Understanding art is quite an enterprise, since there is a wide array of movements, artists, and concepts that need to be unraveled. Learning the specifics and qualities of each can be overwhelming, even for the most academic of souls. But we must not give up, because art has a special power that nurtures our soul. It will broaden our minds and help us understand and give a name to all those indescribable feelings.
Art is the very essence of humanity and naturally to grasp its intricacies we must go step by step. Before you walk down an art gallery, take a little time to delve into the life of the artists so when you see their work you’ll see it with a fresh set of eyes.
1.- Caravaggio
This Italian painter is one of the most important icons of the baroque movement. His compositions are characterized by the use of chiaroscuros —lit figures in dark settings— that create an enigmatic effect. It is as if the painting’s darkness hid secrets that the spectator is meant to unveil. Caravaggio’s extensive work is based on famous religious scenes that are represented with realism and naturalism.
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (1602)
Original name: Incredulità di San Tommaso
2. Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881)
Original name: Le déjeuner des canotiers
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3.- Edvard Munch
Death in the Sickroom (1895)
Original name: Døden i sykeværelset
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4.- Eugène Delacroix
This French painter became one of the leading symbols of the nineteenth century Romantic movement. The painting below is his most visited painting in the Musée du Louvre in Paris. It depicts the people standing up against the monarchy during the July Revolution of 1830.
Liberty Leading the People (1830)
Original name: Liberté en guidant le peuple
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5. Gustave Courbet
The Desperate man (l845)
Original name: Le Désespéré
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6. Vasili Kandinsky
Composition 8 (1923)
Original name: Komposition 8
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7. Paul Klee
Senecio (1922)
Original name: Senecio
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8. Peter Paul Rubens
The Three Graces (1635)
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9. Michelangelo
Michelangelo Buonarrotti is regarded as one of the greatest painters, sculptors, and architects of the Renaissance. He is most renowned for the frescoes he painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The paintings depict scenes from The Book of Genesis and are now considered a world cultural heritage.
The Creation of Adam
Original name: Creazione di Adamo
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10. Marcel Duchamp
Fountain (1917)
Original name: La Fountaine
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11. Paul Jackson Pollock
Blue Poles (1952)
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12. Andy Warhol
Modern art as we know it wouldn’t have been possible without Andy Warhol. The works of this American artist challenged the concept of art itself by redrawing and reshaping aesthetic and conceptual elements. He became emblematic around the world because of his “pop art,” paintings that illustrated mass-produced commercial goods. His canvas featured popular products like Campbell’s soup cans or Coca-Cola bottles, and famous celebrities like Marilyn Monroe or his “Eight Elvises” portraits.
Eight Elvises (1963)
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13. Angelica Kauffmann
Rinaldo and Armida (1771)
Original Name: Rinaldo e Armida
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14. Henri Matisse
The Joy of Life (1906)
Original name: Le bonheur de vivre
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15. Salvador Dalí
The Meditative Rose (1958)
Original name: Rosa mediativa
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16. René Magritte
René Magritte’s trademark consisted on transforming everyday objects into marvelous ones. He removed established concepts of things, playing with the perspectives of common settings and objects. His aim was to challenge the spectators’ beliefs and ideas about the world they lived in.
The Human Condition (1933)
Original name: La condition humaine
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17. Tamara de Lempicka
Kizette on the Balcony (1927)
Original Name: Kizette au balcon
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18. Joan Miró
May 1968
Original name: Mayo 1968 (1968)
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19. Pablo Picasso
The Weeping Woman (1937)
Original Name: La mujer que llora
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20. El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos)
View of Toledo (1600)
Original Name: Vista de Toledo
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21. Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David was a painter from the Neoclassical movement, which flourished in France during the late eighteenth century. He drew his inspiration from the classical principles of the Renaissance. His paintings focused on important figures of Greek and Roman mythology and history. He is still remembered for his moralizing canvases such as the Death of Socrates, were he depicts the last moments of the Greek philosopher, sharing his last teachings with his students prior to his execution.
Death of Socrates (1787)
Original name: La morte de Socrate
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22. Hieronymus Bosch
Ship of Fools (1500)
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23. Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper is considered one of the most important realist painters of the twentieth century. His visions of reality convey a feeling of nostalgia and overwhelming loneliness. He painted desolated, run down cityscapes. Despite gloom, it’s aesthetic beauty is undeniable.
Nighthawks (1942)
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24. James Abbott McNeill Whistle
Symphony in White, No, 1 also known as The White Girl (1862)
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25. Teodoro Chassériau
The Two Sisters (1843)
Original name: Les Deux sœurs
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26. Edgar Degas
This Impressionist French painter and sculptor was fascinated with ballet and he didn’t hesitate to show it in his paintings. The subtle beauty of the ballerinas is conveyed through the delicacy of his strokes and pastel colors.
The Ballet Class (1874)
Original name: La clase de danse
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27. Leonora Carrington
The Giantess (1950)
Original name: La giganta
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28. Paul Gauguin
Tahitian Women on the Beach (1891)
Original name: Femmes de Tahiti
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29. Vincent van Gogh
Is there anything that hasn’t been said about van Gogh? He is one of the most renowned painters around the world. That’s why the best you can do is explore his lesser-known works and break free from the classic concepts that art history has built around him. Remember, the best part of any work of art is to experience the feelings that they stir in us without preconceptions.
Irises (1889)
Original name: Iris
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30. Paul Cézanne
Mount Saint-Victoire (1995)
Original name: La montagne Sainte-Victoire
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If this journey made you want to know more about art, don’t forget to check out:
25 Paintings You Should Know Before You Turn 25
10 Paintings That Any Music And Film Lover Must Know
Translated by Andrea Valle Gracia
