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 main sources of inspiration, taste and cultural education of any person, and even more creative.
There are certainly more world-famous paintings than 33. There are several hundred of them, and all of them would not fit in one review. Therefore, for 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 by an interesting fact, an explanation of the artistic meaning or the 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 turned out that a layer of soot makes the picture dark, and the action actually takes place during the day. However, the picture has already entered the treasury of world art under the name "Night Watch".
Leonardo da Vinci "The Last Supper" 1495-1498
Located in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
Over the more than 500-year history of the existence of the work, the fresco was repeatedly destroyed: a doorway was made through the painting, and then a doorway was laid, the refectory of the monastery, where the image is located, was used as an armory, a prison, and bombed. The famous fresco has been restored at least five times, with the most recent restoration taking 21 years. Today, to view the work of art, visitors must book tickets in advance and can only spend 15 minutes in the refectory.
Salvador Dali "The Persistence of Memory" 1931
According to the author himself, the picture was painted as a result of associations that arose in Dali at the sight of processed cheese. Returning from the cinema, where she went that evening, Gala quite correctly predicted that no one who saw "The Persistence of Memory" once would forget it.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder The Tower of Babel 1563
Stored at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
According to Brueghel, the failure that befell the construction of the Tower of Babel was not due to language barriers that suddenly arose according to the biblical story, but to mistakes made during the construction process. At first glance, the huge building seems solid enough, but upon closer inspection, it is clear that all the tiers are laid unevenly, the lower floors are either unfinished or are already collapsing, the building itself is tilting towards the city, and the prospects for the entire project are very sad.
Kazimir Malevich "Black Square" 1915
According to the artist, he painted the picture for several months. Subsequently, Malevich made several copies of the "Black Square" (according to some sources, seven). According to one version, the artist was unable to complete the work on the painting in the right time, so he had to cover up the work with black paint. Subsequently, after the recognition of the public, Malevich painted new "Black Squares" already on blank canvases. Malevich also painted the paintings "Red Square" (two copies) and one "White Square".
Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin "Bathing the Red Horse" 1912
Located in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
Painted in 1912, the picture turned out to be visionary. The red horse acts as the Destiny of Russia or Russia itself, which the fragile and young rider is unable to hold. thus, the artist symbolically predicted with his painting the “red” fate of Russia in the 20th century.
Peter Paul Rubens "The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus" 1617-1618
Stored in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
The painting "The Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus" is considered the personification of courageous passion and bodily beauty. The strong, muscular arms of young men pick up young naked women to put them on horseback. The sons of Zeus and Leda steal the brides of their cousins.
Paul Gauguin "Where 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; the middle group symbolizes the daily existence of maturity; in the final group, according to the artist, "an old woman approaching death seems reconciled and given over to her thoughts", at her feet "a strange white bird ... represents the futility of words."
Eugene Delacroix "Liberty Leading the People" 1830
Stored in the Louvre in Paris
Delacroix created a painting based on the July Revolution of 1830 in France. In a letter to his brother on October 12, 1830, Delacroix writes: "If I did not fight for the Motherland, then at least I will write for her." The bare chest of a woman leading the people symbolizes the selflessness of the French people of that time, who with “bare chest” went to the enemy.
Claude Monet Impression. Rising Sun" 1872
Stored at the Musée Marmottan in Paris.
The name of the work "Impression, soleil levant" with the light hand of the journalist L. Leroy became the name of the artistic direction "Impressionism". The painting was painted from nature in the old outport of Le Havre in France.
Jan Vermeer "Girl with a Pearl Earring" 1665
Stored in the Mauritshuis Gallery in The Hague.
One of the most famous paintings by the Dutch artist Jan Vermeer is often referred to as the Northern or Dutch Mona Lisa. Very little is known about the painting: it is not dated, the name of the depicted girl is not known. In 2003, based on the novel of the same name by Tracey Chevalier, the feature film "Girl with a Pearl Earring" was shot, in which the history of the creation of the canvas is hypothetically restored in the context of Vermeer's biography and family life.
Ivan Aivazovsky "The Ninth Wave" 1850
Stored in St. Petersburg in the State Russian Museum.
Ivan Aivazovsky is a world-famous Russian marine painter who has dedicated his life to depicting the sea. He created about six thousand works, each of which received recognition during the life of the artist. The painting "The Ninth Wave" is included in the book "100 Great Paintings".
Andrei Rublev "Trinity" 1425-1427
The icon of the Holy Trinity, painted by Andrei Rublev in the 15th century, is one of the most famous Russian icons. The icon is a board in a vertical format. The tsars (Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Mikhail Fedorovich) “encased” the icon with gold, silver and precious stones. Today the salary is stored in the Sergiev Posad State Museum-Reserve.
