"Card Players"

Author

Paul Cezanne

A country France
Years of life 1839–1906
Style post-impressionism

The artist was born in the south of France in the small town of Aix-en-Provence, but began painting in Paris. Real success came to him after a solo exhibition organized by the collector Ambroise Vollard. In 1886, 20 years before his departure, he moved to the outskirts of his native city. Young artists called trips to him "a pilgrimage to Aix".

130x97 cm
1895
price
$250 million
sold in 2012
at private auction

Cezanne's work is easy to understand. The only rule of the artist was the direct transfer of the subject or plot to the canvas, so his paintings do not cause bewilderment of the viewer. Cezanne combined in his art two main French traditions: classicism and romanticism. With the help of colorful texture, he gave the form of objects an amazing plasticity.

A series of five paintings "Card Players" was written in 1890-1895. Their plot is the same - several people are enthusiastically playing poker. The works differ only in the number of players and the size of the canvas.

Four paintings are kept in museums in Europe and America (the Musée d'Orsay, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation and the Courtauld Institute of Art), and the fifth, until recently, was an adornment of the private collection of the Greek billionaire shipowner George Embirikos. Shortly before his death, in the winter of 2011, he decided to put it up for sale. Potential buyers of Cezanne's "free" work were art dealer William Aquavella and world-famous gallery owner Larry Gagosian, who offered about $220 million for it. As a result, the painting went to the royal family of the Arab state of Qatar for 250 million. The largest art deal in the history of painting was closed in February 2012. This was reported to Vanity Fair by journalist Alexandra Pierce. She found out the cost of the painting and the name of the new owner, and then the information penetrated the media around the world.

In 2010, the Arab Museum of Modern Art and the Qatar National Museum opened in Qatar. Now their collections are growing. Perhaps the fifth version of The Card Players was acquired by the sheik for this purpose.

The mostexpensive picturein the world

Owner
Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa al-Thani

The al-Thani dynasty has ruled Qatar for over 130 years. About half a century ago, huge reserves of oil and gas were discovered here, which instantly made Qatar one of the richest regions in the world. Thanks to the export of hydrocarbons, this small country recorded the largest GDP per capita. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani seized power in 1995, while his father was in Switzerland, with the support of family members. The merit of the current ruler, according to experts, is in a clear strategy for the development of the country, creating a successful image of the state. Qatar now has a constitution and a prime minister, and women have gained the right to vote in parliamentary elections. By the way, it was the Emir of Qatar who founded the Al Jazeera news channel. The authorities of the Arab state pay great attention to culture.

2

"Number 5"

Author

Jackson Pollock

A country USA
Years of life 1912–1956
Style abstract expressionism

Jack the Sprinkler - such a nickname was given to Pollock by the American public for his special painting technique. The artist abandoned the brush and easel, and poured the paint on the surface of the canvas or fiberboard during continuous movement around and inside them. From an early age, he was fond of the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti, the main message of which is that the truth is revealed during a free "outpouring".

122x244 cm
1948
price
$140 million
sold in 2006
on the auction Sotheby's

The value of Pollock's work is not in the result, but in the process. The author did not accidentally call his art "action painting". With his light hand, it became the main asset of America. Jackson Pollock mixed paint with sand, broken glass, and wrote with a piece of cardboard, a palette knife, a knife, a shovel. The artist was so popular that in the 1950s there were even imitators in the USSR. The painting "Number 5" is recognized as one of the strangest and most expensive in the world. One of the founders of DreamWorks, David Geffen, bought it for a private collection, and in 2006 sold it at Sotheby`s for $140 million to Mexican collector David Martinez. However, the law firm soon issued a press release on behalf of its client stating that David Martinez was not the owner of the painting. Only one thing is known for certain: the Mexican financier has indeed recently collected works of contemporary art. It is unlikely that he would have missed such a "big fish" as Pollock's "Number 5".

3

"Woman III"

Author

Willem de Kooning

A country USA
Years of life 1904–1997
Style abstract expressionism

A native of the Netherlands, he emigrated to the United States in 1926. In 1948, a personal exhibition of the artist took place. Art critics appreciated the complex, nervous black-and-white compositions, recognizing in their author a great modernist artist. For most of his life he suffered from alcoholism, but the joy of creating new art is felt in every work. De Kooning is distinguished by the impulsiveness of painting, broad strokes, which is why sometimes the image does not fit within the boundaries of the canvas.

121x171 cm
1953
price
$137 million
sold in 2006
at private auction

In the 1950s, women with empty eyes, massive breasts, and ugly features appear in de Kooning's paintings. "Woman III" was the last work from this series participating in the auction.

Since the 1970s, the painting has been kept in the Tehran Museum of Modern Art, but after the introduction of strict moral rules in the country, they sought to get rid of it. In 1994, the work was taken out of Iran, and 12 years later, its owner David Geffen (the same producer who sold Jackson Pollock's "Number 5") sold the painting to millionaire Stephen Cohen for $137.5 million. Interestingly, in one year Geffen began to sell his collection of paintings. This gave rise to a lot of rumors: for example, that the producer decided to buy the Los Angeles Times.

At one of the art forums, an opinion was expressed about the similarity of "Woman III" with the painting by Leonardo da Vinci "Lady with an Ermine". Behind the toothy smile and the shapeless figure of the heroine, the art connoisseur discerned the grace of a person of royal blood. This is also evidenced by the poorly traced crown crowning the head of a woman.

4

"Portrait of AdeleBloch-Bauer I"

Author

Gustav Klimt

A country Austria
Years of life 1862–1918
Style modern

Gustav Klimt was born into the family of an engraver and was the second of seven children. Three sons of Ernest Klimt became artists, and only Gustav became famous all over the world. He spent most of his childhood in poverty. After the death of his father, he was responsible for the entire family. It was at this time that Klimt developed his style. Before his paintings, any viewer freezes: under the thin strokes of gold, frank eroticism is clearly visible.

138x136 cm
1907
price
$135 million
sold in 2006
on the auction Sotheby's

The fate of the painting, which is called the "Austrian Mona Lisa", could easily become the basis for a bestseller. The work of the artist became the cause of the conflict of the whole state and one elderly lady.

So, the “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” depicts an aristocrat, the wife of Ferdinand Bloch. Her last will was to transfer the painting to the Austrian State Gallery. However, Bloch canceled the donation in his will, and the Nazis expropriated the painting. Later, the gallery hardly bought out the Golden Adele, but then the heiress appeared - Maria Altman, Ferdinand Bloch's niece.

In 2005, the high-profile trial "Maria Altman against the Republic of Austria" began, as a result of which the picture "left" with her to Los Angeles. Austria took unprecedented measures: loans were negotiated, the population donated money to buy the portrait. Good never conquered evil: Altman raised the price to $300 million. At the time of the trial, she was 79 years old, and she went down in history as the person who changed the will of Bloch-Bauer in favor of personal interests. The painting was purchased by Ronald Lauder, owner of the New Gallery in New York, where it remains to this day. Not for Austria, for him Altman reduced the price to $135 million.

5

"Scream"

Author

Edvard Munch

A country Norway
Years of life 1863–1944
Style expressionism

Munch's first painting, which became famous all over the world, "The Sick Girl" (exists in five copies) is dedicated to the artist's sister, who died of tuberculosis at the age of 15. Munch has always been interested in the theme of death and loneliness. In Germany, his heavy, manic painting even provoked a scandal. However, despite the depressing plots, his paintings have a special magnetism. Take at least "Scream".

