Great foreign artists. The most famous paintings in the world World-famous artists

Majestic and diverse Russian painting always delights viewers with its inconstancy and perfection of artistic forms. This is a feature of the works of famous art masters. They always surprised us with their extraordinary approach to work, their reverent attitude towards the feelings and sensations of each person. Perhaps this is why Russian artists so often depicted portrait compositions that vividly combined emotional images and epically calm motifs. No wonder Maxim Gorky once said that an artist is the heart of his country, the voice of an entire era. Indeed, the majestic and elegant paintings of Russian artists vividly convey the inspiration of their time. Similar to the aspirations of the famous author Anton Chekhov, many sought to bring into Russian paintings the unique flavor of their people, as well as an unquenchable dream of beauty. It is difficult to underestimate the extraordinary paintings of these masters of majestic art, because truly extraordinary works of various genres were born under their brushes. Academic painting, portrait, historical painting, landscape, works of romanticism, modernism or symbolism - all of them still bring joy and inspiration to their viewers. Everyone finds in them something more than colorful colors, graceful lines and inimitable genres of world art. Perhaps such an abundance of forms and images with which Russian painting surprises is connected with the enormous potential of the artists’ surrounding world. Levitan also said that every note of lush nature contains a majestic and extraordinary palette of colors. With such a beginning, a magnificent expanse appears for the artist’s brush. Therefore, all Russian paintings are distinguished by their exquisite severity and attractive beauty, which is so difficult to tear yourself away from.

Russian painting is rightfully distinguished from world art. The fact is that until the seventeenth century, Russian painting was associated exclusively with religious themes. The situation changed with the coming to power of the reforming tsar, Peter the Great. Thanks to his reforms, Russian masters began to engage in secular painting, and icon painting separated as a separate direction. The seventeenth century is the time of such artists as Simon Ushakov and Joseph Vladimirov. Then, portraiture arose in the Russian art world and quickly became popular. In the eighteenth century, the first artists appeared who moved from portraiture to landscape painting. The artists’ pronounced sympathy for winter panoramas is noticeable. The eighteenth century was also remembered for the emergence of everyday painting. In the nineteenth century, three movements gained popularity in Russia: romanticism, realism and classicism. As before, Russian artists continued to turn to the portrait genre. It was then that the world-famous portraits and self-portraits of O. Kiprensky and V. Tropinin appeared. In the second half of the nineteenth century, artists increasingly depicted the common Russian people in their oppressed state. Realism becomes the central movement of painting of this period. It was then that the Itinerant artists appeared, depicting only real, real life. Well, the twentieth century is, of course, the avant-garde. The artists of that time significantly influenced both their followers in Russia and throughout the world. Their paintings became the forerunners of abstract art. Russian painting is a huge wonderful world of talented artists who have glorified Russia with their creations.

Magnificent works of art by the hands of great masters can surprise even people for whom art means little. This is why world-famous museums are among the most popular attractions, attracting millions of visitors a year.

To stand out from the huge number of paintings written throughout the history of art, the artist needs not just talent, but also the ability to express a unique plot in an unusual and very relevant way for his time.

The paintings presented below loudly declare not only the talent of their authors, but also the numerous cultural trends that have come and gone, and the most important historical events that have always been reflected in art.

"Birth of Venus"

This painting, painted by the great Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli, depicts the moment of the beautiful Venus emerging from the sea foam. One of the most attractive aspects of the painting is the modest pose of the goddess and her simple but beautiful face.

"Dogs Play Poker"

Painted by Cassius Coolidge in 1903, a series of 16 paintings depict dogs gathered around a coffee or gaming table playing poker. Many critics recognize these paintings as the canonical depiction of Americans of the era.

Portrait of Madame Recamier

This portrait, painted by Jacques-Louis David, depicts the glittering socialite in a contrastingly minimalist and simple setting, wearing a simple sleeveless white dress. This is a striking example of neoclassicism in portrait art.

№5

This famous painting, painted by Jackson Pollock, is his most iconic work, which vividly depicts the chaos that raged in Pollock's soul and mind. This is one of the most expensive works ever sold by an American artist.

