Amazing pictures. Sensual realism by Sergei Marshennikov

How much does it take to become an artist? Maybe talent? Or the ability to learn something new? Or wild fantasy? Certainly, all this necessary factors but which one is the most important? Inspiration. When an artist literally puts his soul into a painting, it becomes as if alive. The magic of colors works wonders, but it is impossible to translate the look, I want to study every little thing ...

In this article, we will look at 25 truly ingenious and famous paintings.

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The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali

This small picture and brought popularity to Dali when he was 28 years old. This is not the only name of the picture, it also has names " soft watch”, “Stability of memory”, “Hardness of memory”.

The idea of ​​painting a picture came to the artist at the moment when he was thinking about melted cheese. Dali did not leave a note about the meaning and significance of the painting, so scientists interpret it in their own way, leaning towards Einstein's theory of relativity.

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"Dance", Henri Matisse

The picture is written in just three colors - red, blue and green. They symbolize heaven, earth and people. In addition to "Dance" Matisse painted another painting "Music". They were commissioned by a Russian collector.

There are no unnecessary details on it, only the natural background and the people themselves, who are frozen in the dance. This is exactly what the artist wanted - to capture a good moment when people are one with nature and overwhelmed with ecstasy.

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The Kiss, Gustav Klimt

The Kiss is Klimt's most famous painting. He wrote it in his "golden" period of creativity. He used real gold leaf. There are two versions of the painting's biography. According to the first version, the picture depicts Gustav himself with his beloved Emilia Flöge, whose name he pronounced last in his life. According to the second version, a certain count ordered the painting for Klimt to paint him and his beloved.

When the count asked why the kiss itself was not in the picture, Klimt stated that he was an artist and he saw it that way. In fact, Klimt fell in love with the count's girlfriend and this was some kind of revenge.

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Sleeping Gypsy, Henri Rousseau

The canvas was found only 13 years after the death of the author, and it immediately became his most expensive work. During his lifetime, he tried to sell it to the mayor of the city, but all to no avail.

The picture conveys the original meaning and deep idea. Peace, relaxation - these are the feelings that "Sleeping Gypsy" evokes.

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"The Last Judgment", Hieronymus Bosch

The painting is the largest of all his surviving works. The picture does not need an explanation of the plot, everything is clear from the title. Last Judgment, apocalypse. God judges both the righteous and sinners. The picture is divided into three scenes. In the first scene, paradise, green gardens, bliss.

In the central part is the Last Judgment itself, where God begins to judge people for their deeds. IN right side hell is depicted, as it appears. Terrible monsters, red-hot inferno and monstrous torture of sinners.

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Metamorphoses of Narcissus, Salvador Dali

Many plots were taken for the basis, but the most important place is occupied by the story of Narcissus - a guy who admired his beauty so much that he died because he could not satisfy his desires.

In the foreground of the picture, Narcissus sits in thought by the water and cannot tear himself away from his own reflection. Nearby is a stone hand, in which the egg, it is a symbol of rebirth and new life.

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Massacre of the Innocents, Peter Paul Rubens

The story was taken from the Bible, when King Herod ordered the killing of all newborn boys. The painting depicts a garden in Herod's palace. Armed warriors forcefully take babies from crying mothers and kill them. The ground is strewn with dead bodies.

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Number 5 1948 by Jackson Pollock

Jackson enjoyed unique method applying paint to a painting. He laid the canvas on the ground and walked around it. But instead of applying strokes, he took brushes, syringes and splashed onto the canvas. This method was later called "action painting".

Pollock did not use sketches, he always relied only on his emotions.

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

Renoir is the only artist who did not write a single sad picture. Renoir found the plot for this painting near the house, in the Moulin de la Galette restaurant. The lively and cheerful atmosphere of the institution inspired the artist to create this picture. Friends and favorite models posed for him to write the work.

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The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

This painting depicts the last feast of Christ with his disciples. It is generally accepted that the moment is drawn when Christ says that one of the disciples will betray him.

In search of sitters, da Vinci spent a lot of time. The most difficult were the image of Christ and Judas. In the church choir, Leonardo noticed a young singer and drew the image of Christ from him. Three years later, the artist saw a drunkard descending in a ditch and realized that this was the one he was looking for and dragged him to the workshop.

