvas with sticks, brushes and syringes. Thanks to this unique technique, he was nicknamed "Sprinkler Jack" in artistic circles. For some time this painting held the title of the most expensive painting in the world.

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17

Also known as "Dancing at Les Moulins de la Galette". This painting is considered one of Renoir's most joyful paintings. The idea of ​​the picture is to show the audience a fun side. Parisian life. With a detailed study of the picture, you can see that Renoir placed several of his friends on the canvas. Because the painting appears slightly washed out, it was initially criticized by Renoir's contemporaries.

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16

The story is taken from the Bible. In the picture " The Last Supper” depicts the last supper of Christ before his arrest. He had just spoken to his apostles and told them that one of them would betray him. All the apostles are saddened and tell him that it is certainly not them. It was this moment that da Vinci beautifully portrayed with his lively image. It took the great Leonardo four years to complete this painting.

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15

Monet's "Water Lilies" can be found everywhere. You've probably seen them on wallpapers, posters, and art magazine covers. The fact is that Monet was obsessed with lilies. Before he started painting them, he had grown countless of these flowers. Monet built a Japanese-style bridge in his garden over a lily pond. He was so pleased with what he did that he drew this story seventeen times in one year.

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14

There is something sinister and mysterious in this picture, there is an aura of fear around it. Only such a master as Munch was able to portray fear on paper. Munch made four versions of The Scream in oils and pastels. According to Munch's diary entries, it is pretty clear that he himself believed in death and spirits. In the painting “The Scream”, he depicted himself at the moment when one day, walking with friends, he felt fear and excitement, which he wanted to paint.

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13

The painting, which is usually referred to as a symbol of motherhood, should not have become one. It is said that Whistler's model, who was supposed to pose for the picture, did not show up, and he decided to paint his mother instead. We can say that the sad life of the artist's mother is depicted here. This mood is due to the dark colors that are used in this painting.

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12

Picasso met Dora Maar in Paris. It is said that she was intellectually closer to Picasso than all his previous mistresses. Using cubism, Picasso was able to convey movement in his work. It seems that Maar's face is turning to the right, towards the face of Picasso. The artist made the woman's presence almost real. Maybe he wanted to feel that she was there, always.

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11

Van Gogh painted Starry Night while in treatment, where he was only allowed to paint when his condition improved. Earlier in the same year, he cut off his left earlobe. Many considered the artist insane. Of Van Gogh's entire collection of works, Starry Night is the most famous, perhaps due to the unusual spherical light around the stars.

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10

In this painting, Manet recreated Titian's Venus of Urbino. The artist had a bad reputation for depicting prostitutes. Although the gentlemen at that time visited the courtesans quite often, they did not think that it would occur to someone to draw them. Then it was preferable for artists to paint pictures on historical, mythical or biblical themes. However, Manet, contrary to criticism, showed the audience their contemporary.

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9

This painting is a historical canvas depicting Napoleon's conquest of Spain.

Having received an order for paintings depicting the struggle of the people of Spain with Napoleon, the artist did not paint heroic and pathetic canvases. He chose the moment of execution of the Spanish rebels by French soldiers. Each of the Spaniards is experiencing this moment in his own way, someone has already reconciled, but for someone the main battle has just come. War, blood and death, that's what Goya actually portrayed.

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8

It is believed that the depicted girl is eldest daughter Vermeer, Maria. Her features are present in many of his works, but it is difficult to compare them. A book with the same title was written by Tracey Chevalier. But Tracy's version of who is depicted in this picture is completely different. She claims that she took this topic because there is very little information about Vermeer and his paintings, and this particular painting has a mysterious atmosphere. Later, a film was made based on her novel.

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7

The exact name of the painting is “The performance of the rifle company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenbürg.” The rifle society was a civilian militia that was called upon to defend the city. In addition to the militias, Rembrandt added several extra people. Considering that he bought an expensive house at the time of writing this picture, it may well be true that he received a huge fee for The Night Watch.

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6

Although the painting contains an image of Velázquez himself, it is not a self-portrait. main character canvases - Infanta Margarita, daughter of King Philip IV. It depicts the moment when Velazquez, working on a portrait of the king and queen, is forced to stop and look at the Infanta Margherita, who has just entered the room with her retinue. The picture looks almost alive, awakening curiosity in the audience.