"Son of Man"

"Son of Man", written by Rene Magritte, is a kind of self-portrait, depicting the artist himself in a black suit, but with an apple instead of a face.

"Number 1" ("Royal Red and Blue")

This fairly recent piece, painted by Mark Rothko, is nothing more than brushstrokes of three different shades on a handmade canvas. The painting is currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.

"Massacre of the Innocents"

Based on the biblical story of the murder of innocent babies in Bethlehem, Peter Paul Rubens created this eerie and cruel painting that touches the emotions of everyone who looks at it.

"Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte"

Created by Georges Seurat, this unique and very popular painting depicts a relaxed weekend atmosphere in a big city. This painting is an excellent example of pointillism, which combines many points into one whole.

"Dance"

"The Dance" by Henri Matisse is an example of a style called Fauvism, which is characterized by bright, almost unnatural colors and shapes and high dynamics.

"American Gothic"

"American Gothic" is a work of art that perfectly symbolizes the image of Americans during the Great Depression. In this painting, Grant Wood depicted a strict, probably religious couple standing in front of a simple house with Gothic-style windows.

"Flower Loader"

This painting by the most popular Mexican painter of the 20th century, Diego Rivera, depicts a man struggling to carry a basket overloaded with bright tropical flowers on his back.

"Whistler's Mother"

Also known as "An Arrangement in Gray and Black. The Artist's Mother", this is one of the most famous paintings by American artist James Whistler. In this painting, Whistler depicted his mother sitting on a chair against a gray wall. The painting uses only black and gray shades.

"The Persistence of Memory"

This is an iconic work by the no less iconic Salvador Dali, the world-famous Spanish surrealist who brought this movement to the forefront of art.

Portrait of Dora Maar

Pablo Picasso is one of the most popular and influential Spanish painters. He is the founder of a sensational style in his time called cubism, which seeks to fragment any object and convey it with clear geometric forms. This painting is the first portrait in the Cubist style.

"Portrait of an artist without a beard"

This painting by Van Gogh is a self-portrait, and a unique one, since it depicts the artist without the usual beard. In addition, this is one of the few paintings by Van Gogh that were sold to private collections.

"Night cafe terrace"

Painted by Vincent van Gogh, this painting depicts a familiar sight in a completely new way, using surprisingly vibrant colors and unusual shapes.

"Composition VIII"

Wassily Kandinsky is recognized as the founder of abstract art, a style that uses shapes and symbols instead of familiar objects and people. "Composition VIII" is one of the artist's first paintings made exclusively in this style.

"Kiss"

One of the first works of art in the Art Nouveau style, this painting is almost entirely done in gold tones. The painting by Gustav Klimt is one of the most striking works of the style.

"Ball at the Moulin de la Galette"

The painting by Pierre Auguste Renoir is a vibrant and dynamic depiction of city life. In addition, this is one of the most expensive paintings in the world.

"Olympia"

In the painting Olympia, Edouard Manet created a real contradiction, almost a scandal, since the naked woman with a gaze is clearly a lover, not veiled by the myths of the classical period. This is one of the early works in the style of realism.

"Third of May 1808 in Madrid"

In this work, Francisco Goya depicted Napoleon's attack on the Spaniards. This is one of the first Spanish paintings to portray the war in a negative light.

"Las Meninas"

Diego Velázquez's most famous painting depicts the five-year-old Infanta Margarita against the background of Velázquez's portrait of her parents.

"Portrait of the Arnolfini couple"

This painting is one of the oldest works of painting. It was painted by Jan van Eyck and depicts Italian businessman Giovanni Arnolfini and his pregnant wife in their home in Bruges.

"Scream"

A painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch depicts a man's face distorted with fear against a blood-red sky. The landscape in the background adds to the dark charm of this painting. In addition, "The Scream" is one of the first paintings made in the style of expressionism, where realism is minimized to allow more freedom for emotions.

"Water lilies"

"Water Lilies" by Claude Monet is part of a series of 250 paintings depicting elements of the artist's own garden. These paintings are exhibited in various art museums around the world.