When he copied the image from a drunkard, he confessed to him that three years ago the artist himself painted the image of Christ from him. And so it happened that the images of Jesus and Judas were written off from the same person, but in different life periods.

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"Water Lilies", Claude Monet

In 1912, the artist was diagnosed with a double cataract, because of which he underwent surgery. Having lost the lens in his left eye, the artist began to see ultraviolet light as blue or purple, because of this, his paintings acquired new and bright colors. Drawing this picture, Monet saw the lilies as blue, while ordinary people saw just ordinary white lilies.

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"Scream", Edvard Munch

Munch suffered from manic-depressive psychosis, he was often tormented by nightmares and depression. Many critics believe that Munch depicted himself in the picture - screaming in panic and insane horror.

The artist himself described the meaning of the picture as a "cry of nature." He said that he was walking with friends at sunset and the sky turned blood red. Trembling with fear, he allegedly heard the same "cry of nature."

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Whistler's Mother, James Whistler

The mother of the artist himself posed for the picture. Initially, he wanted his mother to pose standing up, but this proved difficult for the old woman.
Whistler titled his painting Arrangement in Gray and Black. The artist's mother. But over time, the real name was forgotten and people began to call her "Mother Whistler."

It was originally an order from a Member of Parliament. who wanted the artist to draw Maggie's daughter. But in the process, she refused the painting and James asked his mother to become a model in order to complete the painting.

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"Portrait of Dora Maar", Pablo Picasso

Dora entered the work of Picasso as "a woman in tears." He noted that he could never write her smiling. Deep, sad eyes and sadness on the face - that's characteristics portraits of Maar. And, of course, blood-red nails - this especially delighted the artist. Picasso often painted portraits of Dora Maar and they are all admirable.

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"Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh

The picture shows night landscape, which the artist expressed with thick, bright colors and an atmosphere of nocturnal tranquility. The brightest objects are, of course, the stars and the moon, they are drawn in the most pronounced way.

Tall cypresses grow on the ground, as if dreaming of joining the fascinating dances of the stars.

The meaning of the picture is interpreted in different ways. Some see a reference to the Old Testament, while others are simply inclined to believe that the painting is the result of a protracted illness of the artist. It was during the treatment that he wrote Starry Night.

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Olympia Edouard Manet

The picture was the reason for one of the most high-profile scandals in history. After all, it depicts a naked girl lying on white sheets.
Outraged people spat at the artist, and some even tried to spoil the canvas.

Manet only wanted to draw a "modern" Venus, to show that the women of the present are no worse than the women of the past.

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May 3, 1808, Francisco Goya

The artist deeply experienced the events associated with the attack of Napoleon. In May 1808, the Madrid uprising ended tragically, and this touched the soul of the artist so much that after 6 years he poured out his feelings on the canvas.

War, death, loss - all this is so realistically depicted in the picture that it still delights the minds of many.

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Girl with a Pearl Earring by Jan Vermeer

The painting had another name "Girl in a turban". In general, little is known about the painting. According to one version, Jan painted his own daughter Maria. In the picture, the girl seems to be turning towards someone and the viewer's gaze is focused on the pearl earring in the girl's ear. The sparkle of the earring shines in the eyes and on the lips.

Based on the picture, a novel was written, later a film of the same name was shot.

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"Night Watch", Rembrandt

This group portrait companies of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenbürg. The portrait was painted by order of the Shooting Society.
For all the difficulty of the content, the picture is full of the spirit of parade and solemnity. As if the Musketeers pose for the artist, forgetting about the battle.
Later, the painting was cut off on all sides so that it would fit in the new room. Some arrows have disappeared from the picture forever.

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Las Meninas, Diego Velasquez

In the painting, the artist paints portraits of King Phillip the Fourth and his wife, which are visible reflected in the mirror. Their five-year-old daughter is depicted in the center of the composition, surrounded by a retinue.

Many believe that Velasquez wanted to depict himself at the moment of creation - "painting and painting".

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Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, Pieter Brueghel

This is the only surviving work of the artist on the subject of myths.

The main character of the picture is almost invisible. He fell into the river, only his legs stick out of the water surface. On the surface of the river are scattered the feathers of Icarus, which flew out from the fall. And people are busy with their own affairs, no one cares about the fallen youth.