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5

This is the only painting by Brueghel that was painted in oils and not in tempera. There are still doubts about the authenticity of the painting, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, he did not paint in oils, and secondly, latest research showed that under the layer of painting there is a sketchy drawing of poor quality, which does not belong to Brueghel.

The painting depicts the history of Icarus and the moment of his fall. According to the myth, Icarus' feathers were attached with wax, and as Icarus rose very close to the sun, the wax melted and he fell into the water. This landscape inspired Wystan Hugh Auden to write his own famous poem on the same subject.

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4

The "School of Athens" is perhaps the most famous fresco Italian Renaissance painter Raphael.

On this fresco the school of Athens all the great mathematicians, philosophers and scientists have gathered under one roof, they share their theories and learn from each other. All heroes lived in different time, but Rafael placed them all in one room. Some of the figures are Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoras and Ptolemy. A closer look shows that there is a self-portrait of Raphael himself in this picture. Every artist would like to leave their mark, the only difference is the form. Although maybe he considered himself one of these great figures?

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3

Michelangelo never considered himself an artist, he always thought of himself more as a sculptor. But, he managed to create an amazing exquisite fresco, before which the whole world reveres. This masterpiece is on the ceiling Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Michelangelo was commissioned to paint several biblical stories, one of which is the creation of Adam. In this picture, the sculptor in Michelangelo is just visible. Adam's human body is rendered with incredible fidelity using bright colors and precise muscular form. So, one can agree with the author, after all, he is more of a sculptor.

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2

"Mona Lisa", Leonardo da Vinci

Although it is the most studied painting, the Mona Lisa is still the most mysterious. Leonardo said that he never stopped working on it. Only his death is said to have completed the painting. "Mona Lisa" is the first Italian portrait in which the model is shown to the waist. Mona Lisa's skin seems to glow due to the use of several layers of transparent oils. Being scientist Leonardo da Vinci applied all his knowledge to make the image of the Mona Lisa realistic. As for who exactly is depicted in the painting, it still remains a mystery.

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1

The painting depicts Venus, the goddess of love, floating on a shell in the wind, which is blown by Zephyr, the god of the west wind. On the shore, Ora, the goddess of the seasons, meets her, she is ready to dress the newborn deity. The model for Venus is Simonetta Cattaneo de Vespucci. Simonetta Cattaneo died at 22, and Botticelli wished to be buried next to her. He had an unrequited love for her. This picture is the most exquisite work art ever created.

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Conclusion

It was an article TOP 25 most famous paintings in the world. Thank you for your attention!

In the 17th century, the division of genres of painting into "high" and "low" was introduced. The first included historical, battle and mythological genres. The second included mundane genres of painting from everyday life, for example, household genre, still life, animalistics, portrait, nude, landscape.

historical genre

The historical genre in painting depicts not a specific object or person, but a certain moment or event that took place in the history of past eras. It is included in the main painting genres in art. Portrait, battle, everyday and mythological genres are often closely intertwined with the historical.

"Conquest of Siberia by Yermak" (1891-1895)
Vasily Surikov

Artists Nicolas Poussin, Tintoretto, Eugene Delacroix, Peter Rubens, Vasily Ivanovich Surikov, Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev and many others painted their paintings in the historical genre.

mythological genre

Legends, ancient legends and myths, folklore - the image of these plots, heroes and events has found its place in the mythological genre of painting. Perhaps, it can be distinguished in the painting of any nation, because the history of each ethnic group is full of legends and traditions. For example, such a plot of Greek mythology as secret romance the god of war Ares and the goddess of beauty Aphrodite are depicted in the painting "Parnassus" by an Italian artist named Andrea Mantegna.

"Parnassus" (1497)
Andrea Mantegna

Mythology in painting was finally formed in the Renaissance. Representatives of this genre, in addition to Andrea Mantegna, are Raphael Santi, Giorgione, Lucas Cranach, Sandro Botticelli, Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov and others.

Battle genre

Battle painting describes scenes from military life. Most often, various military campaigns are illustrated, as well as sea and land battles. And since these battles are often taken from real history, the battle and historical genres find their intersection point here.

