Painting is an art that has been present in the world for centuries; it has been going on from the ancestors. This masterpiece began by making a creation with charcoal on the walls of the cave. Although infinite generations have given some evidence of their art every single century, only a few of them have been successful worldwide.
But it is not necessary that the most costly painting is the most famous one. Nowadays, arts displayed in museums and art galleries are reported as among the most valuable, famous, and notable paintings ever made. Read below about the 10 most famous paintings around the world of all time:
10. Creation of Adam
Artist: | Michelangelo |
Year: | 1508-1512 |
Size: | 280 cm × 570 cm |
Location: | Sistine Chapel Ceiling, The Vatican, Rome |
Type: | Fresco |
The creation of Adam is one of the most recognizable and iconic paintings of the universe. Michelangelo painted a part of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. To observe it, you have to look towards the roof.
It portrays the creation narrative of the Bible from the book of Genesis, which means God transmits life not only to the first man Adam but to humanity. His masterpiece signifies a new birth of life or an impression of a new beginning.
To complete this creation, the artist took only two to three weeks. The original viewpoint about the Creation of Adam’s painting is the touch between God and Adam’s fingers, through which life is breathed.
9. Las Meninas
Artist: | Diego Velazquez |
Year: | 1656 |
Size: | 318 cm × 276 cm |
Location: | Museo del Prado, Madrid |
Type: | Oil on Canvas |
Las Meninas is one of the mysterious and renowned masterpieces in western art history. Las Menina implies “lady-in-waiting” or “Maid of Honour,” which means a girl who works for a royal court.
This painting illustrates the spacious rooms of the King Philip IV Madrid palace in Spain. In painting, many people are looking towards each other, and others are looking towards the spectator from the image.
This artwork’s description is Infanta Margarita Teresa, surrounded by two maids, a chaperone, a bodyguard, two dwarfs, and a dog. The artist has also drawn himself, who stands just behind the princess and her helpers. He stands on the canvas of the artist. He stops painting for a moment and has a direct impact on the viewer. There is a mirror in the room’s backside where we can notice the king and queen’s upper body parts.
8. The Birth of Venus
Artist: | Sandro Botticelli |
Year: | 1485 |
Size: | 172 cm x 278 cm |
Location: | Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy |
Type: | Tempera On Canvas |
This ancient painting highlights a newly born goddess of love and beauty, Venus, who stands at a large scallop shell at Cyprus shore.
On the left side, the God of wind Zephyr blows her with the waves to float to the seaside. He holds a young lady, who is also floating in the air. Both jointly blow the middle nude roman goddess toward shore.
On the right side, a female figure who may be flying a little above the land. She carries a rich cloak or dress to drape Venus. The flower-patterned adornment on her clothing reveals that she is the Spring Hora.
7. Girl With a Pearl Earring
Artist: | Johannes Vermeer |
Year: | 1665 |
Size: | 44.5 cm × 39 cm |
Location: | Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands |
Type: | Oil On Canvas |
This painting is acknowledged as the most beautiful artwork in the Netherlands. It portrays a young European girl in an unfamiliar dress with a blue and gold turban and wears a large pearl earring.
But the girl with Pearl earring speculates “IVMER,” its accurate date is not mentioned. The girl with pearl earrings represents a young lady in a dark space, an intimate situation that mainly attracts observers’ attention.
Her mysterious expression associated with her personality’s mystery has enlightened some to correlate the similar theme in Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. However, a girl with a pearl earring is not a figure like the Mona Lisa but a character or type of person, a Tronie in the Dutch language.
6. The Kiss
Artist: | Gustav Klimt |
Year: | 1907-1908 |
Size: | 180 cm x 180 cm |
Location: | Osterreichische Galerie Belvedere museum, Belvedere, Vienna |
Type: | Oil Painting |
The composition represents a couple embracing each other. Their bodies are embroiled in beautifully attractive garments adorned in contemporary art nouveau style and style influenced by organic forms of the earlier arts and crafts movement.
The most common themes he used in his artwork are love, sexuality, and intimacy. The Kiss is the exemplar of affection and fascination. It is the last masterpiece of Klimt’s Gold Period, in which he contained gold leaf into his arts.
5. Guernica
Artist: | Pablo Picasso |
Year: | 1937 |
Size: | 349.3 cm × 776.6 cm |
Location: | Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain |
Type: | Oil Painting |
One of the considerable and most unique works of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso is Guernica. Many art analysts called it the most moving and influential anti-war creation in history. It exhibits war tragedies that have an impact on the victims, mostly innocent civilians. This painting has gained a memorial status, which always reminds of the tragedies of war, the anti-war symbol, and the symbol of peace.
4. The Scream
Artist: | Edvard Munch |
Year: | 1893 |
Size: | 91 cm × 73.5 cm |
Location: | National Gallery and Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway |
Type: | Oil, tempera, pastel, and crayon on cardboard |
The Scream is one of the most recognizable compositions of Norwegian Expressionist artists. He painted the agonized face, which represents the anxiety and fear of the human.
While remembering the day, he wrote that he got the inspiration when he was walking in the city. Observing the sunset that turns the cloud blood red and he felt an infinite scream through nature.
He made four versions of this masterpiece; two in pastels and two in the paint. It is still so famous because everyone relates to it and senses something from The Scream.
3. The Starry Night
Artist: | Vincent van Gogh |
Year: | 1889 |
Size: | 74 cm x 92 cm |
Location: | Museum of Modern Art, New York |
Type: | Oil On Canvas |
Starry night is one of the most notable works of Vincent Van Gogh. When he was in an asylum, he was permitted to paint and read. Even he had a studio there. He painted the starry night at that time to illustrate the scene from the window.
He portrayed the image to describe the day’s different times under several weather conditions, including the sunrise, moonrise, sunny days, foggy days, windy days, and rainy or cloudy days. The aura in the painting arouses some strong sentiments among the spectators.
2. The Last Supper
Artist: | Leonardo Da Vinci |
Year: | 1495-1498 |
Size: | 700 cm x 880 cm |
Location: | Santa Maria Delle Grazie, Milan, Italy |
Type: | Tempera, Gesso, Mastic, Pitch |
The Last Supper is considered the world’s most remarkable painting. The artwork illustrates Jesus’ Last Supper scene with his 12 apostles.
He portrayed each apostle’s facial expressions when Jesus told them that one of them cheated him. All of them gave different reactions such as surprise, shock, anger, and upset.
His friend symbolizes the painting as Man’s burning desire for liberation.
1. Mona Lisa
Artist: | Leonardo Da Vinci |
Year: | 1503-1506 |
Size: | 77 cm x 53 cm |
Location: | Louvre, Paris |
Type: | Oil Painting |
This half-length portrait painting is one of the well-known works of art in the world. The lady, Lisa del Giocondo, was a Gherardini family member of Florence and wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo’s wife. The masterpiece is believed to have been commissioned for their new home and celebrated their second son, Andrea, birth.
It is the world’s most magnificent painting portrait and most valuable painting. This painting is so popular as if you look at the painting carefully; it seems like the woman is staring at you from different angles.
Painting helps you keep the child inside you, and you can paint all your emotions on canvas through it. To understand life’s deeper meanings, you should pick up sketch pens, crayons, drawing papers to draw your ideas.