Mikhail Vrubel "Seated Demon" 1890
Stored in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The plot of the picture is inspired by Lermontov's poem "The Demon". The demon is an image of the strength of the human spirit, internal struggle, doubts. Tragically clasping his hands, the Demon sits with sad, huge eyes directed into the distance, surrounded by unprecedented flowers.
William Blake "The Great Architect" 1794
Stored in the British Museum in London.
The name of the painting "The Ancient of Days" literally translates from English as "Ancient of Days". This phrase was used as the name of God. The main character of the picture is God at the moment of creation, who does not establish order, but limits freedom and marks the limits of the imagination.
Edouard Manet "Bar at the Folies Bergère" 1882
Stored at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
The Folies Bergère is a variety show and cabaret in Paris. Manet frequented the Folies Bergère and ended up painting this painting, his last before his death in 1883. Behind the bar, in the midst of a crowd of drinking, eating, talking and smoking, a barmaid is absorbed in her own thoughts, watching a trapeze acrobat, which can be seen in the upper left corner of the picture.
Titian "Earthly Love and Heavenly Love" 1515-1516
Stored in the Galleria Borghese in Rome.
It is noteworthy that the modern name of the painting was not given by the artist himself, but began to be used only two centuries later. Until that time, the painting had various titles: "Beauty Embellished and Unadorned" (1613), "Three Types of Love" (1650), "Divine and Worldly Women" (1700), and, in the end, "Earthly Love and Heavenly Love » (1792 and 1833).
Mikhail Nesterov "Vision to the youth Bartholomew" 1889-1890
Stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The first and most significant work from the cycle dedicated to Sergius of Radonezh. Until the end of his days, the artist was convinced that “The Vision of the Young Bartholomew” was his best work. In his old age, the artist liked to repeat: “I will not live. "Young Bartholomew" will live. Now, if 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 the moment, the painting is in the collection of the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin.
Leonardo da Vinci Madonna Litta 1491
Stored in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
The original title of the painting is Madonna and Child. The modern name of the painting comes from the name of its owner - Count Litta, the owner of a family art gallery in Milan. There is an assumption that the figure of the baby was not painted by Leonardo da Vinci, but belongs to the brush of one of his students. This is evidenced by the baby's pose, which is unusual for the author's manner.
Jean Ingres "Turkish Baths" 1862
Stored in the Louvre in Paris.
Ingres finished painting this picture when he was already over 80 years old. With this picture, the artist sums up a peculiar result of the image of bathers, the themes of which have long been present in his work. Initially, the canvas was in the form of a square, but a year after its completion, the artist turned it into a round picture - a tondo.
Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Savitsky "Morning in a pine forest" 1889
Stored in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow
“Morning in a Pine Forest” is a painting by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky. Savitsky painted bears, but the collector Pavel Tretyakov, when he acquired the painting, erased his signature, so now only Shishkin is indicated as the author of the painting.
Mikhail Vrubel "The Swan Princess" 1900
Stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery
The picture was painted on the basis of the stage image of the heroine of the opera "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov based on the plot of the fairy tale of the same name by A. S. Pushkin. Vrubel created sketches for the scenery and costumes for the premiere of the opera in 1900, and his wife sang the part of the Swan Princess.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo "Portrait of Emperor Rudolf II 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 a protective layer of egg yolk to the painting.
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The names and works of these artists will be known for centuries.
10 Leonardo da Vinci (1492 - 1619)
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci went down in history as an outstanding architect, inventor, researcher, philosopher, mathematician, writer, musician, and, of course, an artist. His masterpieces "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper" are known all over the world. They also note his merits in other sciences - in geology, astronomy and anatomy.9 Raphael Santi (1483 - 1520)
The Italian Raphael Santi, a representative of the Renaissance (late 15th - early 16th centuries), was one of the greatest painters and architects. One of his famous works, The School of Athens, is now in the Vatican, in the Apostolic Palace. The name of Raphael stands next to the names of the great artists of the era, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
8 Diego Velasquez (1599 - 1660)
Diego de Silva y Velasquez is famous for his portraits. The Spanish painter became popular thanks to a large number of works depicting the royal family, historical events and famous European personalities, which deserved to be considered one of the symbols of the golden age of painting. Velázquez worked on his paintings at the court of King Philip the Fourth, painting his most famous painting Las Meninas, depicting his family.
7 Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)
Compatriot Diego Velaquez Picasso made an invaluable contribution to the visual arts of the twentieth century. He laid the foundation for a completely new direction in painting - cubism. His painting and sculpture have given him the title of the best and "most expensive" artist of the last century. The number of his works cannot be counted - it is measured in tens of thousands.
6 Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890)
Sixth place in the ranking was taken by the well-known painter Vincent Willem Van Gogh from the Netherlands. Unfortunately, his fame as one of the most prominent post-impressionists, he acquired after his death. His works are distinguished by a unique, recognizable style. Van Gogh's paintings: landscapes, portraits and self-portraits are valued incredibly highly. During his life, Vincent van Gogn wrote more than 2100 works, among them his series of works "Sunflowers" is especially distinguished.