73.5x91 cm
1895
price
$119.992 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's

The full name of the painting is Der Schrei der Natur (translated from German - “the cry of nature”). The face of either a person or an alien expresses despair and panic - the viewer experiences the same emotions when looking at the picture. One of the key works of expressionism warns the themes that have become acute in the art of the 20th century. According to one version, the artist created it under the influence of a mental disorder, which he suffered all his life.

The painting was stolen twice from different museums, but it was returned. Slightly damaged after the theft, The Scream was restored and was ready to be shown again at the Munch Museum in 2008. For representatives of pop culture, the work has become a source of inspiration: Andy Warhol created a series of its prints-copies, and the mask from the movie "Scream" is made in the image and likeness of the hero of the picture.

For one plot, Munch wrote four versions of the work: the one in a private collection is made in pastel. Norwegian billionaire Petter Olsen put it up for auction on May 2, 2012. The buyer was Leon Black, who did not spare a record amount for the "Scream". Founder of Apollo Advisors, L.P. and Lion Advisors, L.P. known for his love of art. Black is a patron of Dartmouth College, the Museum of Modern Art, the Lincoln Art Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It has the largest collection of paintings by contemporary artists and classical masters of past centuries.

6

"Nude against the background of a bust and green leaves"

Author

Pablo Picasso

A country Spain, France
Years of life 1881–1973
Style cubism

By origin he is a Spaniard, but in spirit and place of residence he is a real Frenchman. Picasso opened his own art studio in Barcelona when he was only 16 years old. Then he went to Paris and spent most of his life there. That is why there is a double stress in his last name. The style invented by Picasso is based on the denial of the opinion that the object depicted on the canvas can be viewed from only one angle.

130x162 cm
1932
price
$106.482 million
sold in 2010
on the auction Christie's

During his work in Rome, the artist met the dancer Olga Khokhlova, who soon became his wife. He put an end to vagrancy, moved with her to a luxurious apartment. By that time, recognition had found a hero, but the marriage was destroyed. One of the most expensive paintings in the world was created almost by accident - out of great love, which, as always with Picasso, was short-lived. In 1927, he became interested in the young Marie-Therese Walter (she was 17 years old, he was 45). Secretly from his wife, he left with his mistress for a town near Paris, where he painted a portrait depicting Marie-Therese in the image of Daphne. The painting was purchased by New York dealer Paul Rosenberg and sold in 1951 to Sidney F. Brody. The Brodys showed the painting to the world only once, and only because the artist was 80 years old. After her husband's death, Mrs. Brody put the work up for auction at Christie's in March 2010. In six decades, the price has risen more than 5,000 times! An unknown collector bought it for $106.5 million. In 2011, a “one-painting exhibition” was held in Britain, where it saw the light for the second time, but the name of the owner is still unknown.

7

"Eight Elvises"

Author

Andy Warhole

A country USA
Years of life 1928-1987
Style
pop Art

“Sex and parties are the only places where you need to appear in person,” said the cult pop artist, director, and one of the founders of Interview magazine, designer Andy Warhol. He worked with Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, designed record covers, and designed shoes for I.Miller. In the 1960s, paintings appeared depicting the symbols of America: Campbell`s soup and Coca-Cola, Presley and Monroe - which made him a legend.

358x208 cm
1963
price
$100 million
sold in 2008
at private auction

Warhol's 60s - the so-called era of pop art in America. In 1962, he worked in Manhattan at the Factory Studio, where all the bohemia of New York gathered. Its brightest representatives: Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Truman Capote and other famous personalities in the world. At the same time, Warhol tried the technique of silk-screen printing - multiple repetitions of one image. He also used this method when creating "Eight Elvises": the viewer seems to see frames from a movie where the star comes to life. Everything that the artist loved so much is here: a win-win public image, silver color and a premonition of death as the main message.

There are two art dealers promoting Warhol's work on the world market today: Larry Gagosian and Alberto Mugrabi. The first in 2008 spent $200 million to purchase more than 15 Warhol works. The second buys and sells his paintings like Christmas cards, only more expensive. But it was not them, but the humble French art consultant Philippe Segalo who helped Roman art connoisseur Annibale Berlinghieri sell the Eight Elvises to an unknown buyer for a Warhol-record $100 million.

8

"Orange,Red Yellow"

Author

Mark Rothko

A country USA
Years of life 1903–1970
Style abstract expressionism

One of the creators of color field painting was born in Dvinsk, Russia (now Daugavpils, Latvia), in a large family of a Jewish pharmacist. In 1911 they emigrated to the USA. Rothko studied at the art department of Yale University, achieved a scholarship, but anti-Semitic sentiments forced him to leave his studies. Despite everything, art critics idolized the artist, and museums pursued him all his life.

206x236 cm
1961
price
$86.882 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Christie's

Rothko's first artistic experiments were of a surrealist orientation, but over time he simplified the plot to color spots, depriving them of any objectivity. At first they had bright hues, and in the 1960s they were filled with brown, purple, thickening to black by the time of the artist's death. Mark Rothko warned against looking for any meaning in his paintings. The author wanted to say exactly what he said: only the color that dissolves in the air, and nothing more. He recommended looking at the works from a distance of 45 cm, so that the viewer is "dragged" into the color, like into a funnel. Caution: viewing in accordance with all the rules can lead to the effect of meditation, that is, the awareness of infinity gradually comes, complete immersion in oneself, relaxation, purification. The color in his paintings lives, breathes and has a strong emotional impact (sometimes it is said to be healing). The artist said: "The viewer should cry looking at them" - and there really were such cases. According to Rothko's theory, at this moment people live the same spiritual experience that he had in the process of working on the picture. If you managed to understand it at such a subtle level, then do not be surprised that these works of abstractionism are often compared by critics with icons.

The work "Orange, Red, Yellow" expresses the essence of Mark Rothko's painting. Its initial cost at Christie's auction in New York is 35-45 million dollars. An unknown buyer offered a price twice the estimate. The name of the happy owner of the painting, as is often the case, was not disclosed.

9

"Triptych"

Author

Francis Bacon

A country
Great Britain
Years of life 1909–1992
Style expressionism

The adventures of Francis Bacon, a full namesake and, moreover, a distant descendant of the great philosopher, began when his father disowned him, unable to accept his son's homosexual inclinations. Bacon went first to Berlin, then to Paris, and then his traces are confused all over Europe. Even during his lifetime, his works were exhibited in the leading cultural centers of the world, including the Guggenheim Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery.

147.5x198 cm (each)
1976
price
$86.2 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

Prestigious museums strove to possess paintings by Bacon, but the prim English public was in no hurry to fork out for such art. The legendary British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said of him: "The man who paints these horrific pictures."

