Famous photographs of the 21st century. The most famous paintings in the world

Mysterious world art may seem confusing to the unsophisticated, but there are masterpieces that everyone should know. Talent, inspiration and painstaking work Every stroke gives birth to works that are admired centuries later.

It is impossible to collect all the outstanding creations in one selection, but we tried to select the most famous paintings, drawing giant queues in front of museums around the world.

The most famous paintings by Russian artists

“Morning in a pine forest”, Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky

Shishkin was an excellent landscape painter, but he rarely had to draw animals, so the figures of bear cubs were painted by Savitsky, an excellent animal artist. At the end of the work, Tretyakov ordered Savitsky’s signature to be erased, considering that Shishkin had done much more extensive work.

“Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan November 16, 1581”, Ilya Repin

Repin was inspired to create the masterpiece, better known as “Ivan the Terrible Kills His Son,” by Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Antar” symphony, namely its second movement, “The Sweetness of Revenge.” Under the influence of the sounds of music, the artist depicted a bloody scene of murder and subsequent repentance observed in the eyes of the sovereign.

"The Seated Demon", Mikhail Vrubel

The painting was one of thirty illustrations drawn by Vrubel for anniversary edition works of M.Yu. Lermontov. “The sitting demon” personifies the doubts inherent in the human spirit, the subtle, elusive “mood of the soul.” According to experts, the artist was to some extent obsessed with the image of a demon: this painting was followed by “Demon Flying” and “Demon Defeated.”

“Boyaryna Morozova”, Vasily Surikov

The film is based on the plot of the Old Believer life “The Tale of Boyarina Morozova”. Understanding key image came to the artist when he saw a crow spreading its black wings like a blur on the snowy surface. Later, Surikov spent a long time looking for a prototype for the noblewoman’s face, but could not find anything suitable until one day he met an Old Believer woman with a pale, frantic face in a cemetery. The portrait sketch was completed in two hours.

"Bogatyrs", Viktor Vasnetsov

The future epic masterpiece was born small pencil sketch in 1881; For further work on the canvas, Vasnetsov spent many years painstakingly collecting information about the heroes from myths, legends and traditions, and also studied authentic ancient Russian ammunition in museums.

Analysis of Vasnetsov’s painting “Three Heroes”

“Bathing the Red Horse”, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin

Initially, the painting was conceived as an everyday sketch from the life of a Russian village, but during the work the artist’s canvas became overgrown with a huge number of symbols. By the red horse, Petrov-Vodkin meant “The Fate of Russia”; after the country joined the First world war he exclaimed: “So that’s why I painted this picture!” However, after the revolution, pro-Soviet art critics interpreted the key figure in the painting as a “harbinger of revolutionary fires.”

"Trinity", Andrei Rublev

The icon that laid the foundation for the tradition of Russian icon painting in the 15th–16th centuries. Canvas depicting Old Testament trinity angels appearing to Abraham is a symbol of the unity of the Holy Trinity.

"The Ninth Wave", Ivan Aivazovsky

A pearl in the “cartography” of the legendary Russian marine painter, who without hesitation can be considered one of the most famous artists in the world. We can see how the sailors who miraculously survived the storm cling to the mast in anticipation of meeting the “ninth wave,” the mythical apogee of all storms. But the warm shades that dominate the canvas give hope for the salvation of the victims.

“The Last Day of Pompeii”, Karl Bryullov

Completed in 1833, Bryullov’s painting was originally exhibited in largest cities Italy, where it caused a real sensation - the painter was compared to Michelangelo, Titian, Raphael... At home, the masterpiece was greeted with no less enthusiasm, securing the nickname “Charle the Great” for Bryullov. The canvas is truly great: its dimensions are 4.6 by 6.5 meters, which makes it one of the largest paintings among the creations of Russian artists.

The most famous paintings of Leonardo da Vinci

"Mona Lisa"

A masterpiece of the Florentine genius that needs no introduction. It is noteworthy that the painting received cult status after the incident of theft from the Louvre in 1911. Two years later, the thief, who turned out to be a museum employee, tried to sell the painting to the Uffizi Gallery. The events of the high-profile case were covered in detail in the world press, after which hundreds of thousands of reproductions went on sale, and the mysterious Mona Lisa became an object of worship.

