Famous paintings and their descriptions. Works by Rafael Santi. The most famous paintings of Pablo Picasso

The world's collection of paintings amounts to several tens of thousands of paintings, of which more than one hundred are recognized as the world's greatest masterpieces. It is believed that if a person is familiar with the work of at least ten to fifteen artists, whose hand these numerous works belong to, then he can already be called cultured and educated (at least in the field of painting). But the essence is not in the pretentious swallowing of the “grade mark” - these canvases depict wisdom, subtlety, individuality, success, greatness, work... The paintings of great artists contain sacred meaning, and truly educated and wise is he who is able to consider it. Further we'll talk about the ten most famous paintings in the world. This list is not a rating or anything like it - just a small part of the universe whose name is Art.

1. Mona Lisa (Leonardo da Vinci)

There are probably few civilized people in the world (not to mention wild tribes in pristine places on the planet) who do not know what the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vicni looks like, and even more so - those who have not heard of this famous painting. Today it is located in the Louvre (Paris). The Mona Lisa owes its fame to a fateful event - at the beginning of the last century, the painting was stolen by one of the employees of this museum. For two years, the entire world press tirelessly talked about this case. Another interesting point worthy of many years of worldwide discussion is the smile of Gioconda. In addition, there are even statements that the picture depicts a young man.

2. The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci)

last supper– one of the best paintings in world art. If the previous painting was stolen from a museum and disappeared from public view for two years, then this painting has a truly tragic past. It is a fresco located in one of the Milan monasteries. The Last Supper was a decoration of the building even at a time when it served as an armory, a prison, and was bombed. The fresco was restored at least five times. It depicts Jesus with his twelve disciples seated around a table. The picture has great value not only for world art, but also for religion – Orthodoxy in particular.

3. Sistine Madonna (Raphael Santi)

A contemporary of Leonardo da Vicni was Raphael Santi, who painted one of the most famous paintings - the Sistine Madonna. It is noteworthy that the “platform” for the painting was not a wooden board, as in the vast majority of cases in painting of that time, but a canvas. The second point is its size: 265x196 centimeters. Huge picture handmade, the finest details (for example, the background of the picture is composed of the faces of angels, which many initially mistake for clouds) - this is a gigantic work! The canvas depicts the Madonna and Child, surrounded by Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara. It is known that the sitters for the Sistine Madonna were his beloved (for main character), dad Julius and the artist's niece (for the other two characters, respectively).

4. Night Watch (Rembrandt)

« The night Watch"is one of Rembrandt's most famous paintings. Initially, this work was called completely differently. However, art historians who discovered it about two centuries ago thought that the action was taking place at night, and the painting received its current name. In reality, the action takes place during the day, and its darkness is a consequence of soot. But the world recognized the picture as “Night Watch,” and to this day this name has remained unchanged. Among the greatest paintings of the world, this is the rare case when the name of the work was not preserved original, but was practically invented “on the fly.”

5. Starry Night (Vincent Van Gogh)

Van Gogh's painting has also become a property of modern art. Starlight Night" An interesting fact is that the artist wrote this work from memory, although he and many other artists primarily paint from life - something or someone. It is also interesting that at this time the artist was in a psychiatric hospital, because he suffered from attacks of insanity. This is how a mad artist painted a world masterpiece, this is how he practically created a new direction in fine art, this is how he immortalized his name. And the world has seen quite a few crazy people and crazy people who turned out to be geniuses. And the world continues to laugh at the madmen!

6. The Persistence of Memory (Salvador Dali)

“The Persistence of Memory” is one of Salvador Dali’s most famous works. The painting is located in the New York Museum of Modern Art. Continuing on about madmen and geniuses, it is worth saying that the artist got the idea for writing the work when... seeing processed cheese! The associations that the product evoked in Dali prompted the artist to present his ideas on canvas in exactly this form. Dali admitted this to the public personally, without even trying to hide the peculiar oddity that prompted him to paint the picture. And, returning in the evening on the day of painting the canvas from the cinema, Salvador’s beloved prophetically declared that anyone who once sees “The Persistence of Memory” will never be able to forget it.