Fragment of the panorama "Battle of Borodino" (1912)
Franz Roubaud

Battle painting took shape during the Italian Renaissance in the work of artists Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, and then Theodore Gericault, Francisco Goya, Franz Alekseevich Roubaud, Mitrofan Borisovich Grekov and many other painters.

household genre

Scenes from everyday, social or privacy ordinary people, whether it be urban or peasant life, depicts the everyday genre in painting. Like many others painting genres, household paintings are rarely found in independent form becoming part of the portrait or landscape genre.

"Seller of musical instruments" (1652)
Karel Fabricius

The origin of everyday painting took place in the 10th century in the East, and it passed to Europe and Russia only in XVII-XVIII centuries. Jan Vermeer, Karel Fabricius and Gabriel Metsu, Mikhail Shibanov and Ivan Alekseevich Ermenev are the most famous artists of everyday paintings of that period.

Animal genre

main objects animal genre are animals and birds, both wild and domestic, and in general all representatives of the animal world. Initially, animalistics was part of the genres of Chinese painting, since it first appeared in China in the 8th century. In Europe, animalism was formed only in the Renaissance - animals at that time were depicted as the embodiment of the vices and virtues of man.

"Horses in the Meadow" (1649)
Paulus Potter

Antonio Pisanello, Paulus Potter, Albrecht Durer, Frans Snyders, Albert Cuyp are the main representatives of animalistics in the visual arts.

Still life

In the still life genre, objects that surround a person in life are depicted. These are inanimate objects grouped together. Such objects may belong to the same genus (for example, only fruits are depicted in the picture), or they may be heterogeneous (fruits, dishes, musical instruments, flowers, etc.).

"Flowers in a Basket, Butterfly and Dragonfly" (1614)
Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder

Still life as an independent genre took shape in the 17th century. Flemish and dutch school still life. In this genre, representatives of the most different styles, from realism to cubism. Some of the most famous still lifes were painted by the painters Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Albertus Jonah Brandt, Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Willem Claes Heda.

Portrait

Portrait - a genre of painting, which is one of the most common in the visual arts. The purpose of a portrait in painting is to portray a person, but not just his appearance, but also to convey the inner feelings and mood of the person being portrayed.

Portraits are single, paired, group, as well as a self-portrait, which is sometimes distinguished a separate genre. And most famous portrait of all time, perhaps, is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci called "Portrait of Mrs. Lisa del Giocondo", known to everyone as "Mona Lisa".

"Mona Lisa" (1503-1506)
Leonardo da Vinci

The first portraits appeared millennia ago in Ancient Egypt- these were images of the pharaohs. Since then, most artists of all time have dabbled in this genre in one way or another. The portrait and historical genres of painting can also intersect: the image of a great historical figure will be considered a work of the historical genre, although it will convey the appearance and character of this person as a portrait.

nude

The purpose of the nude genre is to depict the naked body of a person. The Renaissance period is considered the moment of the emergence and development of this type of painting, and the main object of painting then most often became female body which embodied the beauty of the era.

"Country Concert" (1510)
Titian

Titian, Amedeo Modigliani, Antonio da Correggio, Giorgione, Pablo Picasso are the most famous artists who painted pictures in the nude genre.

Landscape

The main theme of the landscape genre is nature, the environment is the city, rural or wilderness. The first landscapes appeared in ancient times when painting palaces and temples, creating miniatures and icons. As an independent genre, the landscape takes shape already in the 16th century and has since become one of the most popular painting genres.

It is present in the work of many painters, starting with Peter Rubens, Alexei Kondratievich Savrasov, Edouard Manet, continuing with Isaac Ilyich Levitan, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and ending with many contemporary artists of the XXI century.

"Golden Autumn" (1895)
Isaac Levitan

Among landscape painting genres such as sea and urban landscapes can be distinguished.

Veduta

Veduta is a landscape, the purpose of which is to depict the appearance of an urban area and convey its beauty and color. Later, with the development of industry, the urban landscape turns into an industrial landscape.

"Saint Mark's Square" (1730)
Canaletto

You can appreciate urban landscapes by getting acquainted with the works of Canaletto, Pieter Brueghel, Fyodor Yakovlevich Alekseev, Sylvester Feodosievich Shchedrin.