The starting period in his work, the artist himself considered the post-war period. Returning from the service, he again took up painting and created the main masterpieces. Prior to the participation of "Triptych, 1976" in the auction, Bacon's most expensive work was "Study for a Portrait of Pope Innocent X" (52.7 million dollars). In the "Triptych, 1976" the artist depicted the mythical plot of the persecution of Orestes by the furies. Of course, Orestes is Bacon himself, and the furies are his torments. For more than 30 years, the painting was in a private collection and did not participate in exhibitions. This fact gives it a special value and, accordingly, increases the cost. But what is a few million for a connoisseur of art, and even generous in Russian? Roman Abramovich began to create his collection in the 1990s, in this he was significantly influenced by his girlfriend Dasha Zhukova, who has become a fashionable gallery owner in modern Russia. According to unofficial data, the businessman owns works by Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso, bought for amounts exceeding $100 million. In 2008, he became the owner of the Triptych. By the way, in 2011, another valuable work by Bacon was acquired - "Three sketches for a portrait of Lucian Freud." Hidden sources say that Roman Arkadievich again became the buyer.

10

"Pond with water lilies"

Author

Claude Monet

A country France
Years of life 1840–1926
Style impressionism

The artist is recognized as the founder of impressionism, who "patented" this method in his canvases. The first significant work was the painting "Breakfast on the Grass" (the original version of the work of Edouard Manet). In his youth, he drew caricatures, and took up real painting during his travels along the coast and in the open air. In Paris, he led a bohemian lifestyle and did not leave it even after serving in the army.

210x100 cm
1919
price
$80.5 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Christie's

Besides the fact that Monet was a great artist, he was also enthusiastically engaged in gardening, adored wildlife and flowers. In his landscapes, the state of nature is momentary, objects seem to be blurred by the movement of air. The impression is enhanced by large strokes, from a certain distance they become invisible and merge into a textured, three-dimensional image. In the painting of the late Monet, a special place is occupied by the theme of water and life in it. In the town of Giverny, the artist had his own pond, where he grew water lilies from seeds specially brought by him from Japan. When their flowers bloomed, he began to paint. The Water Lilies series consists of 60 works that the artist painted over almost 30 years, until his death. His vision deteriorated with age, but he did not stop. Depending on the wind, season and weather, the view of the pond was constantly changing, and Monet wanted to capture these changes. Through careful work, an understanding of the essence of nature came to him. Some of the paintings of the series are kept in the leading galleries of the world: National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo), Orangerie (Paris). The version of the next "Pond with water lilies" went into the hands of an unknown buyer for a record amount.

11

False Star t

Author

Jasper Johns

A country USA
Year of birth 1930
Style pop Art

In 1949, Jones entered the design school in New York. Along with Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and others, he is recognized as one of the main artists of the 20th century. In 2012, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

137.2x170.8 cm
1959
price
$80 million
sold in 2006
at private auction

Like Marcel Duchamp, Jones worked with real objects, depicting them on canvas and in sculpture in full accordance with the original. For his works, he used simple and understandable objects for everyone: a beer bottle, a flag or maps. There is no clear composition in the False Start picture. The artist seems to be playing with the viewer, often “incorrectly” signing the colors in the picture, turning the very concept of color upside down: “I wanted to find a way to depict the color so that it could be determined by some other method.” His most explosive and "insecure", according to critics, painting was acquired by an unknown buyer.

12

"Seatednakedon the couch"

Author

Amedeo Modigliani

A country Italy, France
Years of life 1884–1920
Style expressionism

Modigliani was often ill from childhood, during a feverish delirium, he recognized his destiny as an artist. He studied drawing in Livorno, Florence, Venice, and in 1906 he left for Paris, where his art flourished.

65x100 cm
1917
price
$68.962 million
sold in 2010
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1917, Modigliani met 19-year-old Jeanne Hebuterne, who became his model and later his wife. In 2004, one of her portraits sold for $31.3 million, the last record before the sale of Seated Nude on a Sofa in 2010. The painting was purchased by an unknown buyer for the highest price for Modigliani at the moment. Active sales of works began only after the death of the artist. He died in poverty, suffering from tuberculosis, and the next day, Jeanne Hebuterne, who was nine months pregnant, also committed suicide.

13

"Eagle on a Pine"

Author

Qi Baishi

A country China
Years of life 1864–1957
Style guohua

Interest in calligraphy led Qi Baishi to paint. At the age of 28, he became a student of the artist Hu Qingyuan. The Ministry of Culture of China awarded him the title of "Great Artist of the Chinese People", in 1956 he received the International Peace Prize.

10x26 cm
1946
price
$65.4 million
sold in 2011
on the auction China Guardian

Qi Baishi was interested in those manifestations of the surrounding world, which many do not attach importance to, and this is his greatness. A man without education became a professor and an outstanding creator in history. Pablo Picasso said about him: "I'm afraid to go to your country, because there is Qi Baishi in China." The composition "Eagle on a Pine Tree" is recognized as the largest work of the artist. In addition to the canvas, it includes two hieroglyphic scrolls. For China, the amount for which the product was bought is a record - 425.5 million yuan. Only the scroll of the ancient calligrapher Huang Tingjian was sold for 436.8 million dollars.

14

"1949-A-#1"

Author

Clifford Still

A country USA
Years of life 1904–1980
Style abstract expressionism

At the age of 20, he visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and was disappointed. Later, he signed up for a student arts league course, but left 45 minutes after the start of the class - it turned out to be “not his”. The first personal exhibition caused a resonance, the artist found himself, and with it recognition

79x93 cm
1949
price
$61.7 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

All his works, which are more than 800 canvases and 1600 works on paper, Still bequeathed to the American city, where a museum named after him will be opened. Denver became such a city, but only the construction was expensive for the authorities, and four works were put up for auction to complete it. Still's works are unlikely to be auctioned ever again, which raised their price in advance. Painting "1949-A-No.1" sold for a record amount for the artist, although experts predicted the sale of a maximum of 25-35 million dollars.

15

"Suprematist composition"

Author

Kazimir Malevich

A country Russia
Years of life 1878–1935
Style Suprematism

Malevich studied painting at the Kyiv Art School, then at the Moscow Academy of Arts. In 1913, he began to paint abstract geometric paintings in a style that he called Suprematism (from Latin “dominance”).

71x 88.5 cm
1916
price
$60 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

The painting was kept in the city museum of Amsterdam for about 50 years, but after a 17-year dispute with Malevich's relatives, the museum gave it away. The artist painted this work in the same year as The Manifesto of Suprematism, so Sotheby`s even before the auction announced that it would not go into a private collection for less than $60 million. And so it happened. It is better to look at it from above: the figures on the canvas resemble an aerial view of the earth. By the way, a few years earlier, the same relatives expropriated another "Suprematist composition" from the MoMA Museum in order to sell it at Phillips for $17 million.

16

"Bathers"

Author

Paul Gauguin

A country France
Years of life 1848–1903
Style post-impressionism

Until the age of seven, the artist lived in Peru, then returned to France with his family, but childhood memories constantly pushed him to travel. In France, he began to paint, was friends with Van Gogh. He even spent several months with him in Arles, until Van Gogh cut off his ear during a quarrel.

93.4x60.4 cm
1902
price
$55 million
sold in 2005
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1891, Gauguin arranged a sale of his paintings in order to use the proceeds to go deep into the island of Tahiti. There he created works in which one can feel the subtle connection between nature and man. Gauguin lived in a thatched hut, and a tropical paradise blossomed on his canvases. His wife was a 13-year-old Tahitian Tehura, which did not prevent the artist from engaging in promiscuity. Having contracted syphilis, he left for France. However, Gauguin was cramped there, and he returned to Tahiti. This period is called the "second Tahitian" - it was then that the painting "Bathers" was painted, one of the most luxurious in his work.