"Starlight Night"

Van Gogh's Starry Night is one of the most famous images in modern culture. It is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

"The Fall of Icarus"

This painting, painted by Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel, shows man's indifference to the suffering of his fellow men. A strong social theme is shown here in a fairly simple way, using the image of Icarus drowning underwater and people ignoring his suffering.

"The Creation of Adam"

The Creation of Adam is one of several magnificent frescoes by Michelangelo that adorn the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Palace. It depicts the creation of Adam. In addition to depicting ideal human forms, the fresco is one of the first attempts in the history of art to depict God.

"Last Supper"

This fresco by the great Leonardo depicts the last supper of Jesus before his betrayal, arrest and death. In addition to the composition, shapes and colors, discussions of this fresco are replete with theories about hidden symbols and the presence of Mary Magdalene next to Jesus.

"Guernica"

Picasso's Guernica depicts the explosion of the Spanish city of the same name during the Spanish Civil War. This is a black and white picture that negatively depicts fascism, Nazism and their ideas.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring"

This painting by Johannes Vermeer is often called the Dutch Mona Lisa, not only because of its extraordinary popularity, but also because the expression on the girl's face is difficult to capture and explain.

"Beheading of John the Baptist"

Caravaggio's painting very realistically depicts the moment of the murder of John the Baptist in prison. The semi-darkness of the painting and the facial expressions of its characters make it a true classical masterpiece.

"The night Watch"

"The Night Watch" is one of Rembrandt's most famous paintings. It depicts a group portrait of a rifle company led by its officers. A unique aspect of the painting is the semi-darkness, which gives the impression of a night scene.

"School of Athens"

Painted by Raphael in his early Roman period, this fresco depicts famous Greek philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Socrates, Pythagoras and others. Many philosophers are depicted as contemporaries of Raphael, for example, Plato - Leonardo da Vinci, Heraclitus - Michelangelo, Euclid - Bramante.

"Mona Lisa"

Probably the most famous painting in the world is Leonardo da Vinci's La Gioconda, better known as the Mona Lisa. This canvas is a portrait of Mrs. Gherardini, attracting attention with a mysterious expression on her face.

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Books

  • City of the Silver Age, Volodina T.I.. The space of the city in Russian fine art and literature of the Silver Age. The book is the first interdisciplinary study of the topic in modern Russian science...
  • About outfits and rituals, Kirillov Ivan Borisovich. Folk holidays are the heritage of our ancestors. Once upon a time, people believed that with the help of rituals they could solve economic problems and attract good luck. Revival of holiday traditions...

Painting is an art that can be called eternal. At all times, paintings made by geniuses of the brush are sold at auctions for fabulous money, arouse admiration for the author’s talent, become decorations for homes, and are also historical treasures as part of architectural structures (frescoes in the Sistine Chapel or stanzas decorating the Vatican palace complex). And the most famous artists deserve to be talked about and known, regardless of the direction in which they moved: impressionism, baroque, surrealism, renaissance, etc.

12 Best Artists of All Time


He worked briefly as a broker, but devoted all his free time to painting. He created his best creations during his stay in Tahiti, where he went after the global sale of his paintings.


Painting by Paul Gauguin "Bathers"

The artist suffered from terrible diseases, including syphilis and leprosy, but it was during such difficult times that he managed to create his best works. His Bathers (1902) sold for $55 million in 2005.

. Years of life: 1878–1935. Became the founder of Suprematism.


The most famous creation of the Russian genius is “Black Square”.


Painting by Kazimir Malevich "Black Square"

And the “Suprematist Composition,” created by Malevich in 1916, was sold for $60 million in 2008.

. Years of life: 1840–1926. The French genius is called the founder of impressionism. He loved nature and was into gardening.


He had a special love for water lilies, to which he dedicated a whole series of works - 60 canvases. In his paintings, Monet tried to show how beautiful a certain moment in nature is.


This is what he tried to capture in each of his creations. "The Water Lily Pond," painted in 1919, sold for $80.5 million in 2008.