7. Birth of Venus (Sandro Botticelli)

Among the most famous paintings in the world is “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli. The canvas is located in the no less famous Uffizi Gallery, which is located in Florence. In the painting, the artist depicted the mythology of the birth of the goddess Aphrodite: she floats across the sea to the shore on one of the halves of a shell, driven by Zephyr (the god of the west wind), who, being in the arms of his wife, fills the wind streams with flowers. Grace awaits her on the shore, preparing to cover the goddess with a mantle. Botticelli used egg yolk as a protective layer for the painting, thanks to which it has been perfectly preserved to this day.

8. The Ninth Wave (Aivazovsky)

The outstanding work of the Russian artist Ivan Aivazovsky “The Ninth Wave” allows us to truly be proud that among the world’s greatest works visual arts there is also our contribution. Aivazovsky is known for the fact that his artistic passion lay in the field of depicting the sea - he devoted his entire career as an artist to this. “The Ninth Wave” received a huge worldwide vocation and was included in one of the hundred greatest paintings in the world.

9. Impression. Rising Sun (Claude Monet)

Claude Monet's canvas “Impression. Rising Sun", stored in a Paris museum, marked the beginning of a whole direction of painting - impressionism. This work was born early in the morning at one of the old French outports, as is clear, from life. Clone Monet, using all his skill, tried to depict a fleeting feeling of pleasure from one single moment, which is the essence of impressionism, which began to develop in subsequent years. And this movement in fine art got its name thanks to the first word in the title of the painting, which in French sounds like “impressio”.

At the beginning of December 2011, new price records were set at Russian auctions in London. Summing up the year, we have compiled a list of the most expensive works by Russian artists based on the results of auction sales.

33 most expensive places. Source: 33 most expensive places.

According to the ratings, the most expensive Russian artist is Mark Rothko. His White Center (1950), sold for 72.8 million dollars, in addition, ranks 12th in the list of the most expensive paintings in the world in general. However, Rothko was Jewish, born in Latvia and left Russia at the age of 10. Is it fair?with such a stretch chase for records? Therefore, we crossed Rothko, like other emigrants who left Russia without yet becoming artists (for example, Tamara de Lempicki and Chaim Soutine), from the list.

No. 1. Kazimir Malevich - $60 million.

The author of “Black Square” is too important a person for his works to be often found on the open market. So this painting ended up at auction very the hard way. In 1927, Malevich, planning to organize an exhibition, brought almost a hundred works from his Leningrad workshop to Berlin. However, he was urgently recalled to his homeland, and he left them in the custody of the architect Hugo Hering. He saved the paintings in difficult years fascist dictatorship, when they could well have been destroyed as “degenerate art,” and in 1958, after Malevich’s death, he sold them to the State Stedelek Museum (Holland).

At the beginning of the 21st century, a group of Malevich’s heirs, almost forty people, began trial- because Hering was not the legal owner of the paintings. As a result, the museum gave them this painting, and will give them four more, which will certainly cause a sensation at some auction. After all, Malevich is one of the most forged artists in the world, and the provenance of the paintings from the Stedelek Museum is impeccable. And in January 2012, the heirs received another painting from that Berlin exhibition, taking it away from the Swiss museum.

No. 2. Wassily Kandinsky - $22.9 million.

The auction price of a work is influenced by its reputation. It's not only big name artist, but also “provenance” (origin). Item from the famous private collection or good museum always costs more than work from an anonymous collection. “Fugue” comes from the famous Guggenheim Museum: one day director Thomas Krenz removed Kandinsky, a painting by Chagall and Modigliani from the museum collections, and put them up for sale. For some reason, the museum used the money received to purchase a collection of 200 works by American conceptualists. Krenz was condemned for a very long time for this decision.