5 Michelangelo (1475 - 1564)
The Italian Michelangelo Buonarroti brilliantly became famous for his works in sculpture, painting, architecture. He is also a famous philosopher and poet, who had a huge impact on the entire culture of mankind. The creations of Michelangelo - the sculptures "Pieta" and "David" are among the most famous in the world. But his frescoes, which are on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, undoubtedly gained great fame. Michelangelo also designed the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, leaving his mark on architecture.
4 Masaccio (1401 - 1428)
The outstanding mystery artist Masaccio, about whose biography we know very little, made an invaluable contribution to the visual arts, inspiring many artists. The life of this artist ended very quickly, but even during this period of time, Masaccio left a great cultural heritage. His fresco "Trinity" in Italy, in the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, is one of the four surviving frescoes that have become world famous. There is an opinion that the rest of his works by Masaccio could not be preserved intact and were destroyed.
3 Peter Paul Rubens (1577 - 1640)
The “bronze” of our rating rightfully goes to Peter Paul Rubens, an artist from the Southern Netherlands who worked in the Baroque era and became famous for his special style. Rubens brilliantly conveyed colors on canvas, his paintings fascinated with their liveliness. Everyone, looking at his paintings, could find something of his own - in landscapes, portraits. Rubens also painted historical paintings that tell about myths or religious subjects. Carefully painted over four years, the triptych "Descent from the Cross" won the attention of the whole world. The special style of painting of Rubens glorified him all over the world.
2 Caravaggio (1571 -1610)
The second place in the rating was given to another Italian artist who worked in the early Baroque era, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, who founded European realism. He liked to depict ordinary people from the streets on the canvas, carefully concentrating on important details: the play of light and shadow, colors and contrast. He depicted them in religious, holy images. As Caravaggio himself mentioned, he was proud of his Lute Player, written at the very end of the 16th century. Also mentioned are his paintings "Conversion of Saul", "Matthew the Evangelist", "Bacchus" and others.
1 Rembrandt (1606-1669)
The honorable first place is occupied by the world-famous Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. The artist liked to experiment with chiaroscuro in his works. His works include about three thousand different paintings, drawings and etchings. At the moment, the State Museum of Amsterdam houses the most famous work of Rembrandt - the painting "Night Watch", completed in the middle of the seventeenth century and having gigantic dimensions - four meters.
British newspaper The Times ranked Top 200 Artists who lived from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.
As a result, according to British readers, first place occupied by the great Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.
Second place given to post-impressionist Paul Cezanne, the third - the founder of the Austrian Art Nouveau Gustav Klimt. The last line is occupied by a contemporary Japanese artist Hiroshi Sujimoto.
French artists appear in the top ten Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Marcel Duchamp and American artist Jackson Pollock.
The top ten is closed by the legend of pop art Andy Warhole, representative of abstractionism Willem de Kooning and famous modernist Piet Mondrian.
It is impossible not to notice the overestimation of the rating of some artists and ignoring others, no less talented. The editors of The Times, summing up the results of the survey, are perplexed: “What does Martin Kippenberger do in the top 20? Why is he rated higher than Rothko, Schiele and Klee? Is Munch (46th) worse than Frida Kahlo? Most likely, this is due to the desire of women to place the fair sex as high as possible in the ranking.
From Russian artists appear in the ranking Basil Kandinsky(15th), creator of the Black Square " Casimir Malevich(17th). 95th marked Ukrainian-American artist Alexander Archipenko. 135th - one of the founders of constructivism Alexander Rodchenko. Also included in the list Marc Chagall-71st, and Vladimir Tatlin- 145th.
Here 20 best artists of the XX century, according to British art lovers
Twenty best artists of the XX and the beginning of the XXI century
1. Pablo Picasso
2. Paul Cezanne
3. Gustav Klimt
4. Claude Monet
5. Marcel Duchamp
6. Henri Matisse
7. Jackson Pollock
8. Andy Warhol
9. Willem de Kooning
10. Piet Mondrian
11. Paul Gauguin
12. Francis Bacon
13. Robert Rauschenberg
14. Georges Braque
15. Wassily Kandinsky
16. Constantin Brancusi
17. Kazimir Malevich
18. Jasper Johns
19. Frida Kahlo
20. Martin Kippenberger
………………
Yes, if such a survey were conducted in our country, the list would be completely different. As well as the lists of the best literary works - in each country they differ significantly.
But so far we have only this list, in which we do not know many artists.
Therefore - here is a brief story about the first twenty artists.
A complete list 200 best artists of the 20th and early 21st centuries- at the end of the post.