It would seem that the picture is tragic, because it depicts the death of a young man, but the picture is painted in calm, soft colors and, as it were, says - "nothing happened."

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The School of Athens, Raphael

Before " the school of Athens» Raphael had little experience with frescoes, but surprisingly, this fresco turned out brilliantly excellent.

This painting depicts the Academy founded by Plato in Athens. The meetings of the Academy were held under open sky, but the artist decided that more brilliant ideas come in a magnificently made antique building and therefore depicts students precisely not against the backdrop of nature. On the fresco, Raphael depicted himself.

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The Creation of Adam, Michelangelo

This is the fourth of nine frescoes on the ceiling. Sistine Chapel about the creation of the world. Michelangelo did not consider himself a great artist, he positioned himself as a sculptor. That is why the body of Adam in the picture is so proportional, has pronounced features.

In 1990, they discovered that an anatomically accurate structure was encrypted in the image of God human brain. Perhaps Michelangelo was well acquainted with human anatomy.

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"Mona Lisa", Leonardo da Vinci

The Mona Lisa remains one of the most mysterious paintings in the world of art. Critics are still arguing who is actually depicted on it. Many are inclined to believe that Mona Lisa is the wife of Francesco Gioconda, who asked the artist to paint a portrait.

The main mystery of the picture lies in the smile of a woman. There are many versions - starting from the woman's pregnancy and the smile gives out the movement of the fetus, ending with the fact that this is actually a self-portrait of the artist in female image. Well, it remains only to guess and admire incredible beauty paintings.

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The Birth of Venus Sandro Botticelli

The painting depicts the myth of the birth of the goddess Venus. The goddess was born from the sea foam in the early morning. The wind god Zephyr helps the goddess swim to the shore in her shell, where she is met by the goddess Ora. The picture personifies the birth of love, evokes a feeling of beauty, because there is nothing more beautiful in the world than love.

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Conclusion

We have tried to include in this article only some of the most popular paintings in the world. But there are also many other equally interesting masterpieces. visual arts. What paintings do you consider popular?

Among the peaceful pastorals, noble portraits and other works of art that evoke only positive emotions, there are strange and shocking canvases. We have collected 15 pictures that make the audience horrified. Moreover, all of them belong to the brushes of world famous artists.

"Guernica"

One of the most famous works Pablo Picasso "Guernica" - a story about the tragedy of war and the suffering of innocent people. This work received worldwide recognition and became a reminder of the horrors of war.

"Losing mind over matter"

"Losing mind before matter" - a painting painted in 1973 Austrian artist Otto Rapp. He depicted a decaying human head, put on a bird cage, in which lies a piece of flesh.

"Dante and Virgil in Hell"

Adolphe William Bouguereau's painting Dante and Virgil in Hell was inspired by a short scene about a battle between two damned souls from Dante's Inferno.

"Suspended living Negro"

This gruesome creation by William Blake depicts a Negro slave who was hung from the gallows with a hook threaded through his ribs. The work is based on the story of the Dutch soldier Steadman - an eyewitness to such a cruel massacre.

"Hell"

Painting "Hell" German artist Hans Memling, written in 1485, is one of the most terrible artistic creations of his time. She was supposed to push people towards virtue. Memling heightened the scene's horrifying effect by adding the caption, "There is no redemption in hell."

water spirit

The artist Alfred Kubin is considered the largest representative symbolism and expressionism and is known for his dark symbolic fantasies. "The Spirit of Water" is one of such works, depicting the impotence of man in the face of the sea.

"Necronom IV"

This is a terrible creation. famous artist Hans Rudolf Giger was inspired famous movie"Stranger". Giger suffered from nightmares and all his paintings were inspired by these visions.

"Flaying Marsyas"

Created by an artist of times Italian Renaissance Titian's painting "The Flaying of Marsyas" is currently in National Museum in Kroměříž in the Czech Republic. Piece of art depicts a scene from Greek mythology, where the satyr Marsyas is flayed for daring to challenge the god Apollo.

"Scream"

The cry is famous painting Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch. The picture depicts a desperately screaming man against the background of a blood-colored sky. It is known that "The Scream" was inspired by a serene evening walk, during which Munch witnessed the blood-red setting sun.