Marina

Seascape, or marina depicts nature sea ​​element, her greatness. Perhaps the most famous marine painter in the world is Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, whose painting The Ninth Wave can be called a masterpiece of Russian painting. The heyday of the marina occurred simultaneously with the development of the landscape as such.

"Sailboat in a Storm" (1886)
James Buttersworth

With their seascapes also known are Katsushika Hokusai, James Edward Buttersworth, Alexey Petrovich Bogolyubov, Lev Feliksovich Lagorio and Rafael Montleon Torres.

If you want to learn even more about how the genres of painting in art arose and developed, watch the following video:

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Quote message The most famous and significant paintings of the world for the history of art. | 33 masterpieces of world painting.

Under the paintings with the artists they belong to, there are links to posts.

The immortal paintings of great artists are admired by millions of people. Art, classical and modern, is one of the most important sources of inspiration, taste and cultural education of any person, and even more creative.
There are definitely more world-famous paintings than 33. There are several hundred of them, and all of them would not fit in one review. Therefore, for the convenience of viewing, we have selected several paintings that are most significant for world culture and often copied in advertising. Each work is accompanied interesting fact, explanation artistic sense or history of its creation.

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 was discovered 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 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, 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 when he saw 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 The Tower of Babel 1563
Stored at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

According to Brueghel, in the failure that befell the construction Tower of Babel, are not guilty of sudden arising according to biblical story language barriers; and mistakes made during the construction process. At first glance, the huge structure 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 do 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; 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 indulged in her thoughts”, at her feet there is 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 chested' went to the enemy.

Claude Monet Impression. Rising Sun" 1872
Stored at the Musée Marmottan in Paris.

The title of the piece is "Impression, soleil levant" with light hand journalist L. Leroy became a name 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 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, was filmed Feature Film"Girl with a Pearl Earring", in which the history of the creation of the canvas is hypothetically restored in the context of biography and family life Vermeer.

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) “overlaid” 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". Demon - the image of power human spirit, internal struggle, doubt. 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. Main character pictures - 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 drinking, eating, talking, and smoking crowd, is a bartender absorbed in her own thoughts, watching a trapeze acrobat, who 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 secular 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.

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: “I will not live. "Young Bartholomew" will live. Now, if in thirty, fifty years after my death he will still say something to people, then he is alive, then I am also alive.

Pieter Brueghel 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 kind of 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 this moment the painting is in the collection State Museum 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. Modern name painting comes from the name of its owner - Count Litt, the owner of the 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 by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" according to the plot fairy tale of the same name 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 as Vertumn" 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.

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, the 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 to the picture protective layer from egg yolk.

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If you think that all great artists are in the past, then you have no idea how wrong you are. In this article, you will learn about the most famous and talented artists modernity. And, believe me, their works will sit in your memory no less deeply than the works of the maestro from past eras.

Wojciech Babski

Wojciech Babski - modern Polish artist. He graduated from the Silesian Polytechnic Institute, but connected himself with. AT recent times draws mostly women. Focuses on the manifestation of emotions, seeks to obtain the greatest possible effect by simple means.

Loves color, but often uses shades of black and gray to achieve the best impression. Not afraid to experiment with new techniques. Recently, he has been gaining more and more popularity abroad, mainly in the UK, where he successfully sells his works, which can already be found in many private collections. In addition to art, he is interested in cosmology and philosophy. Listens to jazz. Currently lives and works in Katowice.

Warren Chang

Warren Chang is a contemporary American artist. Born in 1957 and raised in Monterey, California, he graduated magna cum laude from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1981 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fine Arts. For the next two decades, he worked as an illustrator for various companies in California and New York before starting his career as a professional artist in 2009.

His realistic paintings can be divided into two main categories: biographical interior paintings and paintings depicting working people. His interest in this style of painting is rooted in the work of the 16th-century artist Jan Vermeer, and extends to objects, self-portraits, portraits of family members, friends, students, studio, classroom and home interiors. Its purpose is to realistic paintings create mood and emotion through light manipulation and the use of muted colors.

Chang became famous after the transition to traditional visual arts. Over the past 12 years, he has earned numerous awards and honors, the most prestigious being the Master Signature from the Oil Painters Association of America, the largest oil painting community in the United States. Only one person out of 50 is honored with the opportunity to receive this award. Currently, Warren lives in Monterey and works in his studio, he also teaches (known as a talented teacher) at the San Francisco Academy of the Arts.