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1.Picasso Pablo- Spanish artist, graphic artist
8. Andy Warhol(real name - Andrew Warhola, Rusyn. Andriy Vargola; 1928-1987) is an American artist and producer, a notable person in the history of pop art and modern art in general. Founder of the "homo universale" ideology.
Warhol created several paintings that became a sensation in the art world. In 1960, he created designs for cans of Coca-Cola, which brought him fame as an artist with an extraordinary vision of art. And in 1960-1962, a cycle of works appeared depicting cans of Campbell's soup. 
Warhol one of the first to use screen printing and silk-screen printing as a method for creating paintings.
Warhol created a number of paintings in which he depicted the idols of modern society. Among the stars that Andy painted: recurring Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Lenin and others. These drawings in bright colors became Warhol's trademark. recreating the atmosphere of America in the 60s. 
According to critics, these paintings reflected the vulgarity of the culture of mass consumption, the mentality of Western civilization. Warhol is considered among the representatives of pop art and conceptual art, such as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein. Currently, the prices for his paintings reach tens of millions of dollars. A whole subculture has gathered around the figure of Warhol.
In 2015, the painting was sold to the Qatari Museum Authority for $300 million. 287\237\225
12. Francis Bacon-(1909-1992) - English artist- expressionist. Bacon's painting is always expressive, it is a kind of cry that conveys the tragedy of existence. The main theme of his work is the human body - distorted, elongated, enclosed in geometric shapes. Several works are included in the list of the most expensive paintings.
On May 14, 2008, Francis Bacon's 1976 Landmark of the Canonical 20th Century triptych was sold at Sotheby's for $86.3 million. Sold by the Muy family, owners of Château Pétrus wine production, to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. And the painter received the title of the most expensive post-war artist and took third place in the top ten most expensive artists in the world in general, second only to Picasso and Klimt. 180\122\96
13.Robert Rauschenberg(1925, Port Arthur -2008, Captiva Island, Florida) is an American artist. A representative of abstract expressionism, and then conceptual art and pop art, in his works he gravitated towards the technique of collage and readymade, used garbage.
Like other representatives of pop art, he tried to express his vision of the world in unusual, shocking forms. For this, canvases, collages, installations were used.
In the early 50s, Rauschenberg went through three stages of creating paintings:
"White painting" - black numbers and some symbols are depicted on a white background.
"Black painting" - scraps of newspapers were pasted onto the canvas, and all this was covered with black enamel.
"Red Painting" - abstract canvases in red tones, partly with stickers from newspapers, nails, photographs, etc.
In 1953, Rauschenberg erased a drawing by Willem de Kooning and exhibited it under the title "Erased De Kooning Drawing", raising the question of the nature of art. 
Since the mid-50s, Rauschenberg has been creating spatial objects that he calls "combined paintings", for example:
"Odalisque" (satin pillow, stuffed chicken, photographs and reproductions)
"Bed" - a bed spattered with paint and placed vertically ... 
In the late 50s, he mastered the frottage technique (rubbing introduced into art by Max Ernst) to transfer magazine photographs to paper. Rauschenberg used it to create a graphic cycle of 34 illustrations for Dante's Inferno in the pop art style. In 1962, he mastered the technique of silk-screen printing and created a number of large works in it. One of the paintings in this series way to heaven» ( sky way, 1964). On it, pop cultural symbols (for example, American astronauts) coexist with images of Rubens.
Rauschenberg is the owner of many awards, including: the main prize at the Venice Biennale, the Grammy, the US National Medal, the Imperial Prize of Japan and others.
In the 60s and 70s, Rauschenberg was involved in the field of performance, happenings and other theatrical actions.