"Gallowgate Lard"

This painting is nothing more than a self-portrait by Scottish author Ken Currie, who specializes in dark, socially realistic paintings. Curry's favorite theme is dark city ​​life Scottish working class.

"Saturn Devouring His Son"

One of the most famous and sinister works of the Spanish artist Francisco Goya was painted on his house wall in 1820 - 1823. "Saturn devouring his son" is based on Greek myth about the titan Chronos (in Rome - Saturn), who feared that he would be overthrown by one of his children and ate them immediately after birth.

"Judith Killing Holofernes"

The execution of Holofernes was portrayed by such great artists as Donatello, Sandro Botticelli, Giorgione, Gentileschi, Lucas Cranach the Elder and many others. On painting by Caravaggio, written in 1599, depicts the most dramatic moment of this story - the decapitation.

"Nightmare"

The painting The Nightmare by the Swiss painter Heinrich Fuseli was first shown at the annual exhibition of the Royal Academy in London in 1782, where it shocked both visitors and critics.

"Massacre of the innocents"

This outstanding work art by Peter Paul Rubens, consisting of two paintings, was created in 1612, believed to have been influenced by the works of the famous Italian artist Caravaggio.

If the paintings seemed too gloomy to hang them at home, you can use one of them.

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

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

Warm simplicity Valentina Gubareva

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

Sensual realism by Sergei Marshennikov

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

The Myopic World of Philip Barlow

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

Sunny Bunnies by Laurent Parcelier

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

Urban Dynamics in the Works of Jeremy Mann

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

The Illusory World of Neil Simon

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

The love drama of Joseph Lorasso

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

Village life of Dmitry Levin

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

Bright East Valery Blokhin

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

Some works of art seem to hit the viewer on the head, dumbfounded and amazing. Some of them draw you into thought and in search of semantic layers, secret symbolism. Some of the paintings are shrouded in mystery and mystical riddles, and some - surprise exorbitant prices.

Edvard Munch "Scream"

1893, cardboard, oil, tempera, pastel. 91×73.5 cm

National Gallery, Oslo

"Scream" is considered milestone event expressionism and one of the most famous paintings in the world.
“I was walking along the path with two friends - the sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood red, I stopped, feeling exhausted, and leaned against the fence - I looked at the blood and flames over the bluish-black fjord and the city - my friends went on, and I stood trembling with excitement, feeling the endless cry piercing nature, ”said Edvard Munch about the history of the painting.
There are two interpretations of what is depicted: it is the hero himself who is seized with horror and silently screams, pressing his hands to his ears; or the hero closes his ears from the cry of the world and nature sounding around him. Munch wrote 4 versions of The Scream, and there is a version that this picture is the fruit of a manic-depressive psychosis from which the artist suffered. After a course of treatment at the clinic, Munch did not return to work on the canvas.

Paul Gauguin "Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?"

1897-1898, oil on canvas. 139.1×374.6 cm

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Deep philosophical picture post-impressionist Paul Gauguin was written by him in Tahiti, where he fled from Paris. At the end of the work, he even wanted to commit suicide, because "I believe that this canvas is not only superior to all my previous ones, and that I will never create something better or even similar." He lived another 5 years, and so it happened.
At the direction of Gauguin himself, the picture should be read from right to left - the three main groups of figures illustrate the questions posed in the title. Three women with a child represent the beginning of life; middle group symbolizes the daily existence of maturity; in the final group, as conceived by the artist, " old woman, approaching death, seems reconciled and indulged in her thoughts", at her feet "a strange White bird...represents the futility of words."

Pablo Picasso "Guernica"

1937, oil on canvas. 349×776 cm

Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid

The huge fresco "Guernica", painted by Picasso in 1937, tells about the raid of the Luftwaffe volunteer unit on the city of Guernica, as a result of which the six thousandth city was completely destroyed. The picture was painted in just a month - the first days of work on the picture, Picasso worked for 10-12 hours and already in the first sketches one could see main idea. This is one of the best illustrations the nightmare of fascism, as well as human cruelty and grief.
Guernica presents scenes of death, violence, atrocities, suffering and helplessness, without specifying their immediate causes, but they are obvious. It is said that in 1940 Pablo Picasso was summoned to the Gestapo in Paris. The conversation immediately turned to the picture. "Did you do that?" “No, you did it.”