Aurelio Bruni

Aurelio Bruni - italian artist. Born in Blair, October 15, 1955. Graduated with a degree in scenography from the Art Institute in Spoleto. As an artist, he is self-taught, as he independently “built the house of knowledge” on the foundation laid back in school. He began painting in oils at the age of 19. Currently lives and works in Umbria.

Bruni's early painting is rooted in surrealism, but over time he begins to focus on the proximity of lyrical romanticism and symbolism, reinforcing this combination with the exquisite refinement and purity of his characters. Animate and inanimate objects acquire equal dignity and look almost hyper-realistic, but at the same time, they do not hide behind a curtain, but allow you to see the essence of your soul. Versatility and sophistication, sensuality and loneliness, thoughtfulness and fruitfulness are the spirit of Aurelio Bruni, nourished by the splendor of art and the harmony of music.

Aleksander Balos

Alkasandr Balos is a contemporary Polish artist specializing in oil painting. Born in 1970 in Gliwice, Poland, but since 1989 he has been living and working in the USA, in the city of Shasta, California.

As a child, he studied art under the guidance of his father Jan, a self-taught artist and sculptor, so from an early age, artistic activity received full support from both parents. In 1989, at the age of eighteen, Balos left Poland for the United States, where his schoolteacher and part-time artist Cathy Gaggliardi encouraged Alcasander to enroll in art school. Balos then received a full scholarship to the University of Milwaukee Wisconsin, where he studied painting with philosophy professor Harry Rosin.

After completing his studies in 1995 with a bachelor's degree, Balos moved to Chicago to study at the School of Fine Arts, whose methods are based on the work of Jacques-Louis David. Figurative realism and portraiture were most works of Balos in the 90s and early 2000s. Today, Balos uses the human figure to highlight the features and shortcomings of human existence, without offering any solutions.

The plot compositions of his paintings are intended to be independently interpreted by the viewer, only then the canvases will acquire their true temporal and subjective meaning. In 2005, the artist moved to Northern California, since then the scope of his work has expanded significantly and now includes freer methods of painting, including abstraction and various multimedia styles that help express the ideas and ideals of being through painting.

Alyssa Monks

Alyssa Monks - modern American artist. She was born in 1977 in Ridgewood, New Jersey. She became interested in painting when she was still a child. Studied at the New School in New York and State University Montclair, and graduated from Boston College in 1999, received a bachelor's degree. At the same time, she studied painting at the academy Lorenzo Medici in Florence.

Then she continued her studies under the program for a master's degree at the New York Academy of Art, in the Department of Figurative Art, graduating in 2001. She graduated from Fullerton College in 2006. For some time she lectured at universities and educational institutions throughout the country, teaching painting at the New York Academy of Art, as well as Montclair State University and Lyme Academy College of Art.

“Using filters such as glass, vinyl, water and steam, I distort human body. These filters allow you to create large areas abstract design, with islands of color peeking through them - parts of the human body.

My pictures are changing modern look to the already established, traditional postures and gestures of bathing women. They could tell an attentive viewer a lot about such seemingly self-evident things as the benefits of swimming, dancing, and so on. My characters are pressed against the glass of the shower cabin window, distorting their own body, realizing that they thereby influence the notorious male look at a naked woman. Thick layers of paint are mixed together to mimic glass, steam, water and flesh from afar. However, up close, delightful physical properties oil paint. By experimenting with layers of paint and color, I find the moment when abstract strokes become something else.

When I first started painting the human body, I was immediately fascinated and even obsessed with it and felt that I had to make my paintings as realistic as possible. I "professed" realism until it began to unravel and deconstruct itself. Now I am exploring the possibilities and potential of a style of painting where representational painting and abstraction meet – if both styles can coexist at the same moment in time, I will do it.”

Antonio Finelli

Italian artist - time watcher” – Antonio Finelli was born on February 23, 1985. Currently lives and works in Italy between Rome and Campobasso. His works have been exhibited in several galleries in Italy and abroad: Rome, Florence, Novara, Genoa, Palermo, Istanbul, Ankara, New York, and they can also be found in private and public collections.