17

"Daffodils and a tablecloth in blue and pink"

Author

Henri Matisse

A country France
Years of life 1869–1954
Style Fauvism

In 1889, Henri Matisse had an attack of appendicitis. When he recovered from the operation, his mother bought him paints. First, out of boredom, Matisse copied colored postcards, then - the works of great painters that he saw in the Louvre, and at the beginning of the 20th century he came up with a style - fauvism.

65.2x81 cm
1911
price
$46.4 million
sold in 2009
on the auction Christie's

The painting "Daffodils and a Tablecloth in Blue and Pink" belonged to Yves Saint Laurent for a long time. After the death of the couturier, his entire collection of art passed into the hands of his friend and lover Pierre Berger, who decided to put it up for auction at Christie's. The pearl of the sold collection was the painting "Daffodils and a tablecloth in blue and pink", painted on an ordinary tablecloth instead of canvas. As an example of Fauvism, it is filled with the energy of color, the colors seem to explode and scream. Of the well-known series of tablecloth paintings, today this work is the only one that is in a private collection.

18

"Sleeping Girl"

Author

RoyLee

chtenstein

A country USA
Years of life 1923–1997
Style pop Art

The artist was born in New York, and after graduating from school, he went to Ohio, where he went to art courses. In 1949, Liechtenstein received his Master of Fine Arts degree. Interest in comics and the ability to be ironic made him a cult artist of the last century.

91x91 cm
1964
price
$44.882 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's

Once, chewing gum fell into Liechtenstein's hands. He redrawn the picture from the insert on the canvas and became famous. This plot from his biography contains the whole message of pop art: consumption is the new god, and there is no less beauty in a gum wrapper than in Mona Lisa. His paintings are reminiscent of comics and cartoons: Lichtenstein simply enlarged the finished image, drew rasters, used screen printing and silkscreen printing. The painting "Sleeping Girl" belonged to collectors Beatrice and Philip Gersh for almost 50 years, whose heirs sold it at auction.

19

"Victory. Boogie Woogie"

Author

Piet Mondrian

A country Netherlands
Years of life 1872–1944
Style neoplasticism

His real name - Cornelis - the artist changed to Mondrian when he moved to Paris in 1912. Together with the artist Theo van Doesburg, he founded the neoplastic movement. The Piet programming language is named after Mondrian.

27x127 cm
1944
price
$40 million
sold in 1998
on the auction Sotheby's

The most "musical" of the artists of the 20th century made a living with watercolor still lifes, although he became famous as a neoplastic artist. He moved to the USA in the 1940s and spent the rest of his life there. Jazz and New York - that's what inspired him the most! Painting "Victory. Boogie Woogie is the best example of this. "Branded" neat squares were obtained through the use of adhesive tape - Mondrian's favorite material. In America, he was called "the most famous immigrant." In the sixties, Yves Saint Laurent produced the world-famous "Mondrian" dresses with a large colored check print.

20

"Composition No. 5"

Author

BasilKandinsky

A country Russia
Years of life 1866–1944
Style avant-garde

The artist was born in Moscow, and his father was from Siberia. After the revolution, he tried to cooperate with the Soviet authorities, but soon realized that the laws of the proletariat were not created for him, and emigrated to Germany not without difficulties.

275x190 cm
1911
price
$40 million
sold in 2007
on the auction Sotheby's

Kandinsky was one of the first to completely abandon object painting, for which he received the title of genius. During Nazism in Germany, his paintings were classified as "degenerate art" and were not exhibited anywhere. In 1939, Kandinsky took French citizenship, in Paris he freely participated in the artistic process. His paintings “sound” like fugues, which is why many are called “compositions” (the first was written in 1910, the last in 1939). “Composition No. 5” is one of the key works in this genre: “The word “composition” sounded like a prayer to me,” the artist said. Unlike many followers, he planned what he would depict on a huge canvas, as if writing notes.

21

"Study of a Woman in Blue"

Author

Fernand Léger

A country France
Years of life 1881–1955
Style cubism-post-impressionism

Leger received an architectural education, and then was a student at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. The artist considered himself a follower of Cezanne, was an apologist for cubism, and in the 20th century he also had success as a sculptor.

96.5x129.5 cm
1912–1913
price
$39.2 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

David Normann, president of Sotheby's International Impressionism and Modernism, believes the huge sum paid for The Lady in Blue is entirely justified. The painting belongs to the famous Leger collection (the artist painted three paintings on one plot, the last of them is in private hands today. - Ed.), and the surface of the canvas has been preserved in its original form. The author himself gave this work to the Der Sturm gallery, then it ended up in the collection of Hermann Lang, a German collector of modernism, and now belongs to an unknown buyer.

22

"Street scene. Berlin"

Author

Ernst LudwigKirchner

A country Germany
Years of life 1880–1938
Style expressionism

For German expressionism, Kirchner became a landmark person. However, local authorities accused him of adherence to "degenerate art", which tragically affected the fate of his paintings and the life of the artist, who committed suicide in 1938.

95x121 cm
1913
price
$38.096 million
sold in 2006
on the auction Christie's

After moving to Berlin, Kirchner created 11 sketches of street scenes. He was inspired by the bustle and nervousness of the big city. In the painting, sold in 2006 in New York, the artist's anxiety is especially acute: people on a Berlin street resemble birds - graceful and dangerous. She was the last work from the famous series, sold at auction, the rest are kept in museums. In 1937, the Nazis brutally treated Kirchner: 639 of his works were seized from German galleries, destroyed or sold abroad. The artist could not survive this.

23

"Restingdancer"

Author

Edgar Degas

A country France
Years of life 1834–1917
Style impressionism

The history of Degas as an artist began with the fact that he worked as a copyist in the Louvre. He dreamed of becoming "famous and unknown", and in the end he succeeded. At the end of his life, deaf and blind, 80-year-old Degas continued to attend exhibitions and auctions.

64x59 cm
1879
price
$37.043 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

“Ballerinas have always been for me just an excuse to depict fabrics and capture movement,” said Degas. The scenes from the life of the dancers seem to be peeped: the girls do not pose for the artist, but simply become part of the atmosphere caught by Degas's gaze. Resting Dancer sold for $28 million in 1999, and less than 10 years later it was bought for $37 million - today it is the artist's most expensive work ever put up for auction. Degas paid much attention to frames, he designed them himself and forbade changing them. I wonder what frame is installed on the sold painting?

24

"Painting"

Author

Juan Miro

A country Spain
Years of life 1893–1983
Style abstract art

During the Spanish Civil War, the artist was on the side of the Republicans. In 1937, he fled from fascist power to Paris, where he lived in poverty with his family. During this period, Miro paints the painting "Help Spain!", Drawing the attention of the whole world to the dominance of fascism.

89x115 cm
1927
price
$36.824 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's

The second name of the painting is "Blue Star". The artist wrote it in the same year when he announced: “I want to kill painting” and mercilessly mocked the canvases, scratching the paint with nails, gluing feathers to the canvas, covering the work with garbage. His goal was to debunk the myths about the mystery of painting, but, having coped with this, Miro created his own myth - a surreal abstraction. His "Painting" refers to the cycle of "pictures-dreams". Four buyers fought for it at the auction, but one incognito phone call settled the dispute, and "Painting" became the artist's most expensive painting.