Jan van Eyck "Portrait of the Arnolfinis"

1434, oil on wood. 81.8×59.7 cm

London National Gallery, London

The portrait supposedly of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife is one of the most complex works Western school of painting of the Northern Renaissance.
The famous painting is completely filled with symbols, allegories and various references - up to the caption "Jan van Eyck was here", which turned it not just into a work of art, but into historical document, confirming the actual event, which was attended by the artist.
In Russia recent years the picture gained great popularity due to the portrait resemblance of Arnolfini with Vladimir Putin.

Mikhail Vrubel "Seated Demon"

1890, oil on canvas. 114×211 cm

Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

The painting by Mikhail Vrubel surprises with the image of a demon. The sad long-haired guy is not at all like the universal ideas of what an evil spirit should look like. The artist himself spoke about his most famous painting: “The demon is not so much an evil spirit as a suffering and mournful one, with all this a domineering, majestic spirit.” This is an image of the strength of the human spirit, internal struggle, doubts. Hands clasped tragically, the Demon sits with sad, huge eyes directed into the distance, surrounded by flowers. The composition emphasizes the constraint of the figure of the demon, as if sandwiched between the upper and lower crossbars of the frame.

Vasily Vereshchagin "The Apotheosis of War"

1871, oil on canvas. 127×197 cm

State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Vereshchagin is one of the main Russian battle painters, but he painted wars and battles not because he loved them. On the contrary, he tried to convey to people his negative attitude towards the war. Once Vereshchagin, in the heat of emotion, exclaimed: “More battle paintings I will not write - that's it! I take what I write too close to my heart, cry out (literally) the grief of every wounded and killed. Probably, the result of this exclamation was the terrible and bewitching painting "The Apotheosis of War", which depicts a field, crows and a mountain of human skulls.
The picture is written so deeply and emotionally that behind every skull lying in this pile, you begin to see people, their fates and the fates of those who will no longer see these people. Vereshchagin himself, with sad sarcasm, called the canvas a “still life” - it depicts “dead nature”.
All the details of the picture, including the yellow color, symbolize death and devastation. The clear blue sky emphasizes the deadness of the picture. The idea of ​​the "Apotheosis of War" is also expressed by the scars from sabers and bullet holes on the skulls.

Grant Wood "American Gothic"

1930, oil. 74×62 cm

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago

"American Gothic" is one of the most recognizable images in American art XX century, the most famous artistic meme of the XX and XXI centuries.
The picture with a gloomy father and daughter is overflowing with details that indicate the severity, puritanism and retrogradeness of the people depicted. Angry faces, a pitchfork right in the middle of the picture, old-fashioned clothes even by the standards of 1930, an exposed elbow, seams on the farmer's clothes that repeat the shape of a pitchfork, and therefore a threat that is addressed to anyone who encroaches. All these details can be looked at endlessly and cringe from discomfort.
Interestingly, the judges of the competition at the Art Institute of Chicago perceived "Gothic" as a "humorous valentine", and the people of Iowa were terribly offended by Wood for portraying them in such an unpleasant light.

Rene Magritte "Lovers"

1928, oil on canvas

The painting "Lovers" ("Lovers") exists in two versions. On one, a man and a woman, whose heads are wrapped in a white cloth, are kissing, and on the other, they “look” at the viewer. The picture surprises and fascinates. With two figures without faces, Magritte conveyed the idea of ​​the blindness of love. About blindness in every sense: lovers do not see anyone, we do not see their true faces, and besides, lovers are a mystery even to each other. But with this seeming clarity, we still continue to look at the Magritte lovers and think about them.
Almost all of Magritte's paintings are puzzles that cannot be completely solved, since they raise questions about the very essence of being. Magritte talks all the time about the deceitfulness of the visible, about its hidden mystery, which we usually do not notice.

Marc Chagall "Walk"

1917, oil on canvas

State Tretyakov Gallery

Usually extremely serious in his painting, Marc Chagall wrote a delightful manifesto of his own happiness, filled with allegories and love. "Walk" is a self-portrait with his wife Bella. His beloved soars in the sky and looks to be dragged into the flight and Chagall, who is standing on the ground precariously, as if touching her only with the toes of his shoes. Chagall has a tit in his other hand - he is happy, he has a tit in his hands (probably his painting), and a crane in the sky.

