World artistic masterpieces. The most beautiful paintings in the world

The article presents 22 paintings from different times, which are masterpieces of world painting and are the property of all mankind.

The painting is kept in the Louvre, Paris, France. The Mona Lisa may not have gained worldwide fame if it had not been stolen in 1911 by a Louvre employee. The painting was found two years later in: the thief responded to an advertisement in the newspaper and offered to sell “La Gioconda” to the director of the Uffizi Gallery. All this time, while the investigation was ongoing, the “Mona Lisa” did not leave the covers of newspapers and magazines around the world, becoming an object of copying and worship.


The painting is kept in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan.
Over the more than 500-year existence of the work, the fresco was destroyed more than once: a doorway was cut through the painting and then blocked, the refectory of the monastery where the image is located was used as an armory, a prison, and was bombed. The famous fresco was restored at least five times, with the last restoration taking 21 years. Today, to view the work, visitors must reserve tickets in advance and can spend only 15 minutes in the refectory.

The work is kept 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 kings (Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Mikhail Fedorovich) “covered” the icon with gold, silver and precious stones. Today the salary is kept in the Sergiev Posad State Museum-Reserve.


The painting is in Florence in the Uffizi Gallery.
The work illustrates the myth of the birth of Aphrodite. A naked goddess swims to the shore in an open shell, driven by the wind. On the left side of the painting, Zephyr (the west wind), in the arms of his wife Chloris, 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.


Kept in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
According to the author of the picture, 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 structure seems quite strong, but upon closer examination 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.

The painting is kept in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow.
The painting ended up in Russia thanks to industrialist Ivan Abramovich Morozov, who purchased it in 1913 for 16,000 francs. In 1918, the personal collection of I. A. Morozov was nationalized. Currently the painting is in the collection of the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin.


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 the bears, but the collector Pavel Tretyakov, when he acquired the painting, erased his signature, so now Shishkin alone is indicated as the author of the painting.


Aivazovsky's painting is kept in St. Petersburg in the Russian State Museum.
Ivan Aivazovsky is a world-famous Russian marine painter who devoted his life to depicting the sea. He created about six thousand works, each of which received recognition during the artist’s lifetime. The painting “The Ninth Wave” is included in the book “100 Great Paintings”.


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 my Motherland, then at least I will write for it.” The bare chest leading the people symbolizes the dedication of the French people of that time, who went bare-chested against the enemy.


The masterpiece is kept in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The original title of Rembrandt’s work is “The Performance of the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg.” Art historians who discovered the painting in the 19th century thought that the figures were standing out against a dark background, and it was called “Night Watch.” Later it was discovered that a layer of soot makes the picture dark, but the action actually takes place during the day. However, the painting has already been included in the treasury of world art under the name “Night Watch”.

The painting is kept in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
The original title of the painting was “Madonna and Child.” The modern name of the painting comes from the name of its owner - Count Litta, owner of the family art gallery in Milan. There is an assumption that the figure of the baby was not painted by Leonardo da Vinci, but belongs to the brush of one of his students. This is evidenced by the pose of a baby for the author's style.

The painting is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
It is based on the fairy tale “About Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka.” Initially, Vasnetsov’s painting was called “Fool Alyonushka.” At that time, orphans were called “fools.” “Alyonushka,” the artist himself later said, “seemed to have lived in my head for a long time, but in reality I saw her in Akhtyrka, when I met one simple-haired girl who captured my imagination. There was so much melancholy, loneliness and purely Russian sadness in her eyes... Some special Russian spirit wafted from her.”

The work is kept in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
The painting “The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus” is considered the personification of manly passion and physical beauty. The strong, muscular arms of young men pick up young naked women to put them on horses. The sons of Zeus and Leda steal their cousins' brides.


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 artist's image in the left corner of the painting is a self-portrait of the author.

The painting is kept in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden, Germany.
The painting has a little secret: the background, which from afar appears to be clouds, turns out to be the heads of angels upon closer examination. And the two angels depicted in the picture below became the motif of numerous postcards and posters.


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, doubt. Tragically clasping his hands, the Demon sits with sad, huge eyes directed into the distance, surrounded by unprecedented things.


The painting is exhibited at the State Tretyakov Gallery.
The artist painted this picture for several months. Subsequently, Kazimir Malevich made several copies of “Black Square” (according to some sources, seven). According to one version, the artist was unable to complete the painting on time, so he had to cover the work with black paint. Subsequently, after public recognition, Malevich painted new “Black Squares” on blank canvases. Malevich also painted “Red Square” (in two copies) and one “White Square”.


The painting is in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
According to the author himself, the painting was painted as a result of the associations that Dali had with the sight of processed cheese. Returning from the cinema, where she went that evening, Gala quite correctly predicted that no one, once they saw The Persistence of Memory, would forget it.