25

"Blue Rose"

Author

Yves Klein

A country France
Years of life 1928–1962
Style monochrome painting

The artist was born into a family of painters, but studied oriental languages, navigation, the craft of a gilder of frames, Zen Buddhism and much more. His personality and impudent antics were many times more interesting than monochrome paintings.

153x199x16 cm
1960
price
$36.779 million
sold in 2012
at Christie's auction

The first exhibition of solid yellow, orange, pink works did not arouse public interest. Klein was offended and the next time he presented 11 identical canvases, painted with ultramarine mixed with a special synthetic resin. He even patented this method. The color went down in history as the "International Klein Blue". The artist also sold emptiness, created paintings by exposing paper to rain, setting fire to cardboard, making prints of a human body on canvas. In a word, I experimented as best I could. To create the "Blue Rose" I used dry pigments, resins, pebbles and a natural sponge.

26

"Looking for Moses"

Author

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

A country Great Britain
Years of life 1836–1912
Style neoclassicism

Sir Lawrence himself added the prefix "alma" to his surname in order to appear first in art catalogs. In Victorian England, his paintings were so in demand that the artist was awarded a knighthood.

213.4x136.7 cm
1902
price
$35.922 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

The main theme of Alma-Tadema's work was antiquity. In the paintings, he tried to depict the era of the Roman Empire in the smallest detail, for this he even engaged in archaeological excavations on the Apennine Peninsula, and in his London house he reproduced the historical interior of those years. Mythological stories became another source of inspiration for him. The artist was in great demand during his lifetime, but after his death he was quickly forgotten. Now interest is reviving, as evidenced by the cost of the painting "In Search of Moses", seven times higher than the pre-sale estimate.

27

"Portrait of a sleeping naked official"

Author

Lucian Freud

A country Germany,
Great Britain
Years of life 1922–2011
Style figurative painting

The artist is the grandson of Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. After the establishment of fascism in Germany, his family emigrated to the UK. Freud's works are in the Wallace Collection in London, where no contemporary artist has previously exhibited.

219.1x151.4 cm
1995
price
$33.6 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Christie's

While the fashionable artists of the 20th century created positive "color spots on the wall" and sold them for millions, Freud painted extremely naturalistic paintings and sold them for even more. “I capture the cries of the soul and the suffering of withering flesh,” he said. Critics believe that all this is the "legacy" of Sigmund Freud. The paintings were so actively exhibited and successfully sold that the experts had a doubt: do they have hypnotic properties? Sold at auction, "Portrait of a sleeping naked official", according to the Sun, was acquired by connoisseur of beauty and billionaire Roman Abramovich.

28

"Violin and Guitar"

Author

Xone gris

A country Spain
Years of life 1887–1927
Style cubism

Born in Madrid, where he graduated from the School of Arts and Crafts. In 1906 he moved to Paris and entered the circle of the most influential artists of the era: Picasso, Modigliani, Braque, Matisse, Leger, also worked with Sergei Diaghilev and his troupe.

5x100 cm
1913
price
$28.642 million
sold in 2010
on the auction Christie's

Gris, in his own words, was engaged in "planar, colored architecture." His paintings are precisely thought out: he did not leave a single accidental stroke, which makes creativity related to geometry. The artist created his own version of cubism, although he had great respect for Pablo Picasso, the founding father of the movement. The successor even dedicated his first Cubist work, Tribute to Picasso, to him. The painting "Violin and Guitar" is recognized as outstanding in the artist's work. During his lifetime, Gris was known, favored by critics and art critics. His works are exhibited in the world's largest museums and are kept in private collections.

29

"PortraitFields of Eluard»

Author

Salvador Dali

A country Spain
Years of life 1904–1989
Style surrealism

“Surrealism is me,” Dali said when he was expelled from the Surrealist group. Over time, he became the most famous surrealist artist. Dali's work is everywhere, not just in galleries. For example, it was he who came up with the packaging for Chupa-Chups.

25x33 cm
1929
price
$20.6 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1929, the poet Paul Eluard and his Russian wife Gala came to visit the great provocateur and brawler Dali. The meeting was the beginning of a love story that lasted more than half a century. The painting "Portrait of Paul Eluard" was painted just during this historic visit. “I felt that I was entrusted with the duty to capture the face of the poet, from whose Olympus I stole one of the muses,” the artist said. Before meeting Gala, he was a virgin and was disgusted at the thought of having sex with a woman. The love triangle existed until the death of Eluard, after which it became the Dali-Gala duet.

30

"Anniversary"

Author

Marc Chagall

A country Russia, France
Years of life 1887–1985
Style avant-garde

Moishe Segal was born in Vitebsk, but in 1910 he emigrated to Paris, changed his name, and became close to the leading avant-garde artists of the era. In the 1930s, when the Nazis seized power, he left for the United States with the help of an American consul. He returned to France only in 1948.

80x103 cm
1923
price
$14.85 million
sold in 1990
at Sotheby's auction

The painting "Jubilee" is recognized as one of the best works of the artist. It has all the features of his work: the physical laws of the world are erased, the feeling of a fairy tale is preserved in the scenery of petty-bourgeois life, and love is in the center of the plot. Chagall did not draw people from nature, but only from memory or fantasizing. The painting "Jubilee" depicts the artist himself with his wife Bela. The painting was sold in 1990 and has not been bid since. Interestingly, the New York Museum of Modern Art MoMA keeps exactly the same, only under the name "Birthday". By the way, it was written earlier - in 1915.

draft prepared
Tatyana Palasova
rating compiled
according to the list www.art-spb.ru
tmn magazine №13 (May-June 2013)

Alena Vantyaeva

American landscape painting of the nineteenth century was represented by two main currents: romanticism and realism. With the accession of new territories to the United States of America, including the advancement of settlers to the West, previously unknown horizons for inspiration opened up for artists. The image of American nature and its national identity has become the main theme in landscape art.

One of the most famous and influential schools of painting in the United States in the nineteenth century was the Hudson River School, formed in the 1850s by the followers of the landscape painter Thomas Cole (he flourished in the 20-40s of the 19th century). Basically, the School included artists from the New York National Academy of Arts, as well as other creative associations. The canvases of the artists of the Hudson School and their aesthetic vision of the world were influenced by the romantic movement in art. The main motive for the work of more than 50 of its representatives was the image of the wild nature of America, often shown in an idealistic light. Most often, the Hudson Valley and surrounding areas, as well as mountains, became the objects of the image. The Hudson School brought together people inspired by a common idea rather than being an educational institution.

The paintings of the artists of the Hudson River School depicted not only the beauty of American nature, but also had a certain thematic character. The canvases depicted scenes of discovery, exploration, and settlement of the American continent. One of the features of the depiction of the American landscape was the incredibly harmonious, peaceful coexistence of man and nature. In the works of artists, nature was portrayed as a standard of purity and virginity, the divinity of its origin was emphasized.

Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902) and Frederick Edwin Church (1826-1902) are considered the most prominent artists of the Husdon River School.

Among the most amazing and famous canvases painted by Church and emphasizing the natural beauty of water, mountains and sky, one can note “Niagara Falls” and “Heart of the Andes”.

Falls of Niagara, 1857, Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

“Heart of the Andes” 1859, Metropolitan Museum of Art New York

An American artist with German roots, Albert Bierstadt impressed the public with his mountain landscapes on huge canvases. One of the most impressive artist is the painting "Rocky Mountains".