After five centuries, the fresco with a classical plot on the wall of the refectory of the Dominican monastery in Milan is recognized as one of the most mysterious paintings in history. According to Da Vinci's idea, the painting depicts the moment of the Easter meal, when Christ notifies the disciples of imminent betrayal. The huge number of hidden symbols has given rise to an equally huge number of studies, allusions, borrowings and parodies.

"Madonna Litta"

Also known as "Madonna and Child" painting for a long time was kept in the collection of the Dukes of Litta, and in 1864 was purchased by the St. Petersburg Hermitage. Many experts agree that the figure of the baby was painted not by da Vinci personally, but by one of his students - a pose that is too uncharacteristic for a painter.

The most famous paintings of Salvador Dali

Paradoxically, the most famous work of the genius of surrealism was born from thoughts about Camembert cheese. One evening, after a friendly dinner, which ended with appetizers with cheese, the artist was lost in thought about “spreading pulp,” and his imagination painted a picture of a melting clock with an olive branch in the foreground.

A traditional plot given a surreal twist using arithmetic principles studied by Leonardo da Vinci. The artist put the peculiar magic of the number “12” at the forefront, moving away from the hermeneutic method of interpreting the biblical plot.

The most famous paintings of Pablo Picasso

The painting became the first sign of the so-called “pink” period in Picasso’s work. Rough texture and simplified style are combined with a sensitive play of lines and colors, the contrast between the massive figure of an athlete and a fragile gymnast. The canvas was sold along with 29 other works for 2 thousand francs (in total) to the Parisian collector Vollard, changed several collections, and in 1913 it was acquired by the Russian philanthropist Ivan Morozov, already for 13 thousand francs.

Guernica is the name of a city in the Basque country that was subjected to German bombing in April 1937. Picasso had never been to Guernica, but was stunned by the scale of the disaster, like “the blow of a bull’s horn.” The artist conveyed the horrors of war in abstract form and showed the real face of fascism, veiling it with bizarre geometric shapes.

The most famous paintings of the Renaissance

"Sistine Madonna", Raphael Santi

If you look closely at the background, at first glance consisting of clouds, you can see that in fact Raphael depicted the heads of angels there. The two angels located at the bottom of the picture are almost more famous than the masterpiece itself, due to its wide circulation in mass art.

"Birth of Venus", Sandro Botticelli

At the heart of the picture - ancient greek myth about the birth of Aphrodite from sea foam. Unlike many masterpieces of the Renaissance, the canvas has survived to this day in excellent condition thanks to the protective layer of egg yolk that Botticelli prudently covered the work with.

"The Creation of Adam", Michelangelo Buonarotti

One of the nine frescoes on the ceiling Sistine Chapel, illustrating the chapter from Genesis: “And God created man in His own image.” It was Michelangelo who was the first to depict God as a gray-haired old man, after which this image became archetypal. Modern scientists believe that the contours of the figure of God and angels represent the human brain.

"Night Watch", Rembrandt

The full title of the painting is “Performance of the rifle company of Captain Frans Banning Kok and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg.” Modern name The painting received its attention in the 19th century, when it was found by art critics who, due to the layer of dirt covering the work, decided that the action in the painting was taking place under the cover of night darkness.

"The Garden of Earthly Delights", Hieronymus Bosch

Malevich wrote “Black Square” for several months; Legend has it that a painting is hidden under a layer of black paint - the artist did not have time to finish the work on time and, in a fit of anger, covered up the image. There are at least seven copies of the “Black Square” made by Malevich, as well as a kind of “continuation” of the Suprematist squares – “Red Square” (1915) and “White Square” (1918).