This painting by the father of abstract art is curious because it set a record back in 1990, when the auction rooms of London and New York had not yet been filled with reckless Russian buyers. Thanks to this, by the way, it did not disappear into some very private collection in luxurious mansion, and is located in permanent exhibition in the private Beyeler Museum in Switzerland, where anyone can see it. A rare opportunity for such a purchase!

No. 3. Alexey Yavlensky - £9.43 million

An unknown buyer paid approximately $18.5 million for a portrait depicting a girl from a village near Munich. Shokko is not a name, but a nickname. Every time the model came to the artist’s studio, she asked for a cup of hot chocolate. So “Shokko” took root after her.

The sold painting is part of his famous cycle “Race”, depicting the domestic peasantry of the first quarter of the twentieth century. And, really, she portrays her with such faces that it’s scary to watch. Here, in the image of a shepherd, the peasant poet Nikolai Klyuev, the forerunner of Yesenin, appears. Among his poems are the following: “In the heat of the day, the scarlet flower has become defoliated and faded - The daring light of a child is far from the sweetheart.”

No. 19. Konstantin Makovsky - £2.03 million

Makovsky is a salon painter, famous for the huge number of hawthorn heads in kokoshniks and sundresses, as well as for the painting “Children Running from a Thunderstorm,” which at one time was constantly published on gift boxes chocolates. Its sweet historical paintings are in stable demand among Russian buyers.

The theme of this painting- Old Russian "kiss ritual" For noble women Ancient Rus' it was not allowed to leave the female half, and only for the sake of the guests of honor could they come out, bring a glass and (the most pleasant part) allow themselves to be kissed. Pay attention to the painting hanging on the wall: this is an image of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, one of the first equestrian portraits to appear in Rus'. Its composition, although it was blatantly copied from a European model, was considered unusually innovative and even shocking for that time.

No. 20. Svyatoslav Roerich - $2.99 ​​million

The son of Nicholas Roerich left Russia as a teenager. Lived in England, USA, India. Like his father, he was interested in Eastern philosophy. Like his father, he painted many paintings on Indian themes. His father generally occupied a huge place in his life - he painted more than thirty portraits of him. This painting was created in India, where the clan settled in the middle of the century. Paintings by Svyatoslav Roerich rarely appear at auctions, and in Moscow, works of the famous dynasty can be seen in the halls of the Museum of the East, to which the authors donated them, as well as in the International Center of the Roerichs, which is located in a luxurious noble estate right behind the Pushkin Museum. Both museums do not really like each other: the Museum of the East lays claim to both the building and the collections of the Roerich Center.

No. 21. Ivan Shishkin - £1.87 million

The main Russian landscape painter spent three summers in a row on Valaam and left many images of this area. This work is a little gloomy and does not look like classic Shishkin. But this is explained by the fact that the picture refers to his early period when he didn't find his manner and was under strong influence Düsseldorf School of Landscape, where he studied.

We already mentioned this Düsseldorf school above, in the recipe for fake Aivazovsky. " Shishkins" are made according to the same scheme, for example, in 2004 at Sotheby's exhibited “Landscape with a Stream” from the Düsseldorf period of the painter. It was estimated at $1 million and was confirmed by an examination of the Tretyakov Gallery. An hour before the sale, the lot was withdrawn - it turned out to be a painting by another student of this school, the Dutchman Marinus Adrian Koekkoek, purchased in Sweden for 65 thousand dollars.

No. 22. Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin - £1.83m

A portrait of a boy holding an icon of the Virgin Mary was found in a private collection in Chicago. After it was handed over auction house, experts have begun research to try to determine its origin. It turned out that the painting was at exhibitions in 1922 and 1932. In the 1930s, the artist’s works traveled around the States as part of an exhibition of Russian art. Perhaps it was then that the owners acquired this painting.

