The Mona lisa painting by da vinci
Art Inspiration

The 5 Most Famous Painters around the world

The 5 most famous painters in history, and their famous artworks of all time

Here, we’ve gathered a list of 5 Great Painters you must know of!

And their most famous paintings of all time – recognizable pieces from the ages that will never be forgotten.

Each age produces its own great creator, whose name and masterpieces will inspire people for centuries to come. Every artist has unique artworks that are recognized and loved globally. We want to highlight these iconic artworks in our article and encourage everyone to enjoy the great masterpieces of history.

 1. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect.

(La Gioconda) Mona Lisa

The Mona lisa painting by da vinci

Painted between 1503 and 1517, Leonardo da Vinci’s La Gioconda is probably the most famous painting in the world, better known as Mona Lisa.

As for that famous smile, its enigmatic quality has driven people crazy for centuries. Mona Lisa’s look of preternatural calm comports with the idealized landscape behind her, which dissolves into the distance through Leonardo’s use of atmospheric perspective.

Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani ( Lady with an Ermine

The painting Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani

The subject is Cecilia Gallerani, she was the lady of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, and Leonardo was in the Duke’s administration.

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci 

The Last Supper is a late fifteenth-century Christian painting done by the world-renowned Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It’s housed at the Convent of Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan, Italy.

Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci

The painting Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci

One of Leonardo’s earliest existing works, this was painted during his apprenticeship under Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. Its scene is based on Luke 1.26-39, when the angel Gabriel tells Mary she will give birth to a son who will be called the “Son of God” and whose dominion would last forever. The Annunciation was a popular subject for paintings in countries like Italy, and it had been explored numerous times in Florentine art.

2. Michelangelo  (1475-1564)

Michelangelo is a painter, a sculptor, and an architect, renowned for his epic ceiling mural on the Sistine Chapel, the David and Pietà and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo

The Creation of Adam is believed as the most famous section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. It is a fresco painting by Italian artist Michelangelo, painted c. 1508–1512.

David of Michelangelo

The statue David by Michelangelo

Michelangelo’s David has become one of the most recognized works of Renaissance sculpture, a symbol of strength and youthful beauty, was created in marble between 1501 and 1504.

3. Vincent van Gogh  (1853-1890)

Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. 

Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night 

The painting Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night by Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night by Vincent Van Gogh

Café Terrace at Night is an 1888 oil painting by the famous Dutch artists Vincent van Gogh. It’s often called, The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum. Furthermore, when it was originally displayed in 1891, it was titled Coffeehouse at Night.

The Starry Night  1889

The famous painting Starry Sky by Van Gogh

One of Vincent Van Gogh’s most popular paintings, The Starry Night was created by Van Gogh at the asylum in Saint-Rémy. Indeed, The Starry Night seems to reflect his turbulent state of mind at the time, as the night sky comes alive with swirls and orbs of frenetically applied brush marks springing from the yin and yang of his personal demons and awe of nature.

Almond Blossom by Vincent van Gogh

The famous painting Almond Blossom by Vincent van Gogh

Almond Blossoms is a collection of paintings of blossoming almond trees painted by Vincent van Gogh in Arles and Saint-Rémy, southern France, between 1888 and 1890. Van Gogh was particularly fond of flowering trees. They symbolized rebirth and hope.

 

4. Johannes Vermeer  (1632-1675)

Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Girl with a Pearl Earring, oil painting on canvas (c. 1665) by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, one of his most well-known works.

Girl with a Pearl Earring, oil painting on canvas (c. 1665) by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, one of his most well-known works.

The young woman in the painting is startlingly real and startlingly modern, almost as if it were a photograph. Technically speaking, Girl isn’t a portrait, but rather an example of the Dutch genre called a tronie—a headshot meant more as still life of facial features than as an attempt to capture a likeness.

The Milkmaid

The famous painting Milkmaid is by Johannes Vermeer

The Milkmaid is one of Vermeer’s best-known paintings. In this work, he once again captures a scene of everyday life. A maidservant pours milk, entirely absorbed in her work. Except for the stream of milk, everything else is still.

 

5. Edouard Manet  1832-1883

 Édouard Manet was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.

Édouard Manet, Luncheon on the Grass (Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe)

Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe – initially titled Le Bain – is an enormous oil on canvas painting by Édouard Manet painted around 1863. It delineates a female bare and two completely dressed men in a provincial setting. 

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet

The famous painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet

Édouard Manet’s painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergère is regarded to be his final big work. It was painted in 1882 and displayed at the Salon de Paris the same year. It depicts a scene from the Paris nightclub Folies Bergère.

It is through great creators and their artworks that history is remembered. Every artist leaves behind a legacy that continues to influence the world long after their passing. We will explore more of the iconic pieces of art in the future articles.

 

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