1 Pablo Picasso 21587
2 Paul Cezanne 21098
3 Gustav Klimt 20823
4 Claude Monet 20684
5 Marcel Duchamp 20647
6 Henry Matisse 17096
7 Jackson Pollock 17051
8 Andy Warhol 17047
9 Willem de Kooning 17042
10 Piet Mondrian 17028
11 Paul Gauguin 17027
12 Francis Bacon 17018
13 Robert Rauschenberg 16956
14 Georges Braque 16788
15 Wassily Kandinsky 16055
16 Constantin Brancusi 14224
17 Kazimir Malevich 13609
18 Jasper Johns 12988
19 Frida Kahlo 12940
20 Martin Kippenberger 12784
21 Paul Klee
22 Egon Schiele
23 Donald Judd
24 Bruce Nauman
25 Alberto Giacometti
26 Salvador Dali
27 Auguste Rodin
28 Mark Rothko
29 Edward Hopper
30 Lucian Freud
31 Richard Serra
32 René Magritte
33 David Hockney
34 Philip Gaston
35 Gary Cartier-Bresson 8779
36 Pierre Bonnard
37 Jean-Michel Basquiat
38 Max Ernst
39 Diane Arbus
40 Georgia O'Keefe
41 Cy Twombly
42 Max Beckmann
43 Barnet Newman
44 Giorgio de Chirico
45 Roy Lichtenstein 7441
46 Edvard Munch
47 Pierre August Renoir
48 Men Ray
49 Henry Moore
50 Cindy Sherman
51 Jeff Koons
52 Tracey Emin
53 Damien Hirst
54 Yves Klein
55 Henry Russo
56 Chaim Soutine
57 Archil Gorki
58 Amadeo Modigliani
59 Umberto Boccioni
60 Jean Dubuffet
61 Eva Hesse
62 Edward Villard
63 Carl Andre
64 Juan Gris
65 Lucio Fontana
66 Franz Kline
67 David Smith
68 Joseph Beuys
69 Alexander Calder
70 Louise Bourgeois
71 Marc Chagall
72 Gerhard Richter
73 Balthus
74 Joan Miro
75 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
76 Frank Stella
77 Georg Baselitz
78 Francis Picabia
79 Jenny Saville
80 Dan Flavin
81 Alfred Stiglitz
82 Anselm Kiefer
83 Matthew Burney
84 Georges Gros
85 Bernd and Hilla Becher
86 Sigmar Polke
87 Bryce Marden
88 Maurizio Catellan
89 Saul Levitt
90 Chuck Close 2915
91 Edward Weston
92 Joseph Cornell
93 Karel Appel
94 Bridget Riley
95 Alexander Archipenko
96 Anthony Caro
97 Richard Hamilton
98 Clifford Still
99 Luc Tuymans
100 Oldenburg class
101 Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi
102 Frank Auerbach
103 Dinos and Jake Chapman
104 Marlene Dumas
105 Antona Tapies
106 Giorgio Morandi
107 Walker Evans
108 Nan Goldin
109 Robert Frank
110 Georges Rouault
111 Arp Hans
112 August Sender
113 James Rosenquist
114 Andreas Gursky
115 Eugene Atget
116 Jeff Wall
117 Ellsworth Kelly
118 Bill Brandt
119 Christo and Jean-Claude
120 Howard Hodgkin
121 Joseph Albers
122 Piero Manzoni
123 Agnes Martin
124 Anish Kapoor
125 L. S. Lowry
126 Robert Motherwell
127 Robert Delaunay
128 Stuart Davis
129 Ed Ruscha
130 Gilbert and George 2729
131 Stanley Spencer
132 James Ensor
133 Fernard Ledger
134 Brassai (Gyula Halas)
135 Alexander Rodchenko
136 Robert Ryman
137 Ed Reindhard
138 Hans Belmer
139 Isa Genzken
140 Kees van Dongen
141 Weegee
142 Paula Rego
143 Thomas Hart Benton
144 Hans Hoffman
145 Vladimir Tatlin
146 Odilon Redon
147 George Segal
148 Jörg Imendorff
149 Robert Smithson
150 Peter Doig 2324
151 Ed and Nancy Kienholtz
152 Richard Prince
153 Ansel Adams
154 Nahum Gabo 2256
155 Diego Rivera 2239
156 Barbara Hepworth 2237
157 Nicola de Stael 2237
158 Walter de Maria 2229
159 Felix Gonzalez-Torres 2228
160 Giacomo Balla 2225
161 Ben Nicholson 2221
162 Anthony Gormley 2218
163 Lionel Feininger 2216
164 Emil Nolde 2213
165 Mark Wallinger 2211
166 Hermann Nietzsch 2209
167 Paul Signac 2209
168 Jean Tigli 2209
169 Kurt Schwitters 2209
170 Grayson Perry 2208
171 Julian Schnabel 2208
172 Raymond Duchamp-Villon 2208
173 Robert Gobert 2208
174 Duane Hanson 2208
175 Richard Diebenkorn 2207
176 Apex Katz 2207
177 Alighiero Boetti 2206
178 Godier-Brzeska Henri 2206
179 Laszlo Moholy-Nagy 2205
180 Jacques-Henri Lartigue 2205
181 Robert Morris 2205artists
The article presents 22 paintings from different times, which are masterpieces of world art and are the property of all mankind.
Photo #1.
The painting is kept in the Louvre, Paris, France. The Mona Lisa might not have gained worldwide fame if it had not been stolen in 1911 by an employee of the Louvre. The painting was found two years later: the thief responded to an ad in a newspaper and offered to sell the Gioconda to the director of the Uffizi Gallery. All this time, while the investigation was going on, the Mona Lisa did not leave the covers of newspapers and magazines around the world, becoming an object of copying and worship.
Photo #2. 
The painting is kept in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan.
Over the more than 500 years of the existence of the work, the fresco has been destroyed more than once: a doorway was made through the painting, and then a doorway was laid, the refectory of the monastery, where the image is located, was used as an armory, a prison, and bombed. The famous fresco has been restored at least five times, with the most recent restoration taking 21 years. Today, in order to view the work, visitors must book tickets in advance and can only spend 15 minutes in the refectory.