The painting is kept in 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-Rémy hospital, tormented by attacks of madness.

The fresco is located in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
The painting “The Creation of Adam” is the fourth of the nine central compositions of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, dedicated to the nine scenes of the book of Genesis. The fresco illustrates the episode: “And God created man in His own image”


The painting is in the Marmottan Museum in Paris.
The title of the work “Impression, soleil levant”, with the light hand of journalist L. Leroy, became the name of the artistic movement “impressionism”. The painting was created from life in the old outport of Le Havre in France.


The painting is in the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
The Folies Bergere is a variety show and cabaret in Paris. Manet often visited the Folies Bergere and ended up painting this painting, his last before his death in 1883. Behind the bar, in the middle of a crowd of people drinking, eating, talking and smoking, a bartender stands absorbed in her own thoughts, watching the trapeze acrobat, who can be seen in the upper left corner of the picture.

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Art emerged almost immediately after the advent of mankind, and over the centuries many of the greatest works in painting, sculpture, and other artistic fields have been created. Which of them are considered the best is a very controversial question, because even experts disagree on this matter. Today we will try to compile a list of the ten most famous works of art of all time.

10 PHOTOS

1. “Starry Night”, Van Gogh.

A painting painted by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh in 1889. The inspiration for this piece of art was the night sky he observed from the window of his room at St. Paul's Orphanage.

Prehistoric cave paintings of animals created approximately 30 thousand years ago. Chauvet Cave is located in the south of France.

Stone monolithic statues located on Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean. The statues are believed to have been created by the island's Aboriginal people between 1250 and 1500 AD.

The most famous work of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin, created in 1880.

This painting, painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1494 and 1498, depicts the scene of Jesus' last meal with his disciples as described in the biblical Gospel of John.

One of Michelangelo's most famous frescoes is located in the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The fresco illustrates the account of the creation of Adam from the biblical book of Genesis.

One of the most famous ancient Greek sculptures, created sometime between 130 and 100 BC. The marble sculpture was discovered in 1820 on the island of Milos.

The painting, painted by Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, depicts the scene of the goddess Venus emerging from the sea. The painting is in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. 10. “Mona Lisa”, da Vinci.

A masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci, created approximately between 1503 and 1506. The painting is in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

There are works of art that seem to hit the viewer over the head, stunning and amazing. Others draw you into thought and a search for layers of meaning and secret symbolism. Some paintings are shrouded in secrets and mystical mysteries, while others surprise with exorbitant prices.

We carefully reviewed all the major achievements in world painting and selected two dozen of the strangest paintings from them. Salvador Dali, whose works completely fall within the format of this material and are the first to come to mind, were not included in this collection on purpose.

It is clear that “strangeness” is a rather subjective concept and everyone has their own amazing paintings that stand out from other works of art. We will be glad if you share them in the comments and tell us a little about them.

"Scream"

Edvard Munch. 1893, cardboard, oil, tempera, pastel.
National Gallery, Oslo.

The Scream is considered a landmark expressionist event and one of the most famous paintings in the world.

There are two interpretations of what is depicted: it is the hero himself who is gripped by 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 four versions of “The Scream,” and there is a version that this painting is the fruit of 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.

“I was walking along the path with two friends. The sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood red, I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned against the fence - I looked at the blood and flames over the bluish-black fjord and city. My friends moved on, and I stood, trembling with excitement, feeling an endless scream piercing nature,” Edvard Munch said about the history of the painting.

“Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?"

Paul Gauguin. 1897-1898, oil on canvas.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

According to Gauguin himself, the painting should be read from right to left - 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’s plan, “the old woman, approaching death, seems reconciled and given over to her thoughts,” at her feet “a strange white bird ... represents the uselessness of words.”

The deeply philosophical painting of the post-impressionist Paul Gauguin was painted by him in Tahiti, where he fled from Paris. Upon completion of the work, he even wanted to commit suicide: “I believe that this painting is superior to all my previous ones and that I will never create something better or even similar.” He lived another five years, and so it happened.

"Guernica"

Pablo Picasso. 1937, oil on canvas.
Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid.

Guernica presents scenes of death, violence, brutality, 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 painting. “Did you do this?” - “No, you did it.”

The huge fresco painting “Guernica,” painted by Picasso in 1937, tells the story of a raid by a Luftwaffe volunteer unit on the city of Guernica, as a result of which the city of six thousand was completely destroyed. The painting was painted literally in a month - the first days of work on the painting, Picasso worked for 10-12 hours, and already in the first sketches one could see the main idea. This is one of the best illustrations of the nightmare of fascism, as well as human cruelty and grief.

"Portrait of the Arnolfini couple"

Jan van Eyck. 1434, wood, oil.
London National Gallery, London.