“The Rocky Mountains” by Albert Bierstadt, 1863, Metropolitan Museum, New York

In opposition to the idealistic perception of the surrounding world by the artists of the Hudson School, the realistic art of Winslow Homer (1836-1910) acted. He also studied at the National Academy of Arts, but the realities of the mid-nineteenth century became the subject of the image on his canvases. During the American Civil War (1861-1865) Homer was a war artist. The fact of his participation in military operations influenced the veracity of the depiction of military scenes. One of the most famous is his painting “Prisoners from the Front”. After the end of the war, W. Homer painted canvases, drawing inspiration from everyday peaceful life, but he also found interesting stories in it.

“Prisoners from the Front” by W. Homer, 1866, Metropolitan Museum in New York

The nineteenth century brought with it hard trials for the American people. However, despite all the difficulties of rebuilding American society, much has been gained. With the inclusion of new territories in the United States, new expanses and beauties of American soil opened up to people, and the events of the Civil War provided people with "food for thought." The experiences of the American people could not but be reflected in art. This is probably why American landscape painting reached its peak in the nineteenth century.

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 of our time. 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 is a contemporary Polish artist. He graduated from the Silesian Polytechnic Institute, but connected himself with. Lately he has been painting 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 painter Jan Vermeer, and extends to objects, self-portraits, portraits of family members, friends, students, studio, classroom and home interiors. His goal is to create mood and emotion in his realistic paintings through the manipulation of light 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 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 is an 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 closeness of lyrical romanticism and symbolism, reinforcing this combination with the exquisite sophistication 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 made up the bulk of Balos' work 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 is a contemporary American artist. She was born in 1977 in Ridgewood, New Jersey. She became interested in painting when she was still a child. She attended The New School in New York and Montclair State University, and graduated from Boston College in 1999 with a bachelor's degree. At the same time, she studied painting at the Lorenzo Medici Academy 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. She briefly lectured at universities and educational institutions across the country, and taught 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 the human body. These filters allow you to create large areas of abstract design, with islands of color peeking through them - parts of the human body.

My paintings change the modern look at the already established, traditional poses 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. Up close, however, the amazing physical properties of oil paint become apparent. 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 the inner world of 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 the real results of the passage of time inside 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 artist is Caravaggio. Her dream is to discover the therapeutic power of art.

Denis Chernov

Denis Chernov is a talented Ukrainian artist, born in 1978 in Sambir, Lviv region, Ukraine. After graduating from the Kharkov Art College in 1998, he stayed in Kharkov, where he currently lives and works. He also studied at the Kharkov State Academy of 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 graphic and painting techniques. Pencil drawings are one of his favorite painting methods, the list of topics of his pencil drawings is also very diverse, he paints landscapes, portraits, nudes, genre compositions, book illustrations, literary and historical reconstructions and fantasies.

November 6, 2013

By the middle of the 19th century, the landscape becomes the dominant genre of American painting. Many artists of that time are united in the Hudson River School group, which included more than 50 landscape painters of two generations.

The most famous American landscape painter of those years can be considered Thomas Cole (1801-1848),

born in England and moved to America at the age of 17 with his parents. He studied painting with a wandering artist, was self-taught, traveled a lot around the country, visited England and Italy,

But he considered American nature much more picturesque than European.

The closest thing to Cole's manner was his friend Asher Duran(1796-1886), who started out as a graphic artist,

But after traveling with a friend in the mountains of America, he became interested in landscape, drawing a lot from life.

The artist painted this painting in memory of a deceased friend, at an auction in 2007, $ 35 million was paid for it.

One of the central figures in the Hudson River School was Frederick Edwin Church, already at the age of 18 became a student of Cole.
From spring to autumn he traveled the country and the world,

First, alone, and then with his family, often on foot, he made sketches, and in winter he painted his big bright pictures and successfully sold them.

Albert Bierstadt(1830-1902) also traveled a lot around the country and Europe, willingly painted the Alps, but his real love was the Rocky Mountains,

Wild West, Indians.

He managed to convey this love on his large canvases, skillfully using the effect of light and shadow.

Thomas Moran(1836-1926), emigrated from England with his parents as a child, worked as an apprentice woodcarver as a teenager, began to paint landscapes early.

While studying in England, he was greatly influenced by the work of William Turner, his ability to fill his canvases with light.
Moran paints landscapes of England, views of Venice,

but most of his work is devoted to the Wild West and the beloved Rocky Mountains. His participation in the research expedition to these places and his drawings contributed to the transformation of Yellowstone into a national park.

John Frederick Kensett(1816-1872), representative of "Luminism" * in the American landscape painting "Hudson River School". He received his first artistic education from his father, working in his engraving workshop, but dreamed of painting landscapes.

He goes to England, then to France, admires Dutch and English landscape painting, travels to Italy.

Returning to America, continuing to paint landscapes calm, filled with pure light and executed in an exquisite manner, Kensett becomes popular with collectors, success and wealth.

John F. Francis(1808 -1906), self-taught painter who started out as a portrait painter, known for his still lifes.

It was portraiture that awakened in him the interest in small details that he so successfully developed in his work.

Still life was popular at the time, Francis' paintings were in demand, he became a leading artist in the "table" still life genre, depicting fruits, nuts, cheese, biscuits and other products.

Martin Johnson Heade(1819-1904), was born in the family of a storekeeper, also began as a portrait painter, maintained friendly relations with the artists of the Hudson River School and painted romantic seascapes,

traveled through Europe, traveled the American shores. After trips to the tropics, the main themes of his work were Florida landscapes,

tropical birds (with about 40 paintings only with hummingbirds) and flowers, especially magnolias.

He did not become a recognized and well-known artist during his lifetime, but today his work can be found in major museums, and sometimes even in garages and flea markets.

Thomas Eakins(1844-1916), one of the founders of the realistic movement, painter, graphic artist, sculptor, photographer, teacher,

One of the first turned to the image of urban life in America. He was educated in Philadelphia, continued it in Paris, traveled around Europe, admired the works of the Spanish realist masters Velazquez and Ribera, the effect of light and shadow by Rembrandt.

It was from them that he learned to portray a naked body in motion, the drama of the action taking place, to contrast the dark interior in the portrait with the intense light directed at the face and figure.

During his lifetime, Eakins did not receive much recognition, but later descendants appreciated his realistic style.

Winslow Homer(1838-1910), an outstanding American landscape painter and printmaker who worked in a realistic style.

He received his primary art education from his mother, who painted talented watercolors, and inherited her strong-willed sociable character and sense of humor from her. His career began with graphics, for 20 years he worked as an illustrator, during the Civil War he made sketches and drawings about the war and its consequences, on the basis of which he later created paintings.

Shortly after the war, Homer went to Paris, where he continued to paint landscapes and scenes of urban life, his work is close to the Barbizon school. Although he actively uses the play of light in his paintings, characteristic of the Impressionists, there is no evidence of their influence on his work, by that time he had already developed his own independent style.

He is best known for his nautical paintings.

Scenes from rural life, and from a trip to England, he brought paintings telling about the life of fishing villages, seascapes and watercolors.

He travels extensively throughout the United States and Central America, painting tropical and snowy landscapes, children and animals. It is believed that Homer was one of a generation of those artists who created their own American art school.