Photo #3. 
The work is stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The icon of the Holy Trinity, painted by Andrei Rublev in the 15th century, is one of the most famous Russian icons. The icon is a board in a vertical format. The tsars (Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Mikhail Fedorovich) “encased” the icon with gold, silver and precious stones. Today the salary is stored in the Sergiev Posad State Museum-Reserve.
Photo #4. 
The painting is located in Florence in the Uffizi Gallery.
The work illustrates the myth of the birth of Aphrodite. The naked goddess floats to the shore in an open shell, driven by the wind. On the left side of the picture, Zephyr (the west wind), in the arms of his wife Chlorida, blows on a shell, creating a wind filled with flowers. On the shore, the goddess is met by one of the graces. The Birth of Venus is well preserved due to the fact that Botticelli applied a protective layer of egg yolk to the painting.
Photo #5. 
Stored at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
According to the author of the picture, the failure that befell the construction of the Tower of Babel is not due to language barriers that suddenly arose according to the biblical story, but to mistakes made during the construction process. At first glance, the huge building seems solid enough, but upon closer inspection, it is clear that all the tiers are laid unevenly, the lower floors are either unfinished or are already collapsing, the building itself is tilting towards the city, and the prospects for the entire project are very sad.
Photo #6. 
The painting is stored in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow.
The painting ended up in Russia thanks to the industrialist Ivan Abramovich Morozov, who bought it in 1913 for 16,000 francs. In 1918, the personal collection of I. A. Morozov was nationalized. At the moment, the painting is in the collection of the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin.
Photo #7. 
The painting is in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
“Morning in a Pine Forest” is a painting by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky. Savitsky painted bears, but the collector Pavel Tretyakov, when he acquired the painting, erased his signature, so now only Shishkin is indicated as the author of the painting.
Photo #8. 
Aivazovsky's painting is kept in St. Petersburg in the Russian State Museum.
Ivan Aivazovsky is a world famous Russian marine painter who has dedicated his life to depicting the sea. He created about six thousand works, each of which received recognition during the life of the artist. The painting "The Ninth Wave" is included in the book "100 Great Paintings".
Photo #9. 
The painting is kept in the Louvre, Paris.
Delacroix wrote a work based on the July Revolution of 1830 in France. In a letter to his brother on October 12, 1830, Delacroix writes: "If I did not fight for the Motherland, then at least I will write for her." The bare chest leading the people symbolizes the selflessness of the French people of that time, who with "bare chest" went to the enemy.
Photo #10. 
The masterpiece is kept in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The original title of Rembrandt's work is "Speech of the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg". Art critics who discovered the painting in the 19th century thought that the figures were standing against a dark background, and they called it “Night Watch”. Later it turned out that a layer of soot makes the picture dark, and the action actually takes place during the day. However, the picture has already entered the treasury of world art under the name "Night Watch".
Photo #11. 
The painting is stored in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
The original title of the painting is "Madonna and Child". The modern name of the painting comes from the name of its owner - Count Litta, the owner of a family art gallery in Milan. There is an assumption that the figure of the baby was not painted by Leonardo da Vinci, but belongs to the brush of one of his students. This is evidenced by the posture of the baby for the author's manner.
Photo #12. 
The painting is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
The fairy tale "About sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka" is taken as a basis. Initially, Vasnetsov's painting was called "Fool Alyonushka". Orphans were called “fools” at that time. “Alyonushka,” the artist himself later said, “as if she had been living in my head for a long time, but in reality I saw her in Akhtyrka when I met one simple-haired girl who struck my imagination. There was so much longing, loneliness and purely Russian sadness in her eyes ... Some kind of special Russian spirit emanated from her.
Photo #13. 
The work is kept in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
The painting "The Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus" is considered the personification of courageous passion and bodily beauty. The strong, muscular arms of young men pick up young naked women to put them on horseback. The sons of Zeus and Leda steal the brides of their cousins.
Photo #14. 
The painting is in the Russian State Museum in St. Petersburg.
The painting depicts the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. e. and the destruction of the city of Pompeii near Naples. The image of the artist in the left corner of the picture is a self-portrait of the author.
Photo #15. 
The painting is kept in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden, Germany.
The picture has a little secret: the background, which looks like clouds from a distance, upon closer examination turns out to be the heads of angels. And the two angels depicted in the picture below have become the motif of numerous postcards and posters.
Photo #16. 
The painting is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
The plot of the work is inspired by Lermontov's poem "The Demon". The demon is an image of the strength of the human spirit, internal struggle, doubts. Tragically clasping his hands, the Demon sits with sad, huge eyes directed into the distance, surrounded by unprecedented ones.
Photo #17. 
The painting is exhibited at the State Tretyakov Gallery.