. Years of life: 1881–1973. His work is associated with cubism. According to sources, Picasso began to work in this direction after receiving a response letter from the talented artist Paul Cezanne.

In it, the Frenchman advised Pablo to consider nature from the point of view of geometric figures: as a collection of cones, spheres, cylinders. And although Cezanne recommended drawing basic prototypes of future masterpieces in this way, Picasso took this too literally and began to create in a new style.


Pablo Picasso's painting "Landscape on the Mediterranean Sea"

But the name of this direction was given by Henri Matisse when he saw one of the creations of Picasso’s colleague J. Braque and asked: “What kind of cubes are these?”

Years of life: 1912–1956. I searched for myself for a long time until I created a completely new technique for creating paintings - by splashing paint on a canvas on the floor.


It was then that he received real recognition, presenting abstract expressionism in a new perspective. The artist lived for a long time with the less recognized artist Lee Krasner, who devoted herself to her husband.


She helped him, found buyers and went through difficult moments of his life with him. Pollock's most famous painting, Number 5 (1948), was sold at auction for $140 million in 2006.

Years of life: 1839–1906. The French genius created in the spirit of impressionism. His paintings are real and understandable, imbued with the spirit of romanticism and classicism.


They simply convey life, without the embellishment or symbolic touches of other styles.


Painting by Paul Cezanne "Card Players"

The painting “The Card Players,” which was sold at auction in 2012 for a quarter of a billion dollars, was painted by Cézanne in 1895.

Years of life: 1452–1519. Even those who are completely far from art know this genius.


His most outstanding painting, the Mona Lisa, also known as La Gioconda, is in the Louvre and is not being put up for auction.


Leonardo da Vinci's painting "Mona Lisa"

Some sources claim that each of Da Vinci's creations contains an encrypted message. For example, on the canvas “The Last Supper” the melody can be clearly guessed if you draw the staff at the location of the apostles’ hands.

Years of life: 1475–1564.


The famous frescoes created on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are called the best creation of a genius.


It is noteworthy that Michelangelo became the first among those who worked in Western European art, whose biography was written during his lifetime.

. Years of life: 1606–1669. He skillfully worked with the play of shadows and light.


He conveyed the world of human feelings and experiences in a special way.


Rembrandt's painting "Night Watch"

He was interested in portrait painting. He has about 600 brilliant paintings to his credit.

. Years of life: 1483–1520. He worked during the Renaissance.


In terms of genius, he is ranked on a par with Michelangelo and da Vinci. Raphael's world-famous stanzas are located in the Vatican, in the Apostolic Palace.


The artist’s best work, “The School of Athens,” also found its refuge here.

Many people who are interested in painting are forced to give up this activity, since it is not easy to break out among people and become a famous and sought-after artist. And yet some managed to do it. Find out which artists are the most famous.

The most famous artists

So, the top 10 most famous artists in the world:

I started drawing by accident and far from my childhood. At the age of 20, Henri underwent surgery to remove it, and his mother bought him paints and paper. Matisse first copied color postcards, and then became so interested in drawing that he even decided to become a professional artist.

Despite his father's protests, Henri began to study painting. Matisse's painting style was very unusual and similar to impressionism. At first, Henri copied the works of foreign masters, and then began to create his own masterpieces. The most famous works of Henri Matisse are “Parisian Dance”, “Joy of Life”, “Conversation”, “Family Portrait”, “Red Room”.

By the way, Matisse even opened his own painting school. Today his paintings are kept in the best museums and are in the collections of the richest people.

He was a difficult teenager and during school lessons, instead of completing assignments, he painted the covers of his notebooks with funny portraits of his classmates and teachers. Soon many people learned about Claude’s talent, and he became a very famous cartoonist in his city, and later began to take money for his work. But then Monet met an experienced landscape artist who began teaching him.

And only then Claude fell in love with nature and learned to feel it. The guy expressed his emotions in drawings, which later became so popular that today they are included in the best collections of paintings. The most famous works: “Sunset over the sea”, “Sunflowers”, “Tulips of Holland”, “By the sea”, “Road in the forest”, “Still life with meat”.

