Georges-Pierre Seurat (1859–1891) was a French artist and painter, known for his vibrant colors and the use of tiny brushstrokes of contrasting colors. His intense interest in line, color, color theory, and optical effects formed the basis of Divisionism, whereas the use of layering small brushstrokes and dots formed the basis of Pointillism. His iconic late 19th-century painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884), paved the way for the initiation of Neo-impressionism.
A beautiful collection of woodblock prints from the prominent Kacho-ga artist, Watanabe Seitei. He was one of the first Japanese painters to visit Europe for attending the 1878 International Exhibition and was also awarded a medal.
French symbolist and post-impressionist painter Odilon Redon (1840–1916) was passionate about art from a young age. Following his fathers wishes he took up architecture, but after failing exams he continued with his love of drawing. His interest in Hindu and Buddhist religion blended with a passion for Japonism influenced the astounding drawings we see today.
“From around the age of six, I had the habit of sketching from life. I became an artist, and from fifty on began producing works that won some reputation, but nothing I did before the age of seventy was worthy of attention. At seventy-three, I began to grasp the structures of birds and beasts, insects and fish, and of the way plants grow. If I go on trying, I will surely understand them still better by the time I am eighty-six, so that by ninety I will have penetrated to their essential nature. At one hundred, I may well have a positively divine understanding of them, while at one hundred and thirty, forty, or more I will have reached the stage where every dot and every stroke I paint will be alive. May Heaven, that grants long life, give me the chance to prove that this is no lie.”
Hokusai
Katsushika Hokusai, self-portrait, 1839
Katsushika Hokusai (c. October 31, 1760 – May 10, 1849) was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter, and printmaker of the Edo period.
Born in Edo (modern day Tokyo), Hokusai is best known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which includes the iconic print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
One of the most unique artists of the Russian avant-garde, who excelled as a painter, graphic artist, theatrical set designer, textile designer, teacher, and art theorist, Lyubov Sergeyevna Popova, born into a wealthy and highly cultured family, grew up with a strong interest in art, especially Italian Renaissance painting. At eleven years old she began formal art lessons at home. She spent the remainder of her short life (she died at the age of 35 from scarlet fever) assimilating different styles from her mentors and teachers.
How many paintings do you think there are out there? In galleries and museums?
A few million?
And out of them all, there are a handful of paintings so recognizable by people from all over the world and of all ages that they will probably be admired and talked about until the end of what we call human civilization.
A handful of paintings that have inspired artists ever since they were completed. A handful of paintings that have helped shape what we define as art.
In recognition of these paintings, here are the ten most famous paintings of all time.