"The Scream", Edvard Munch

Due to its inexplicable mystical effect on the viewer, the painting was stolen in 1994 and 2004. There is an opinion that the picture created at the turn of the 20th century anticipated numerous disasters of the coming century. The deep symbolism of "The Scream" inspired many artists, including Andy Warhol

This painting still causes a lot of controversy. Some art critics believe that the excitement around the painting, painted using the signature splashing technique, was created artificially. The canvas was not sold until all the artist’s other works were purchased, and accordingly, the price for a non-figurative masterpiece skyrocketed. “Number Five” was sold for $140 million, becoming the most expensive painting in history.

"Marilyn Diptych", Andy Warhol

A week after the death of Marilyn Monroe scandalous artist started working on the canvas. 50 stenciled portraits of the actress were applied to the canvas, stylized in the “pop art” genre based on a photograph from 1953.
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Although I think that the profession of a designer is not related to art, it seems to me that cultural education and the development of taste are important for every designer. Therefore, today’s post will be a little general education.

I would like every person to admire the immortal paintings of great artists. In this article I have collected the best and most iconic paintings of various masters of fine art.

Get inspired for good health (clickable)!

Leonardo da Vinci "La Gioconda"

It seems to me that we should start the review with the most probably famous painting in the world - Mona Lisa (or “Mona Lisa”) by Leonardo da Vinci. This is a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, painted approximately 1503-1505. On this moment kept in the Louvre.

A significant feature of the painting is the famous mysterious smile of Mona Lisa. There are several secrets in the world's most famous smile that excite minds to this day. The first secret: it is difficult to understand whether Mona Lisa is actually smiling or just seems to be smiling. The second and third riddles can only be seen live, having been in the Louvre: from any place in the hall it seems that the portrait is looking at you and smiling only at you; gradually passing by the portrait from left to right, you can notice how the girl in it is getting older. I personally observed the last two phenomena and can confirm that they actually take place.

Raphael "Sistine Madonna"

This picture is often used for various Christmas cards. Or rather the angels from below. The painting was commissioned from Raphael in 1512. Currently kept in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden.

Leonardo da Vinci "The Last Supper"

The fresco depicts Christ's last supper with his disciples. It was painted in 1495-1498 in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Approximate size 4.5 m x 8.7 m.

Sandro Botticelli "Birth of Venus"

Painting famous Italian kept in Florence in the Uffizi Gallery. The painting was painted in 1486. And it depicts the goddess of beauty born from sea foam and coming onto land.

Salvador Dali "The Persistence of Memory"

Probably the most famous painting by Salvador Dali. Personally, the picture goes straight to my brain and makes me doubt the reality of the world around me. Painted in 1931 and currently housed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Kazimir Malevich " Black square"

This canvas, measuring 79.5 x 79.5 centimeters, was iconic and gave rise to a new direction in painting. At the same time, “Black Square” is also the most controversial painting. There are quite a few people who don’t see art here and say that they will draw just as well. Since 1915, Malevich painted 7 identical paintings.

Interesting fact: many critics suggest that Malevich originally painted a different picture, and subsequently covered it with black paint. Investigations into the location were carried out repeatedly, but art historians were outraged, arguing that irreparable harm could be caused to the painting.

Vincent van Gogh "Starlight Night"

One of my favorite paintings in general. Written Dutch artist in 1889. Currently kept at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Karl Bryulov " The last day of Pompeii"

The Russian painter painted this picture in 1830 after visiting Pompeii. The picture tells about famous eruption volcano Vesuvius, which buried the whole city. Currently stored in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

Pablo Picasso "Girl on the Ball"

The painting was painted by the famous Spanish artist in 1905 and depicts a group of traveling acrobats. Currently stored in Pushkin Museum, Moscow.

Ivan Aivazovsky "The Ninth Wave"

The picture amazes with its riot of colors and shows the helplessness of man in the face of the elements. Painted by the world famous Russian artist in 1850. Exhibited in St. Petersburg at the State Russian Museum.

In fact, this list can be continued indefinitely. There are a huge number of works of art in the world. I recommend watching all of them live.

No inspiration? I advise you to choose a time and visit a good museum.