Pencil drawings " Watcher of time” Antonio Finelli send us on an eternal journey through inner world human temporality and the rigorous analysis of this world associated with it, the main element of which is the passage through time and the traces it inflicts on the skin.

Finelli paints portraits of people of any age, gender and nationality, whose facial expressions indicate the passage through time, and the artist also hopes to find evidence of the ruthlessness of time on the bodies of his characters. Antonio defines his works with one, general title: “Self-portrait”, because in his pencil drawings he not only depicts a person, but allows the viewer to contemplate real results passage of time within a person.

Flaminia Carloni

Flaminia Carloni is a 37-year-old Italian artist, the daughter of a diplomat. She has three children. Twelve years she lived in Rome, three years in England and France. Received a degree in art history from the BD School of Art. Then she received a diploma in the specialty restorer of works of art. Before finding her calling and devoting herself entirely to painting, she worked as a journalist, colorist, designer, and actress.

Flaminia's passion for painting arose as a child. Her main medium is oil because she loves “coiffer la pate” and also plays with the material. She learned a similar technique in the works of the artist Pascal Torua. Flaminia is inspired by the great masters of painting such as Balthus, Hopper, and François Legrand, as well as various art movements: street art, Chinese realism, surrealism and renaissance realism. Her favorite painter Caravaggio. Her dream is to discover the therapeutic power of art.

Denis Chernov

Denis Chernov is talented Ukrainian artist, was born in 1978 in Sambir, Lviv region, Ukraine. After graduating from Kharkov art school in 1998 he stayed in Kharkov, where he currently lives and works. He also studied at Kharkov state academy design and arts, department of graphics, graduated in 2004.

He regularly participates in art exhibitions, at the moment there have been more than sixty of them, both in Ukraine and abroad. Most of Denis Chernov's works are kept in private collections in Ukraine, Russia, Italy, England, Spain, Greece, France, USA, Canada and Japan. Some of the works were sold at Christie's.

Denis works in a wide range of graphics and painting techniques. Pencil drawings are one of his favorite painting methods, a list of his topics pencil drawings also very diverse, he paints landscapes, portraits, nudes, genre compositions, book illustrations, literary and historical reconstructions and fantasies.

Speaking about the landscape genre, it is impossible not to refer to the work of the great landscape painters. Now it is hard to imagine that two hundred years ago such a thing as a landscape did not exist yet. The traditions of Russian landscape painting began to take shape only in late XVIII centuries. Before that, artists painted under the influence of Italian and French masters, ennobling nature according to the academic laws of construction, which were considered mandatory in the painting of that time.

A huge contribution to the development of the Russian landscape was made by the Association traveling exhibitions(Wanderers) under the leadership of I. N. Kramskoy. Artists sang of the beauty of discreet Russian nature, simplicity rural scenery, the vast expanses of Russia.

Major masters of landscape:

• Alexei Kondratievich Savrasov (1830-1897)
• Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817–1900)

Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (1832-1898)

Art by I.I. Shishkin is surprisingly clear and transparent. His paintings are a hymn to wildlife, its beauty. He created landscape art with coniferous thickets, with boundless expanse, with all the simplicity of the northern landscape.

At the age of 12, at the insistence of his father, he was assigned to the 1st Kazan gymnasium. I have not completed the full course. In 1852 he moved to Moscow and entered the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Here A. N. Mokritsky became Shishkin's mentor. After completing the course (1856), the talented student was advised to continue his education in St. Petersburg at the Academy of Arts. His training was led by S. M. Vorobyov.

The teachers immediately noted Shishkin's penchant for landscape painting. Already in the first year of his stay at the academy, he was awarded a small silver medal for "View in the vicinity of St. Petersburg." In 1858 the artist received the Big Silver Medal for the painting "View on the Island of Valaam".

The successes achieved allowed Shishkin to travel abroad as a scholarship holder of the Academy. The journey began in Munich (1861), where Ivan Ivanovich visited the workshops of the popular animal painters B. and F. Adamov. In 1863, Shishkin moved to Zurich, then to Geneva, Prague, Dusseldorf. Longing for his homeland, he returned to St. Petersburg in 1866, before the expiration of his scholarship.