Notice the empty space on the wall behind the boy. At first the author thought of painting a window with a green landscape there. This would balance the picture both in composition and colors - the grass would echo the green tunic of the Mother of God (by the way, according to the canon it should be blue). Why Petrov-Vodkin painted over the window is unknown.

No. 23. Nicholas Roerich - £1.76 million

Before visiting Shambhala and starting to correspond with the Dalai Lama, Nicholas Roerich quite successfully specialized in the ancient Russian theme and even made ballet sketches for Russian Seasons. The lot sold belongs to this period. The scene depicted is miraculous phenomenon above the water, which is observed by a Russian monk, most likely Sergius of Radonezh. It is curious that the painting was painted in the same year as another vision of Sergius (then the youth Bartholomew), appearing in our list above. The stylistic difference is colossal.

Roerich painted many paintings and the lion's share of them in India. He donated several pieces to the Indian Institute of Agricultural Research. Recently two of them, Himalayas, Kanchenjunga and Sunset, Kashmir ", appeared at auction in London. Only then did the junior researchers of the institute notice that they had been robbed. In January 2011, the Indians applied to a London court for permission to investigate this crime in England. The interest of thieves in Roerich’s heritage is understandable, because there is a demand.

No. 24. Lyubov Popova- 1.7 million pounds

Lyubov Popova died young, so she did not manage to become famous like another Amazon of the avant-garde, Natalya Goncharova. And her legacy is smaller - so it’s difficult to find her work for sale. After her death, a detailed inventory of the paintings was compiled. This still life long years was known only from a black and white reproduction until it surfaced in a private collection, turning out to be the artist’s most significant work in private hands. Pay attention to the Zhostovo tray - perhaps this is a hint of Popova’s taste for folk crafts. She came from the family of an Ivanovo merchant who dealt in textiles, and she herself created many sketches of propaganda textiles based on Russian traditions.

No. 25. Aristarkh Lentulov - £1.7 million

Lentulov entered the history of the Russian avant-garde with his memorable image of St. Basil's Cathedral - either cubism or a patchwork quilt. In this landscape he tries to split space according to a similar principle, but it doesn’t turn out as exciting. Actually, that's why "St. Basil the Blessed""in the Tretyakov Gallery, and this painting- on the art market. After all, museum workers once had the opportunity to skim the cream.

No. 26. Alexey Bogolyubov - £1.58 million

Selling this little-known artist, albeit the favorite landscape painter of Tsar Alexander III, for such crazy money - a symptom of the market frenzy on the eve of the 2008 crisis. At that time, Russian collectors were ready to buy even minor masters. Moreover, first-class artists are rarely sold.

Perhaps this painting was sent as a gift to some official: it has a suitable subject, because the Cathedral of Christ the Savior has long ceased to be just a church, and has become a symbol. And a flattering origin - the painting was kept in the royal palace. Pay attention to the details: the brick Kremlin tower is covered with white plaster, and the hill inside the Kremlin is completely undeveloped. Well, why bother trying? In the 1870s, the capital was St. Petersburg, not Moscow, and the Kremlin was not a residence.

No. 27. Isaac Levitan - £1.56 million

Completely atypical for Levitan, the work was sold at the same auction as Bogolyubov’s painting, but it turned out to be cheaper. This is connected, of course, with the fact that the picture does not look like Levitan " Its authorship, however, is indisputable; a similar plot is in the Dnepropetrovsk Museum. 40 thousand light bulbs, with which the Kremlin was decorated, were lit in honor of the coronation of Nicholas II. In a few days the Khodynka disaster will happen.

No. 28. Arkhip Kuindzhi - $3 million.