"Mona Lisa". Leonardo da Vinci 1503–1506

One of the most recognizable and famous paintings in the world, its full name is Portrait of Mrs. Lisa del Giocondo. The portrait depicts the Italian Lisa del Giocondo, a representative of the middle class of the Renaissance, the mother of six children. The model has shaved eyebrows and hair on the top of her forehead, which corresponds to Quattrocento fashion. Leonardo da Vinci considered this portrait one of his favorite works, often described it in his notes and undoubtedly considered her his best job. This painting rightfully tops the list of the most popular paintings in the world.

"Birth of Venus" Sandro Botticelli 1482 - 1486

An excellent illustration of the myth of the birth of Aphrodite. Naked Venus heads towards the earth in a shell, driven by the western wind Zephyr, the wind mixed with flowers - this symbolizes spring and beauty. On the shore, Aphrodite is met by one of the goddesses of beauty. After creating this painting, the artist Botticelli received global recognition, he helped him with this unique style writing, he stood out from his contemporaries with his floating rhythms, which were not used by anyone except him.

"The Creation of Adam". Michelangelo 1511

Placed on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the fourth of nine works in the series. Michelangelo clarified the unreality of the symbiosis of heavenly and human; according to the artist, the image of God does not contain phenomenal heavenly power, but creative energy that can be transmitted without touching.

"Morning in pine forest" Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Savitsky 1889

"Girl on the Ball". Pablo Picasso 1905

A picture of contrasts. It depicts a stopover of a traveling circus in a scorched desert. The main characters are also very contrasting: A strong, sad, monolithic man sits on a cube. At that time, next to him, on a ball, a fragile and smiling girl is balancing.

"The last day of Pompeii". Karl Bryullov 1833

During a visit to Pompeii in 1828, Bryulov made many sketches and sketches, he already knew what the final work would look like. The painting was presented in Rome, but then it was moved to the Louvre, where many critics and art historians admired Karl’s talent, after this work came to him world classic, but unfortunately, most people associate his work only with this picture.

One of the most recognizable paintings

"Starlight Night". Vincent van Gogh 1889

Cult painting Dutch artist, which he wrote from his memories (which is not typical for Van Gogh), because at that time he was in the hospital. After all, when the attacks of rage passed, he was quite adequate and could draw. To do this, his brother Theo agreed with the doctors, and they allowed him to work with paints in the ward. Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear? Read in my article.

"The Ninth Wave" Ivan Aivazovsky 1850

One of the most famous paintings on marine theme(marina). Aivazovsky was from Crimea, so it’s not difficult to explain his love for water and the sea. The ninth wave - artistic image, inevitable danger and tension, one might also say: the calm before the storm.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring." Jan Vermeer 1665

An iconic scene by a Dutch artist, it is also called the Dutch Mona Lisa. This work is not entirely portrait, but to a greater extent belongs to the “troni” genre, where the emphasis is not on the portrait of a person, but on his head. The girl with a pearl earring is popular in modern culture, several films have also been made about her.

"Impression. Rising Sun» Claude Monet 1872

The painting that gave rise to the “impressionism” genre. Popular journalist Louis Leroy, after visiting the exhibition with this work, crushed Claude Monet, he wrote: “wallpaper hanging on the wall, and it looks more finished than this “Impression”.” It is considered a canonical representative of the genre, more popular than many other paintings by great artists.

Afterword and small request

If you found it useful this material and you liked it - please tell your friends on this page! This will greatly help develop the site and delight you with new materials! If you want to order a copy of a popular painting, then visit the page How to buy a painting. It often happens that a person is initially interested in popular paintings, and then wants to have a copy of the masterpiece on his wall.

When the great and terrible Salvador Dali was asked whether it was difficult to paint, he replied: “It is either easy or impossible.” It is also impossible to imagine that the name of the artist may be unknown to someone. However, like the names of Raphael, da Vinci, Botticelli, Van Gogh, Picasso. In the end, Serov, Vasnetsov and Malevich... But even if this happened, you are not an art critic, not an artist, and in general, a person far from the world of art. But you are familiar with their work!