In Russia, the artist was awarded the title of academician (1865). Since that time, the most fruitful period of the painter's work began. The paintings "Cutting down the forest" (1867), "Rye" (1878), "Pine trees illuminated by the sun" (1886), "Morning in a pine forest" (1889) were created; bears were painted by K. A . Savitsky), " ship grove"(1898) and many others.

Shishkin actively worked in the open air, often taking artistic trips around Russia. He exhibited his works almost every year - first at the academy, and then, after the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions was established (1870), at these expositions.

Ivan Ilyich Levitan (1860-1900)

Born on August 30, 1860 in the Lithuanian town of Kybartai into a Jewish family. My father was a small employee in the city government. Soon after the birth of the youngest son, the family moved to Moscow. At the age of 13, Isaac was admitted to the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, in the class of A.K. Savrasov and V.D. Polenov. From the very beginning of his studies, Levitan earned a living by taking lessons and commissioned portraits. He brilliantly graduated from college, but because of his origin, he was awarded a diploma as a calligraphy teacher.

The first major painting Quiet abode” he wrote after a trip in 1890 to the Russian North. The canvas was purchased by P. M. Tretyakov for his gallery. In 1892 the artist was forced to leave Moscow because Jews were not allowed to live in the capitals. He settled in a village located along the Vladimir highway, along which convicts were driven to Siberia. The artist captured these places in the painting "Vladimirka" (1892). In the 90s. Levitan made another trip, this time along the Volga. There was born the painting “Fresh wind. Volga" (1891-1895). The exacerbation of tuberculosis caused the artist to leave abroad, to France, then to Italy, although the efforts of friends helped him get permission to live in Moscow.

Returning home, in 1898 Levitan began to teach a landscape class at the school, which he graduated from. His health was deteriorating, and in 1899 the artist, at the invitation of A.P. Chekhov, left for Yalta. Returning, he began teaching again, but his health continued to deteriorate, and on August 4, 1900, Levitan died.

The landscapes of the singer of Russian nature are not just a photographic image of nature - the artist managed to convey her living breath. No wonder the critic V.V. Stasov called Levitan's paintings emotional poems. At the same time, Levitan was not only a great landscape painter. His creative heritage also includes drawings, watercolors, and book illustrations.

The city of Plyos is associated with the name of Isaac Levitan. Levitan comes to Ples three summers in a row, in 1888-1890. There is not a single corner and path in the vicinity of Plyos, wherever you go Great master. Inspired by the magical beauty of Plyos, he paints almost 200 paintings and sketches here! Now famous paintings: "Over eternal rest", "After the rain. Ples”, “Evening. Golden Plyos, Birch Grove and many others have become an adornment of the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum and many collections in Russia and abroad.

Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov (1844-1927)

Born on June 1, 1844 in the Borok estate (now Polenovo in Tula region) in the family of archaeologist and bibliographer D. V. Polenov. After receiving a secondary education, Vasily entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (1863), and a little later began to attend lectures at the law faculty at the university.

In 1872, Polenov, who completed both courses with honors, was awarded a trip abroad at the expense of the academy. He visited Vienna, Venice, Florence, Naples, lived in Paris for a long time. The visit home was short-lived; in 1876 the artist volunteered for the Serbo-Montenegrin-Turkish war.

In subsequent years, he traveled extensively in the Middle East and Greece (1881-1882, 1899, 1909), Italy (1883-1884, 1894-1895). In 1879 he joined the Society of Wanderers. In 1882-1895. taught at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.

In recognition of Polenov's merits, in 1893 he was elected a full member of the Academy of Arts. From 1910, he was engaged in the development of provincial theaters, becoming three years later the head of a special section at the Moscow Society of People's Universities.

Polenov is known as the author of works of various genres. He turned to historical and religious themes - "Christ and the Sinner" (1886-1887), "On the Lake of Tiberias" (1888), "Among the Teachers" (1896); in 1877 he created a series of sketches of the Kremlin cathedrals and palace chambers; at various times he made theatrical scenery. According to his sketches, churches were built in Abramtsevo (in collaboration with V. M. Vasnetsov) and in Bekhov near Tarusa (1906). But Polenov’s landscapes brought him the greatest fame: “Moscow Courtyard” (1878), “Grandmother’s Garden”, “Summer” (both 1879), “Overgrown Pond” (1880), “Golden Autumn” (1893). ), conveying the poetic charm of the corners of urban life and pristine Russian nature.