Hieronymus Bosch "The Garden of Earthly Delights"

1500-1510, oil on wood. 389×220 cm

Prado, Spain

"Garden earthly pleasures”- the most famous triptych of Hieronymus Bosch, which got its name from the theme of the central part, is dedicated to the sin of voluptuousness. To date, none of the available interpretations of the picture has been recognized as the only true one.
The enduring charm and at the same time the strangeness of the triptych lies in the way the artist expresses the main idea through many details. The picture is full of transparent figures, fantastic structures, monsters that have become hallucinations, infernal caricatures of reality, which he looks at with a searching, extremely sharp look. Some scientists wanted to see in the triptych an image of human life through the prism of its vanity and images earthly love, others - the triumph of voluptuousness. However, the innocence and some detachment with which individual figures are interpreted, as well as the favorable attitude towards this work on the part of the church authorities, make one doubt that the glorification of bodily pleasures could be its content.

Gustav Klimt "Three Ages of Woman"

1905, oil on canvas. 180×180 cm

National Gallery contemporary art, Rome

"Three Ages of Woman" is both joyful and sad. In it, the story of a woman's life is written in three figures: carelessness, peace and despair. The young woman is organically woven into the ornament of life, the old woman stands out from it. The contrast between the stylized image of a young woman and the naturalistic image of an old woman becomes symbolic meaning: the first phase of life brings with it endless possibilities and metamorphoses, the last one brings constant constancy and conflict with reality.
The canvas does not let go, it gets into the soul and makes you think about the depth of the artist's message, as well as about the depth and inevitability of life.

Egon Schiele "Family"

1918, oil on canvas. 152.5×162.5 cm

Belvedere Gallery, Vienna

Schiele was a student of Klimt, but, like any excellent student, he did not copy his teacher, but was looking for something new. Schiele is much more tragic, strange and frightening than Gustav Klimt. In his works there is a lot of what could be called pornography, various perversions, naturalism and, at the same time, aching despair.
"Family" - his latest work, in which desperation is taken to the absolute, despite the fact that this is the least strange-looking picture of him. He painted it just before his death, after his pregnant wife Edith died of a Spanish flu. He died at the age of 28 just three days after Edith, having managed to draw her, himself and their unborn child.

Frida Kahlo "The Two Fridas"

Story difficult life Mexican artist Frida Kahlo became widely known after the release of the film "Frida" with Salma Hayek in leading role. Kahlo painted mostly self-portraits and explained it simply: “I paint myself because I spend a lot of time alone and because I am the subject that I know best.”
Frida Kahlo does not smile in any self-portrait: a serious, even mournful face, fused thick eyebrows, a slightly noticeable mustache over tightly compressed lips. The ideas of her paintings are encrypted in the details, the background, the figures that appear next to Frida. The symbolism of Kahlo is based on national traditions and is closely connected with the Indian mythology of the pre-Hispanic period.
In one of the best pictures- "Two Fridas" - she expressed the masculine and feminine principles, connected in her by a single circulatory system, demonstrating her integrity.

Claude Monet Waterloo Bridge. Fog effect»

1899, oil on canvas

State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

When examining a picture from a close distance, the viewer sees nothing but a canvas, on which frequent thick oil strokes. All the magic of the work is revealed when we gradually begin to move away from the canvas to a greater distance. First, incomprehensible semicircles begin to appear before us, passing through the middle of the picture, then, we see the clear outlines of the boats and, having moved a distance of about two meters, all connecting works are sharply drawn and lined up in a logical chain in front of us.

Jackson Pollock "Number 5, 1948"

1948, fiberboard, oil. 240×120 cm

The strangeness of this picture is that the canvas of the American leader of abstract expressionism, which he painted, pouring paint over a piece of fiberboard spread out on the floor, is the most expensive picture in the world. In 2006, at the Sotheby's auction, they paid $ 140 million for it. David Giffen, a film producer and collector, sold it to Mexican financier David Martinez.
“I continue to move away from the usual tools of the artist, such as the easel, palette and brushes. I prefer sticks, shovels, knives and pouring paint or a mixture of paint and sand, broken glass or something else. When I am inside a painting, I am not aware of what I am doing. Understanding comes later. I have no fear of changing or destroying the image, because the painting lives on its own. own life. I'm just helping her get outside. But if I lose contact with the painting, it's dirty and messy. If not, then this is pure harmony, the ease of how you take and give.