The famous painting is completely filled with symbols, allegories and various references - right down to the signature “Jan van Eyck was here”, which turned the painting not just into a work of art, but into a historical document confirming the reality of the event at which the artist was present.

The portrait, supposedly of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, is one of the most complex works of the Western school of Northern Renaissance painting.

In Russia, over the past few years, the painting has gained great popularity due to Arnolfini’s portrait resemblance to Vladimir Putin.

"Demon Seated"

Mikhail Vrubel. 1890, oil on canvas.
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

"The hands resist him"

Bill Stoneham. 1972.

This work, of course, cannot be ranked among the masterpieces of world painting, but the fact that it is strange is a fact.

There are legends surrounding the painting with a boy, a doll and his hands pressed against the glass. From “people are dying because of this picture” to “the children in it are alive.” The picture looks really creepy, which gives rise to a lot of fears and speculation among people with weak psyches.

The artist insisted that the painting depicted himself at the age of five, that the door represented the dividing line between the real world and the world of dreams, and the doll was a guide who could guide the boy through this world. The hands represent alternative lives or possibilities.

The painting gained notoriety in February 2000 when it was put up for sale on eBay with a backstory saying that the painting was “haunted.” “Hands Resist Him” was bought for $1,025 by Kim Smith, who was then simply inundated with letters with terrible stories and demands to burn the painting.

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, in the Russian art world, portraiture arose 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 is 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.

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

Below the pictures of the artists they belong to there are links to the posts.

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

Kept in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden.

The painting has a little secret: the background, which from afar appears to be clouds, turns out to be the heads of angels upon closer examination. And the two angels depicted in the picture below became the motif of numerous postcards and posters.

Rembrandt "Night Watch" 1642
Kept in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The true title of Rembrandt’s painting is “The Performance of the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg.” Art historians who discovered the painting in the 19th century thought that the figures were standing out against a dark background, and it was called “Night Watch.” Later it was discovered that a layer of soot makes the picture dark, but the action actually takes place during the day. However, the painting has already been included in the treasury of world art under the name “Night Watch”.

Leonardo da Vinci "The Last Supper" 1495-1498
Located in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

Over the more than 500-year history of the work, the fresco has been destroyed more than once: a doorway was cut through the painting and then blocked, the refectory of the monastery where the image is located was used as an armory, a prison, and was bombed. The famous fresco was restored at least five times, with the last restoration taking 21 years. Today, to view the art, visitors must reserve tickets in advance and can spend only 15 minutes in the refectory.

Salvador Dali "The Persistence of Memory" 1931

According to the author himself, the painting was painted as a result of the associations that Dali had with the sight of processed cheese. Returning from the cinema, where she went that evening, Gala quite correctly predicted that no one, once they saw The Persistence of Memory, would forget it.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder "Tower of Babel" 1563
Kept in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

According to Bruegel, 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 structure seems quite strong, but upon closer examination 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 “Black Square” (according to some sources, seven). According to one version, the artist was unable to complete the painting on time, so he had to cover the work with black paint. Subsequently, after public recognition, Malevich painted new “Black Squares” on blank canvases. Malevich also painted “Red Square” (in 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 painting turned out to be visionary. The red horse acts as the Fate 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
Kept in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.

The painting “The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus” is considered the personification of manly passion and physical beauty. The strong, muscular arms of young men pick up young naked women to put them on horses. The sons of Zeus and Leda steal their cousins' brides.

Paul Gauguin "Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?" 1898
Kept in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

According to Gauguin himself, the painting should be read from right to left - 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’s plan, “the old woman, approaching death, seems reconciled and given over to her thoughts,” at her feet “a strange white bird ... represents the uselessness of words.”

Eugene Delacroix "Liberty Leading the People" 1830
Kept 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 my Motherland, then at least I will write for it.” The bare chest of a woman leading the people symbolizes the dedication of the French people of that time, who went bare-chested against the enemy.

Claude Monet "Impression. Rising Sun" 1872
Kept in the Marmottan Museum in Paris.

The title of the work “Impression, soleil levant”, with the light hand of journalist L. Leroy, became the name of the artistic movement “impressionism”. The painting was painted from life in the old outport of Le Havre in France.

Jan Vermeer "Girl with a Pearl Earring" 1665
Kept in the Mauritshuis Gallery in The Hague.

One of the most famous paintings by the Dutch artist Jan Vermeer is often called the Nordic or Dutch Mona Lisa. Very little is known about the painting: it is undated and the name of the girl depicted is unknown. In 2003, based on the novel of the same name by Tracy Chevalier, the feature film “Girl with a Pearl Earring” was shot, in which the history of the creation of the painting was hypothetically restored in the context of Vermeer’s biography and family life.

Ivan Aivazovsky “The Ninth Wave” 1850
Kept in St. Petersburg in the State Russian Museum.