The artist spent the last years of his life in the Borok estate, where he organized a museum of art and scientific collections. Since 1927, the museum-estate of V. D. Polenov has been operating here.

Alexei Kondratievich Savrasov (1830 - 1897)

The artist was born on May 12 (24), 1830 in Moscow, in the family of a merchant of the 3rd guild, Kondraty Artemyevich Savrasov. Contrary to the wishes of his father, who dreamed of adapting his son to "commercial affairs", the boy entered the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture in 1844, where he studied in the class of landscape painter K.I. Rabus. During his studies, in 1850, he completed the painting "Stone in the Forest near the Razliv", which art critics consider somewhat clumsy in composition. In the same year, for the painting "View of the Moscow Kremlin in the moonlight" he was awarded the title of non-class artist.

Founding member of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions (see Wanderers). AT early works S. is dominated by romantic effects ("View of the Kremlin in inclement weather", 1851, Tretyakov Gallery).

In the 1850-60s. Savrasov more often turns to calm, narrative images, in a number of cases marked by a desire for color unity in his works (Elk Island in Sokolniki, 1869, ibid.), to enhance the emotional sound of chiaroscuro. The result of these searches was the painting "The Rooks Have Arrived" (1871, ibid.), where Savrasov, depicting an outwardly nondescript motif and emphasizing the moment of transition in the life of the natural environment (the onset of early spring), managed to show deep sincerity native nature. Savrasov's subsequent works ("The Country Road", 1873, "The Courtyard", 1870s; "The Grave over the Volga", 1874, private collection, Moscow) also differ in lyrical immediacy, interest in the open air.

Alexey Savrasov, one of the largest representatives of the lyrical direction in the Russian landscape, provided a huge impact on Russian landscape painters of the late 19th - early 20th centuries.

A.K. has passed away. Savrasov September 26, 1897, buried in Moscow, on Vagankovsky cemetery. The alley where he is buried bears his name. His favorite student was Isaac Levitan

Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi (1841-1910)

Born in January 1841 in Mariupol in the family of a shoemaker, of Greek origin. Orphaned, was brought up in a family of relatives. He began to draw early and mastered painting mostly on his own.

In 1855, he went to Feodosia on foot to study with I.K. Aivazovsky. Influence famous marine painter on the young Kuindzhi was undoubtedly. At the end of the 60s. Kuindzhi arrived in St. Petersburg. The artist presented his first works in 1868 at the exhibition of the Academy of Arts and soon firmly established himself as a master of landscape: “Autumn Mudslide” (1872); "The Forgotten Village" (1874); "Chumatsky tract in Mariupol" (1875), etc.

In 1870 he first visited the island of Valaam, where he subsequently painted a lot. According to contemporaries, it was the landscapes created there that attracted the attention of the audience.

The painting "Ukrainian Night" (1876) simply stunned the public and determined the author's special path in art. From her, Kuindzhi began his "pursuit of light" - he sought to achieve a complete illusion of natural lighting. This was manifested to the highest degree in the painting “Night on the Dnieper” (1880) with a sparkling moonlit path, in velvet darkness.

The painter revealed the possibilities of the landscape in a new way, transforming, purifying and elevating reality. He achieved extraordinary intensity and brightness of colors, new color schemes. Characteristic for him are numerous "sunny" paintings and sketches (including "Birch Grove", 1879).

The intense contrast of saturated tones, lighting effects - all this was unusual for 19th century painting. phenomenon. Misunderstanding of colleagues forced Kuindzhi to refuse to participate in exhibitions at the moment of the highest success. The last time he exhibited his work was in 1882.

The artist lived as a hermit in the Crimea, where he created a series of large canvases and hundreds of sketches, continuing to experiment with paint and color. Among the late works of Kuindzhi - the only one he has plot picture“Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane” (1901) and “Night” (1905-1908), breathing with extraordinary harmony

In 1909, Arkhip Ivanovich founded the Society of Artists (which later received his name), which provided support to people of art. The painter bequeathed to this Society all his fortune and the works that were in the workshop.