Joan Miro "Man and Woman in Front of a Pile of Excrement"

1935, copper, oil, 23×32 cm

Joan Miro Foundation, Spain

Good title. And who would have thought that this picture tells us about the horrors of civil wars.
The painting was made on a sheet of copper in the week between 15 and 22 October 1935. According to Miro, this is the result of an attempt to portray the tragedy civil war in Spain. Miro said that this is a picture about a period of unrest. The painting depicts a man and a woman reaching out for each other's arms, but not moving. Enlarged genitals and ominous colors have been described as "full of revulsion and disgusting sexuality".

Jacek Jerka "Erosion"

The Polish neo-surrealist is known worldwide for his amazing pictures in which realities unite, creating new ones. It is difficult to look at his extremely detailed and to some extent touching works one by one, but such is the format of our material, and we had to choose one to illustrate his imagination and skill. We recommend to read.

Bill Stoneham "Hands Resist Him"

This work, of course, cannot be ranked among the masterpieces of world art, but the fact that it is strange is a fact.
Around the picture with a boy, a doll and palms pressed against the glass, there are legends. From "because of this picture they die" to "the children in it are alive." The picture looks really creepy, which gives rise to a lot of fears and conjectures in people with a weak psyche.
The artist, on the other hand, assured that the painting depicted himself at the age of five, that the door was a representation of the dividing line between the real world and the world of dreams, and the doll is a guide that can lead the boy through this world. hands represent alternative lives or opportunities.
The painting gained notoriety in February 2000 when it was listed for sale on eBay with a backstory that said the painting was "haunted". "Hands Resist Him" ​​was bought for $1,025 by Kim Smith, who was then inundated with letters from creepy stories and demands to burn the painting.

Today we would like to tell you a little about those people who, in our opinion, are among the most unusual artists of our time. They use non-standard techniques, unusual ideas, putting all their creativity and talent into their unique works.

1. Lorenzo Duran

His way of creating paintings is based on historical research paper cutting in China, Japan, Germany and Switzerland. He collects the leaves, washes, dries them, presses them and carefully carves his paintings on them.

2. Nina Aoyama

At first glance, it may seem that this young Frenchwoman does nothing special - she just cuts out of paper. But she sticks her clippings on fabric or glass, and it turns out such a beauty!

3. Claire Morgan

British artist Claire Morgan creates unusual installations that freeze right in the air. The working material for the artist are dry plants, grains, insects, stuffed animals and fresh fruits. Thousands of details of the installation are fixed on a thin fishing line with jeweler's precision. Air sculptures by Claire Morgan are dedicated to the Earth and all living things living on it.

4. Mike Stillkey

Mike Stilkey creates art out of book spines. He builds a whole wall of books, and writes his pictures on their spines. Mike for a long time dreamed of publishing an album with his paintings, but not a single publisher undertook this. His painting did not find a response among critics. Then the artist decided to let the books tell about his work.

5. Jim Denevan

Jim draws patterns in the sand with unprecedented mathematical precision. Jim paints mostly on the beaches, but in Lately he began to paint in the deserts as well. “I don’t have as much time on the beach as I do in the deserts,” he says. “The ocean washes everything away very quickly.”

6. Vhils

His works are unusual in that he carves them into old plaster.

7. Bruce Munro

In his work he works with light. Not so long ago, his installation of another field of light was opened in English city Bat. It is a field dotted with lamps on thin plastic stems. Looks like a set for the movie Avatar.

8. Jason Mecier

The problem of drug addiction is acute all over the world. In an attempt to draw the attention of the general public to her, the talented American artist Jason Mecier made portraits of stars from pills. The most interesting thing is that the artist used only tablets as a material for his canvases, which are released according to a special prescription, which he could not legally get. It can be said that Jason committed an illegal act, but by doing so he drew attention to the illegal distribution of drugs.

9. Jennifer Maestre