James Whistler(1834-1903), was born in the family of a famous engineer,

At the age of eight, he moved with his parents to St. Petersburg, where his father was invited to work in the railway department. There, young Whistler first took private drawing lessons, and at the age of 11 he entered the Imperial Academy of Arts. For some time he lived with his mother in London, continuing to study art, draw and collect books on painting.

After the death of his father from cholera, Whistler's family returned to America, lived modestly, and he entered the Military Academy at West Point, but neither physically, externally, nor mentally, he was not ready for a military career and was expelled. Then he firmly decided that art would be his future, began to create etchings, went to Paris and never returned to his homeland. There, Whistler rented a studio in the Latin Quarter, led a bohemian life, smoked and drank a lot, but also painted copies of paintings by great masters in the Louvre to earn money, studied art, worshiped Courbet and Corot, admired Japanese graphics and Oriental art in general.

After moving to London and successfully participating in the exhibition, Whistler soon made a name for himself not only as an artist, but also made many friends among artists and writers thanks to his wit, ability to dress and generosity. He traveled a lot to study the work of the great masters and paint pictures, since 1869 he began to sign his paintings with a monogram - a butterfly, consisting of his initials.

His favorite colors are grey, black and brown. Whistler preached "art for art's sake," pure, unencumbered by ideas, appealing to artistic feelings rather than emotions, and often gave musical titles to his paintings.

It is believed that he was close to impressionism in terms of mood in his paintings, but not in terms of color and lighting effects.
In the proposed slideshow you can see more paintings by all the mentioned artists.

Finally, I came to my favorite topic - "Impressionists", but that's for another time. To be continued.

*Luminizim- a direction in American landscape painting, characterized by light saturation, the use of aerial perspective and the concealment of visible strokes. (

Original taken from vanatik05 in AMERICAN PAINTING - 5 (Realistic traditions in the 20th century)

In 1913 the Association of American Painters and Sculptors organized the first major International Exhibition of Modern Art, the Armory Show, at the National Guard armory on Lexington Avenue. It became an important event in the history of American art, caused different emotions: surprise, admiration, indignation, worship and complete rejection of the American public, accustomed to realism, to some extent to impressionism, but not to the avant-garde European art that she saw at this exhibition. 1300 paintings, sculptures and decorative works by more than 300 contemporary European and American artists visited not only New York, but also Chicago and Washington.

In reviews of the exhibition, accusations of immorality, unprofessionalism, insanity, charlatanism rained down, many works were called caricatures and parodies of painting, and Theodore Roosevelt said: “This is not art at all!”

The civil authorities, however, did not intervene and did not try to close the exhibition, and the scandals around it only contributed to the successful sale of many works that can be seen today in American museums, and MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art) can generally be considered the heir and successor of that first contemporary art exhibitions.

It indirectly influenced the artists of the realistic direction, and realistic traditions never died in America, it not only contributed to changes in the technique of drawing, in the subject of plots, but even gave rise to such new trends in painting as “magic realism” *

And its offshoot - "precisionism" **, characteristic of American artists,

And the American-born artistic movement "regionalism" *** (or regionalism).

Here we will talk about artists, representatives of different areas of realistic art in America of the 20th century.

Charles Burchfield(1893-1967), one of the most prominent watercolorists in America, who painted his paintings at the easel in the "dry brush" technique, early (by 1915) developed his own neorealist style, combining modernist tendencies, traditional Chinese painting and elements of Fauvism.

Throughout his creative life, he changed directions and techniques, painted landscapes and paintings on historical subjects, scenes observed from the window of his house, and flowers, “hallucinatory”, in the spirit of magical realism, views of nature and its divine power.

In his honor, in 1966, the Buffalo Nature and Arts Center, called the Birchfield Penny Art Center, was created, which also includes the world's largest collection of the artist's works.

Reginald Marsh(1898-1954), born in Paris, in a wealthy family of artists, was a student of D. Sloan, known primarily as a painter and illustrator of urban scenes, street life, New York beaches.

His paintings are distinguished by documentary thoroughness, imbued with an ironic love for characters, he painted a lot for burlesque and vaudeville, considering them "the theater of the common man, expressing the humor and fantasies of the poor, old and ugly."

He worked in oil and ink, watercolor, egg tempera, and began his creative life with lithography. His style can be described as "social realism", especially pronounced during the years of the Great Depression, and devotion to the old masters, whose work he worshiped, led to the creation of works containing religious metaphors.

Shortly before his death from a heart attack, Marsh received the Gold Medal of Graphic Arts from the American Academy of Arts.

Fairfield Porter(1907-1975) was born in the family of an architect and poetess, studied at Harvard and the League of American Students, adhered to the realistic direction all his life, painted mainly landscapes and portraits of family and friends, trying to bring out the unusual in ordinary life, to make it more beautiful.

In his work, the influence of his father, an architect, the work of Velasquez, and later the artists Bonnard and Vuillard, is felt, he believed that "impressionism is able to paintfully recreate the presence of reality."

Perhaps the lack of good teachers of oil painting, the wary attitude towards sensuality and naturalism, inherent in many Americans of those years, helps to explain the somewhat primitive nature of Porter's work, the awkwardness, stiffness of his figures, their static nature.

And only in his later works does he begin to cross the border between impressionism and fauvism, his drawing becomes freer, the colors are brighter, and there is more light in his works.

Edward Hopper(1882-1967) was born in Nyack, in the center of yacht building on the Hudson River, in a wealthy family of Dutch origin. Hopper showed his artistic talent already at the age of 5, his parents instilled in him a love for French and Russian art, encouraged his passion for painting and various interests.

Hopper worked in pen and ink, charcoal, watercolor, oil and lithography, painting portraits and seascapes, political cartoons and drawings from life. In the work of Hopper one can guess the influence of Robert Henry, one of his teachers, and Manet with Degas,

William Chase and Rembrandt, especially his "Night Watch", and living in Paris, drawing scenes on the streets, in cafes and theaters, he remained in the traditions of realistic art, although some researchers attribute his work to precisionism because of the clear geometric shapes, mechanicalness, sterility and emptiness of space.

He said that his "favorite thing in painting is sunlight on the wall of the house." During the Great Depression, Hopper was more fortunate than many other artists - he continued to exhibit annually and sold well throughout his later life.

His work had a great influence not only on the visual arts but also on cinema with its cinematic compositions and dramatic use of light and dark.

Paul Cadmus(1904-1999), a representative of the “magical realism” movement, combined elements of eroticism and social criticism in his work,

gained notoriety for explicitly homosexual motives in his paintings and depictions of naked male figures.

He was born into a poor family of an artist, his father encouraged the boy to draw, at the age of 14 he enrolled in courses at the National Academy of Design, and then at the Academy. He traveled a lot with his friends, painted large canvases that reflected his impressions of Europe, painted multi-figured pictures from the life of fishermen, sailors, scenes of urban life,

And after meeting the impresario and balletomane Kirsten, Cadmus got a lot of works on ballet themes, mostly depicting dancers.

Paul Cadmus lived a long life and died at the age of 95 in the arms of his friend and constant model, who was by his side for the last 35 years of his life. Cadmus liked to repeat the words of Ingres: “People say that my paintings are not suitable for this time. Maybe they are wrong, and I'm the only one who keeps up with the times.