Today everyone knows his name, as well as his best works, which include “Girl on a Ball”, “Life”, “Bathers”, “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” and many others. And his painting “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust” became the most expensive painting ever sold.

Picasso was a talented artist, graphic artist, designer, ceramist, as well as a decorator and sculptor. He is the founder of Cubism. In addition, Picasso made a huge contribution to the development of art of the last century; it probably would not have been the same without this man.

In total, Pablo completed about 20 thousand works during his life, each of which was unique and unrepeatable. Picasso began drawing from a very early age, and took his first painting lessons from his father, who was an art teacher (later Pablo himself held this position). And young Picasso drew inspiration from fairy tales that his mother made up herself and told to her son at night.

4. Vincent Van Gogh is a Dutch post-impressionist artist who created many amazing and unusual works. Vincent was a difficult teenager, but to outsiders he seemed thoughtful and serious. Van Gogh began to draw later, when he began working in an art and trading company.

Every day Vincent came into contact with works of art, so he learned to appreciate them. After an unsuccessful love affair, the affairs of the young Van Gogh dealer began to deteriorate, and at some point he decided to try his hand at painting. But still, Vincent had to earn a living, although he did not like the work. After several failures, Van Gogh decided to devote himself entirely to painting and gave the world many masterpieces.

- artist of Armenian origin (his real name is Hovhannes). From childhood, Ivan showed creative abilities; he even taught himself to play the violin. Aivazovsky also drew beautifully and constantly developed his abilities.

Ivan especially appreciated and idolized the sea, and that is why his works are dominated by gorgeous seascapes, which depict storms, shipwrecks, waves and depths. The artist’s most famous paintings are “The Ninth Wave”, “Venice”, “Chaos”, “Sinking Ship”, “Ice Mountains”, “Wave”, “Black Sea”.

- an artist who was practically the discoverer of the beauties of Russian nature. He loved everything: trees, every blade of grass, the sky, dew drops, flowers. And this love of his is clearly visible in the paintings, each of which is a real masterpiece.

His landscapes proved to everyone that Russia is not a gray, boring country, as was previously thought, but an incredibly beautiful place. Here are some of the artist’s most famous works: “Evening Bells”, “March”, “Golden Autumn”. By the way, many of his landscapes are still used as illustrations and published in textbooks.

is a truly unique and legendary artist who changed society’s views on painting. A distinctive feature of Pollock's works was that they bore little resemblance to paintings. It may look like someone has spilled paint on the paper, but upon closer inspection, you can see something mysterious and profound.

And Jackson himself was completely immersed in the process and expressed his emotions through the canvas. He laid paper on the floor and used broken glass, liquid paints, scoops, knives and sticks to draw. Pollock’s most famous works are “Number 5” (this is the artist’s most expensive painting), “Moon Woman Cutting a Circle” and “She-Wolf”.

Known for painting portraits of most famous people. But it’s not in vain that the stars turn to Nikas, he is very talented. Safronov was born into a simple family and achieved everything on his own. In addition, this is one of the few artists who managed to become famous during his lifetime. Nikas's list of works includes portraits of such celebrities as Mike Tyson, Sophia Loren, Mick Jagger, Julio Iglesias, Elton John, Sting, Steven Spielberg, Jack Nicholson and many others.

– perhaps the most iconic and significant person in the history of pop art. Andy started drawing as a child. At first he illustrated magazines, but then decided to create his own works, drawing inspiration from food, drinks and other consumer goods.

He painted canned food, fruits, and alcoholic drinks. But all the paintings were distinguished by a special manner of execution. The drawings were so eccentric and bright that they simply could not be ignored.

– master of figurative painting and expressionist artist. The main theme of his works is the human body. But Francis usually painted bodies elongated, distorted, enclosed in some figures or objects. Bacon's most famous works are “The Sleeping Man,” “The Woman,” the “Crucifixion” triptych, and “Three Sketches for a Portrait of Lucian Freud.”

These were the most famous artists of all time.