Ivan Aivazovsky is a world-famous Russian marine painter who dedicated his life to depicting the sea. He created about six thousand works, each of which received recognition during the artist’s lifetime. The painting “The Ninth Wave” is included in the book “100 Great Paintings”.

Andrey 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 kings (Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Mikhail Fedorovich) “covered” the icon with gold, silver and precious stones. Today the salary is kept in the Sergiev Posad State Museum-Reserve.

Mikhail Vrubel “Seated Demon” 1890
Kept in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

The plot of the film is inspired by Lermontov’s poem “The Demon”. The demon is an image of the strength of the human spirit, internal struggle, doubt. Tragically clasping his hands, the Demon sits with sad, huge eyes directed into the distance, surrounded by unprecedented flowers.

William Blake "The Great Architect" 1794
Kept in the British Museum in London.

The title 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 imagination.

Edouard Manet "Bar at the Folies Bergere" 1882
Kept at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.

The Folies Bergere is a variety show and cabaret in Paris. Manet often visited the Folies Bergere and ended up painting this painting, his last before his death in 1883. Behind the bar, in the middle of a crowd of people drinking, eating, talking and smoking, a bartender stands absorbed in her own thoughts, watching the trapeze acrobat, who can be seen in the upper left corner of the picture.

Titian “Earthly Love and Heavenly Love” 1515-1516
Kept 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 this time, the painting had various titles: “Beauty, Embellished and Unadorned” (1613), “Three Types of Love” (1650), “Divine and Secular Women” (1700), and, ultimately, “Earthly Love and Heavenly Love” "(1792 and 1833).

Mikhail Nesterov “Vision to the youth Bartholomew” 1889-1890
Kept 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 “Vision to the Youth Bartholomew” was his best work. In his old age, the artist liked to repeat: “It’s not me who will live. “The Youth Bartholomew” will live. Now, if thirty, fifty years after my death he still says something to people, that means he’s alive, and that means I’m alive too.”

Pieter Bruegel the Elder "Parable of the Blind" 1568
Kept in the Capodimonte Museum in Naples.

Other titles of the painting are “The Blind”, “Parabola of the Blind”, “The Blind Leading the Blind”. It is believed that the plot of the film is based on the biblical parable of the blind: “If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit.”

Victor Vasnetsov “Alyonushka” 1881
Kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery.

It is based on the fairy tale “About Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka.” Initially, Vasnetsov’s painting was called “Fool Alyonushka.” At that time, orphans were called “fools.” “Alyonushka,” the artist himself later said, “seemed to have lived in my head for a long time, but in reality I saw her in Akhtyrka, when I met one simple-haired girl who captured my imagination. There was so much melancholy, loneliness and purely Russian sadness in her eyes... Some special Russian spirit wafted from her.”

Vincent van Gogh "Starry Night" 1889
Kept in 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-Rémy hospital, tormented by attacks of madness.

Karl Bryullov “The Last Day of Pompeii” 1830-1833
Kept 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 artist's image in the left corner of the painting 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 industrialist Ivan Abramovich Morozov, who purchased it in 1913 for 16,000 francs. In 1918, the personal collection of I. A. Morozov was nationalized. Currently the painting is in the collection of the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin.

Leonardo da Vinci "Madonna Litta" 1491

Kept in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

The original title of the painting was “Madonna and Child.” The modern name of the painting comes from the name of its owner - Count Litta, owner of the family art gallery in Milan. There is an assumption that the figure of the baby was not painted by Leonardo da Vinci, but belongs to the brush of one of his students. This is evidenced by the baby's pose, which is unusual for the author's style.

Jean Ingres "Turkish Baths" 1862
Kept in the Louvre in Paris.

Ingres finished painting this picture when he was already over 80 years old. With this painting, the artist sums up the image of bathers, the theme of which has long been present in his work. Initially, the canvas was in the shape of a square, but a year after its completion the artist turned it into a round painting - a tondo.

Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Savitsky “Morning in a pine forest” 1889
Kept in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow

“Morning in a Pine Forest” is a painting by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky. Savitsky painted the bears, but the collector Pavel Tretyakov, when he acquired the painting, erased his signature, so now Shishkin alone is indicated as the author of the painting.

Mikhail Vrubel “The Swan Princess” 1900
Stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery

The painting is based on the stage image of the heroine of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” 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 1900 premiere of the opera, and his wife sang the role of the Swan Princess.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo “Portrait of Emperor Rudolf II as Vertumnus” 1590
Located in Skokloster Castle in Stockholm.

One of the few surviving works of the artist, who composed 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 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.

Sandro Botticelli "Birth of Venus" 1486
Kept in Florence in the Uffizi Gallery

The painting illustrates the myth of the birth of Aphrodite. A naked goddess swims to the shore in an open shell, driven by the wind. On the left side of the painting, Zephyr (the west wind), in the arms of his wife Chloris, 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.