At least once in our lives, each of us has seen pictures without which it is difficult to imagine world culture, while their citation in mass culture is enormous. They look at us from advertising and from the pages of books, turn into Internet memes, and become art objects themselves.

Here they are - the most famous paintings in the world with names that you know for sure!

This bright face of the wife of a rich Florentine merchant is familiar to everyone civilized man. Without exaggeration, the Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world.

“Mona Lisa”, “La Gioconda” - painting by Leonardo da Vinci.

Scream

“The Scream” is a painting by Edvard Munch.

The painting “The Scream,” painted by Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch in 1893, has gained incredible popularity these days. The number of parodies, reinventions, and use of a recognizable image in advertising, even in cinema (and don’t say you haven’t heard of the horror film “Scream”) is countless. Meanwhile, the author created his masterpiece in order to get rid of the painful feeling of loneliness and suffering. Against the background of a blood-red sky, a figure with a face distorted from a scream can, of course, be interpreted in different ways.

Of all his rich artistic heritage - and this is about 800 paintings, perhaps the most famous even among the inexperienced public were the paintings “Sunflowers” ​​and “ Starlight Night" But the latter is preferred for the reason that the village of Saint-Rémy was written from memory.

Starlight Night

The fantastic “Starry Night” today is a fantastically popular and famous painting.

"Starry Night" - painting by Vincent Van Gogh.

Another science fiction artist is, of course, Salvador Dali. Considered to be its most popular painting work is "Persistence of Memory".

“The Persistence of Memory” - painting by Salvador Dali.

This picture is entirely a game of association. The endless flow of time is depicted here literally. It’s interesting, but it was Gala Dali, the artist’s eternal muse, who first said that the painting “The Persistence of Memory” will never be forgotten. And her words turned out to be prophetic. Painted in 1931, the painting remains more than famous even in 2017. And who would have thought that processed cheese inspired Dali to pick up a brush.

Black square

The end of the artist’s traditional objective thinking was predicted even earlier by Kazimir Malevich. You may not know this name, but it is almost impossible not to know “Black Square”. In the history of world art it is difficult to find a painting with greater fame. “Black Square” is the same Madonna, an icon, only for futurists.

Black Suprematist square - the work of Kazimir Malevich.

Controversial. Ambiguous. Unique. Any epithets can be applied to this picture, except one – unknown. By the way, foreign art connoisseurs call the “Black Suprematist Square” the most famous Russian a work of art. No more, no less.

But for the common man there is no nicer and more understandable painting by another Russian artist - Ivan Shishkin. The popularity of the work “Morning in a Pine Forest” is phenomenal. However, like folk love: people far from art know this plot under a different name - “Three Bears”, and they did not see it in art gallery, and on candy wrappers.

“Morning in a pine forest” - painting by Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky.

The canvas also has a secret! It turns out that the authorship is double. The painter Ivan Shishkin depicted the forest, and those same bears were painted by Konstantin Savitsky. The name of the second Russian artist was erased at the personal request of the gallery owner, Pavel Tretyakov. But a masterpiece – even if it is completely nameless – remains a masterpiece.

And now - an oil painting, which after 2016 absolutely everyone started talking about. “Girl with Peaches” by Valentin Serov, and until last year, was not only the most famous work Russian artist, but also one of best portraits in the world.

“Girl with Peaches” - painting by Valentin Serov.

But in the year of Serov’s 150th anniversary, the sudden excitement around the exhibition, kilometer-long queues, memes and even jokes associated with the painting and its author, brought “Girl with Peaches” to the top. By the way, the employees themselves helped with this. Tretyakov Gallery, reviving the heroine of the portrait. The girl spoke and told the story of the creation of the work.

And finally, “The Unknown” by Ivan Kramskoy is rightfully considered one of the most famous paintings. There is no less mystery in this painting than popularity. Maybe that’s why the stranger is called the Russian Gioconda?

“Unknown” - painting by Ivan Kramskoy.

For more than 130 years, it has been unknown who this girl is. And it doesn’t matter where she looks at us from: from a box of chocolates, from the Tretyakov Gallery itself, from a painting textbook. This “Unknown” is the most famous.