Ivan (Ivan) Albright(1897-1983), one of the most famous representatives of magical realism, was born with his twin brother in the artist's family.

The brothers were inseparable for most of their lives, both studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, brother Malvin became a sculptor, and Ivan became an artist, but began as an architect, and during the First World War he performed medical drawings for a hospital in Nantes. He was always very demanding about his work, carefully writing out all the details and devoting many of his works to such complex topics as life and death, materiality and spirit, the impact of time on the appearance and inner world of a person.

Such work required a lot of time and therefore sales were rare, many paintings remained in his possession. Albright made his own paints and charcoals, was obsessed with lighting to the point that he wore black clothing and painted his studio black to prevent glare.

He painted in a realistic but exaggeratedly detailed manner, he loved to observe the passage of time and painted over 20 self-portraits in the last 3 years of his life alone to reflect the changes taking place in a person.

George Clare Tooker Jr. (1920-2011), whose works represent the trends of social realism and magical realism, was born into a family with Anglo-French-Spanish-Cuban and American roots, at the insistence of his parents studied English literature at Harvard, but devoted most of his time to painting.

After serving in the Marine Corps, from where he was dismissed due to poor health, he attended courses of the League of Art Students, worked a lot in the egg tempera technique, and admired the art of the Italian Renaissance.

Tooker's paintings depict scenes of everyday American life, the human figures in them are often racially and sexually indeterminate, expressing loneliness, isolation and anonymity.

He paid much attention to the observance of geometric proportions and symmetry, because of this he painted very slowly - no more than two paintings a year. Since his first major exhibition in 1951, Tooker has exhibited consistently successfully and has his work in major museums in America.

Peter Blume(Peter Blum) - (1906-1992), painter and sculptor, in whose work there are elements of precisionism, purism, cubism, surrealism and folk art. He was born in Russia to a Jewish family that emigrated to America in 1912 and settled in Brooklyn.

After studying art at various educational institutions, he opened his own studio under the patronage of the Rockefeller family. Like many of his realist contemporaries, he was a fan of the Renaissance, traveled around Italy, his first painting, which received recognition in 1934 - "The Eternal City", it guesses the image of Mussolini, like a devil out of a box, leaving the Colosseum.

His works, often depicting destruction, can nevertheless be interpreted as symbols of rebuilding and renewal after World War II, such as stones, new beams, figures of working people.

Blume's artistic style was an interesting hybrid of American and European art styles, he is called "the artist of fairy tale storytelling".

Andrew Newell Wyeth(1917-2009), a representative of a predominantly regionalist style in realism, was born in the family of an illustrator who was attentive to the development of talents in his five children, accustomed them to good literature, music, and the study of nature. The father himself taught his children at home, and they were all talented: artists, musicians, composers, inventors.

Their house was a creative environment, often visited by celebrities such as Scott Fitzgerald and Mary Pickford. Wyeth himself, oddly enough, considered himself an abstractionist, attached great importance to understanding the deep meaning in simple objects, the favorite themes of his paintings were the earth and the people around him.

His most famous painting, Christina's World, depicts a girl from a neighboring farm, disabled by polio, crawling alone towards a house in the distance.

247 paintings and drawings were dedicated to one woman, Helga Testorff, and he studied her in various settings and emotional states, which is a unique experience in American art.

Although Wyeth has many technically excellent pieces and had a large following, his art is considered controversial, with the art historian Rosenblum describing him as "the most overrated and underrated" artist.

Grant Wood(1891-1942), one of the most famous representatives of regionalism, was born in Iowa, lost his father early, worked in a hardware store, studied at art school, and then at the Chicago Art Institute.

Young Grant traveled to Europe 4 times to study painting styles, paying special attention to Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, but admired the works of Van Eyck and dreamed of combining modern methods and the clarity, clarity, depth of medieval art in his work.

No wonder his most famous painting is called "American Gothic", it reflects the traditional view of the 19th century on the roles of men and women in America, the picture was received ambiguously, some considered it a caricature, and newspapers parodied it in different ways.

Later, while teaching painting at the University of Iowa, Wood became a key figure in the cultural society of the university, but because of rumors about his homosexual affair with his personal secretary, Wood was fired and soon died of pancreatic cancer.

Thomas Hart (Hart) Benton(1889-1975) was born into a family of politicians, his father, a colonel, lawyer and philanthropist, was elected to Congress four times. The father wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, but the boy was interested in art, his mother supported his choice, and he entered the Art Institute of Chicago, and then went to Paris to continue his studies at the Julian Academy.

Returning to America, continuing to paint, he served during the First World War in the US Navy, working on the creation of camouflage images of ships and shipyards, which required a realistic documentary image and later influenced his style. In the early 1920s, Benton declared himself an "enemy of modernism", became one of the leading representatives of regionalism and adhered to "leftist" views.

He became interested in El Greco, the influence of his work can be seen in the work on huge frescoes, reflecting different stages and events in the life of the country.

Benton taught at the Art Students League in New York, many of his students became well-known artists (Hopper, Pollack, Marsh), but was fired for denouncing the excessive influence of homosexuals in the art world. After the Second World War, regionalism as a direction lost its relevance, Benton continued to paint frescoes,

worked actively for about 30 years, but did not have its former popularity.

John Stewart Curry(1897-1946) was born on a farm in Kansas, took care of animals, was fond of athletics, from childhood he was surrounded by reproductions of paintings by Rubens and Doré, which played a role in his subsequent choice of artistic style.

John studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, worked as a magazine illustrator, spent a year in Paris studying the work of Courbet, Daumier, Titian and Rubens. Returning to the US, he worked for a while in his workshop, traveled with the circus, was appointed as the first artist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, traveled around the country to promote the development of art in farming communities.

He painted for the Department of Justice in Washington and for the Capitol in Kansas. Carrey was one of the three (Benton and Wood) pillars of American regionalism, which was especially relevant during the Great Depression.

He depicted scenes of labor, family and land, and disaster management to demonstrate to the world the perseverance, hard work and faith of the people, which Carrey considered the essence of American life.

To be honest, I am not very inspired by realist artists in general, I have some interest in the work of only individual representatives of magical realism (Cadmus, Bloome, Hopper), but in general this period in American art is not close to me, what can I do.
The next and last part will be devoted to contemporary American art. Ending to be...
As always, a slideshow with many more pictures and good music:

* Magic realism- As an artistic movement, magical realism developed on American soil, becoming the equivalent of European surrealism. In many respects responding to the tastes and needs of the American audience, the works of the masters of magical realism were shocking, shocking in their frankness, while combining it with the anecdotal of situations and the caricature of the characters, the reality was more like a restless dream or hallucinatory delirium.
**Precisionism, or presigism (English precision - accuracy, clarity) - a direction characteristic of American painting of the 30s, a kind of magical realism. The main subject for precisionists is the image of the city, the main theme is mechanistic aesthetics, the space of the paintings is sterile, it seems that the air has been pumped out of them, there is no person in it.
***Regionalism or regionalism (from English regional - local) - an artistic direction in the art of the United States of 1920-1940, which was based on the desire to create a truly American art as opposed to the avant-garde movements coming from Europe. Inspired by ideas of national identity, regionalist artists focused on portraying the "authentic" America. The themes of their works are American landscapes, scenes from the life of farmers, the life of small towns, episodes from history, local legends and folklore stories.