The artist painted this picture for several months. Subsequently, Kazimir Malevich made several copies of the Black Square (according to some sources, seven). According to one version, the artist was unable to complete the work on the painting in the right time, so he had to cover up the work with black paint. Subsequently, after the recognition of the public, Malevich painted new "Black Squares" already on blank canvases. Malevich also painted the paintings "Red Square" (two copies) and one "White Square".
Photo #18. 
The painting is in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
According to the author himself, the picture was painted as a result of associations that arose in Dali at the sight of processed cheese. Returning from the cinema, where she went that evening, Gala quite correctly predicted that no one who saw "The Persistence of Memory" once would forget it. Photo #19. 
The painting is kept at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Unlike most of the artist's paintings, Starry Night was painted from memory. Van Gogh was at that time in the Saint-Remy hospital, tormented by bouts of insanity. Photo #20. 
The fresco is in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
The painting "The Creation of Adam" is the fourth of the nine central compositions of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, dedicated to the nine plots of the book of Genesis. The fresco illustrates the episode: “And God created man in His own image”
Photo #21. 
The painting is in the Musée Marmottan in Paris.
The name of the work "Impression, soleil levant" with the light hand of the journalist L. Leroy became the name of the artistic direction "Impressionism". The painting was created from nature in the old outport of Le Havre in France.
Photo #22. 
The painting is in the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
The Folies Bergère is a variety show and cabaret in Paris. Manet often visited the Folies Bergère and ended up painting this painting - the last before his death in 1883. Behind the bar, in the midst of a crowd of drinking, eating, talking and smoking, a barmaid is absorbed in her own thoughts, watching a trapeze acrobat, which can be seen in the upper left corner of the picture.
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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 main sources of inspiration, taste and cultural education of any person, and even more creative.
There are certainly more world-famous paintings than 33. There are several hundred of them, and all of them would not fit in one review. Therefore, for 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 by an interesting fact, an explanation of the artistic meaning or the 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 turned out that a layer of soot makes the picture dark, and the action actually takes place during the day. However, the picture has already entered the treasury of world art under the name "Night Watch".
Leonardo da Vinci "The Last Supper" 1495-1498
Located in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
Over the more than 500-year history of the existence of the work, the fresco was repeatedly destroyed: a doorway was made through the painting, and then a doorway was laid, the refectory of the monastery, where the image is located, was used as an armory, a prison, and bombed. The famous fresco has been restored at least five times, with the most recent restoration taking 21 years. Today, to view the work of art, visitors must book tickets in advance and can only spend 15 minutes in the refectory.
Salvador Dali "The Persistence of Memory" 1931
According to the author himself, the picture was painted as a result of associations that arose in Dali at the sight of processed cheese. Returning from the cinema, where she went that evening, Gala quite correctly predicted that no one who saw "The Persistence of Memory" once would forget it.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder The Tower of Babel 1563
Stored at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
According to Brueghel, the failure that befell the construction of the Tower of Babel was not due to language barriers that suddenly arose according to the biblical story, but to mistakes made during the construction process. At first glance, the huge building seems solid enough, but upon closer inspection, it is clear that all the tiers are laid unevenly, the lower floors are either unfinished or are already collapsing, the building itself is tilting towards the city, and the prospects for the entire project are very sad.
Kazimir Malevich "Black Square" 1915
According to the artist, he painted the picture for several months. Subsequently, Malevich made several copies of the "Black Square" (according to some sources, seven). According to one version, the artist was unable to complete the work on the painting in the right time, so he had to cover up the work with black paint. Subsequently, after the recognition of the public, Malevich painted new "Black Squares" already on blank canvases. Malevich also painted the paintings "Red Square" (two copies) and one "White Square".
Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin "Bathing the Red Horse" 1912
Located in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
Painted in 1912, the picture turned out to be visionary. The red horse acts as the Destiny of Russia or Russia itself, which the fragile and young rider is unable to hold. thus, the artist symbolically predicted with his painting the “red” fate of Russia in the 20th century.
Peter Paul Rubens "The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus" 1617-1618
Stored in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
The painting "The Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus" is considered the personification of courageous passion and bodily beauty. The strong, muscular arms of young men pick up young naked women to put them on horseback. The sons of Zeus and Leda steal the brides of their cousins.
Paul Gauguin "Where 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; the middle group symbolizes the daily existence of maturity; in the final group, according to the artist, "an old woman approaching death seems reconciled and given over to her thoughts", at her feet "a strange white bird ... represents the futility of words."
Eugene Delacroix "Liberty Leading the People" 1830
Stored in the Louvre in Paris
Delacroix created a painting based on the July Revolution of 1830 in France. In a letter to his brother on October 12, 1830, Delacroix writes: "If I did not fight for the Motherland, then at least I will write for her." The bare chest of a woman leading the people symbolizes the selflessness of the French people of that time, who with “bare chest” went to the enemy.
Claude Monet Impression. Rising Sun" 1872
Stored at the Musée Marmottan in Paris.
The name of the work "Impression, soleil levant" with the light hand of the journalist L. Leroy became the name of the artistic direction "Impressionism". The painting was painted from nature in the old outport of Le Havre in France.
Jan Vermeer "Girl with a Pearl Earring" 1665
Stored in the Mauritshuis Gallery in The Hague.
One of the most famous paintings by the Dutch artist Jan Vermeer is often referred to as the Northern or Dutch Mona Lisa. Very little is known about the painting: it is not dated, the name of the depicted girl is not known. In 2003, based on the novel of the same name by Tracey Chevalier, the feature film "Girl with a Pearl Earring" was shot, in which the history of the creation of the canvas is hypothetically restored in the context of Vermeer's biography and family life.
Ivan Aivazovsky "The Ninth Wave" 1850
Stored in St. Petersburg in the State Russian Museum.
Ivan Aivazovsky is a world-famous Russian marine painter who has dedicated his life to depicting the sea. He created about six thousand works, each of which received recognition during the life of the artist. The painting "The Ninth Wave" is included in the book "100 Great Paintings".
Andrei Rublev "Trinity" 1425-1427
The icon of the Holy Trinity, painted by Andrei Rublev in the 15th century, is one of the most famous Russian icons. The icon is a board in a vertical format. The tsars (Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Mikhail Fedorovich) “encased” the icon with gold, silver and precious stones. Today the salary is stored in the Sergiev Posad State Museum-Reserve.
Mikhail Vrubel "Seated Demon" 1890
Stored in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The plot of the picture is inspired by Lermontov's poem "The Demon". The demon is an image of the strength of the human spirit, internal struggle, doubts. Tragically clasping his hands, the Demon sits with sad, huge eyes directed into the distance, surrounded by unprecedented flowers.
William Blake "The Great Architect" 1794
Stored in the British Museum in London.
The name of the painting "The Ancient of Days" literally translates from English as "Ancient of Days". This phrase was used as the name of God. The main character of the picture is God at the moment of creation, who does not establish order, but limits freedom and marks the limits of the imagination.
Edouard Manet "Bar at the Folies Bergère" 1882
Stored at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
The Folies Bergère is a variety show and cabaret in Paris. Manet frequented the Folies Bergère and ended up painting this painting, his last before his death in 1883. Behind the bar, in the midst of a crowd of drinking, eating, talking and smoking, a barmaid is absorbed in her own thoughts, watching a trapeze acrobat, which can be seen in the upper left corner of the picture.
Titian "Earthly Love and Heavenly Love" 1515-1516
Stored in the Galleria Borghese in Rome.
It is noteworthy that the modern name of the painting was not given by the artist himself, but began to be used only two centuries later. Until that time, the painting had various titles: "Beauty Embellished and Unadorned" (1613), "Three Types of Love" (1650), "Divine and Worldly Women" (1700), and, in the end, "Earthly Love and Heavenly Love » (1792 and 1833).
Mikhail Nesterov "Vision to the youth Bartholomew" 1889-1890
Stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The first and most significant work from the cycle dedicated to Sergius of Radonezh. Until the end of his days, the artist was convinced that “The Vision of the Young Bartholomew” was his best work. In his old age, the artist liked to repeat: “I will not live. "Young Bartholomew" will live. Now, if 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 the moment, the painting is in the collection of the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin.
Leonardo da Vinci Madonna Litta 1491
Stored in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
The original title of the painting is Madonna and Child. The modern name of the painting comes from the name of its owner - Count Litta, the owner of a family art gallery in Milan. There is an assumption that the figure of the baby was not painted by Leonardo da Vinci, but belongs to the brush of one of his students. This is evidenced by the baby's pose, which is unusual for the author's manner.
Jean Ingres "Turkish Baths" 1862
Stored in the Louvre in Paris.
Ingres finished painting this picture when he was already over 80 years old. With this picture, the artist sums up a peculiar result of the image of bathers, the themes of which have long been present in his work. Initially, the canvas was in the form of a square, but a year after its completion, the artist turned it into a round picture - a tondo.
Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Savitsky "Morning in a pine forest" 1889
Stored in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow
“Morning in a Pine Forest” is a painting by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky. Savitsky painted bears, but the collector Pavel Tretyakov, when he acquired the painting, erased his signature, so now only Shishkin is indicated as the author of the painting.
Mikhail Vrubel "The Swan Princess" 1900
Stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery
The picture was painted on the basis of the stage image of the heroine of the opera "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov based on the plot of the fairy tale of the same name by A. S. Pushkin. Vrubel created sketches for the scenery and costumes for the premiere of the opera in 1900, and his wife sang the part of the Swan Princess.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo "Portrait of Emperor Rudolf II 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 a protective layer of egg yolk to the painting.
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