The famous landscape painter painted three similar paintings. The first is in the Tretyakov Gallery, the third is in the State Museum of Belarus. The second, presented at the auction, was intended for Prince Pavel Pavlovich Demidov-San Donato. This representative of the famous Ural dynasty lived in a villa near Florence. In general, the Demidovs, having become Italian princes, had fun as best they could. For example, Pavel's uncle, from whom he inherited princely title, was so rich and noble that he married the niece of Napoleon Bonaparte, and one day, in a bad mood, he whipped her. The poor lady had a hard time getting a divorce. The painting, however, did not reach Demidov; it was acquired by the Ukrainian sugar factory Tereshchenko.

No. 29. Konstantin Korovin- 1.497 million pounds

Impressionists characterized by a very “light”, sweeping writing style. Korovin is the main Russian impressionist. It is very popular among scammers; According to rumors, the number of its fakes at auctions reaches 80%. If a painting from a private collection was exhibited at the artist’s personal exhibition in a famous state museum, then its reputation is strengthened, and at the next auction it costs much more. In 2012, the Tretyakov Gallery is planning a large-scale exhibition of Korovin. Maybe there will be works from private collections. This paragraph is an example of manipulation of the reader’s consciousness by listing facts that do not have a direct logical connection with each other.

• Please note that from March 26 to August 12, 2012, the Tretyakov Gallery promises to organizeKorovin exhibition . Read more about the biography of the most charming of artists Silver Age read in our review opening days of the State Tretyakov Gallery in 2012.

No. 30. Yuri Annenkov - $2.26 million.

Annenkov managed to emigrate in 1924 and made a good career in the West. For example, in 1954 he was nominated for an Oscar as costume designer for the film "Madame de..." His early Soviet portraits are best known- the faces are cubist, faceted, but completely recognizable. For example, he repeatedly drew Leon Trotsky in this way - and even repeated the drawing many years later from memory, when the Times magazine wanted to decorate the cover with it.

The character depicted in the record-breaking portrait is the writer Tikhonov-Serebrov. He entered the history of Russian literature mainly through his close friendship with. So close that, according to dirty rumors, the artist’s wife Varvara Shaikevich even gave birth to a daughter from the great proletarian writer. It’s not very noticeable in the reproduction, but the portrait was made using the collage technique: on top of a layer oil paint there's glass and plaster here, and even a real doorbell attached.

No. 31. Lev Lagorio - £1.47 million

Another minor landscape painter, for some reason sold for a record price. One of the indicators of auction success is exceeding the estimate (“estimate”) - the minimum price that experts auction house installed for the lot. The estimate for this landscape was 300-400 thousand pounds, but it was sold for 4 times more expensive. As one London auctioneer said: “happiness is when two Russian oligarchs compete for the same thing."

No. 32. Viktor Vasnetsov - £1.1 million

Bogatyrs became a calling card back in the 1870s. He returns to his star theme, like other veterans of Russian painting, in his young years Soviet republic- both for financial reasons and to feel in demand again. This picture is the author's repetition “Ilya Muromets” (1915), which is kept in the House-Museum of the artist (on Prospekt Mira).

No. 33. Erik Bulatov - £1.084 million

The second living artist on our list (he also said that for the artist The best way raising prices for your work is death). , by the way, this is a Soviet Warhol, underground and anti-communist. He worked in the genre of social art, which was created by the Soviet underground, as our version of pop art. “Glory to the CPSU” is one of the artist’s most famous works. According to his own explanations, the letters here symbolize a lattice blocking the sky, that is, freedom, from us.

Bonus: Zinaida Serebryakova - £1.07 million

Serebryakova loved to paint nude women, self-portraits and her four children. This ideal feminist world is harmonious and calm, which cannot be said about the life of the artist herself, who barely escaped from Russia after the revolution and spent a lot of effort to get her children out of there.

“Nude” is not an oil painting, but a pastel drawing. This is the most expensive Russian drawing. Such a high amount paid for the graphics is comparable to the prices for Impressionist drawings and caused great surprise at Sotheby's, which started the auction with 150 thousand pounds sterling and received a million.

The list is compiled based on prices indicated on the official websites of auction houses. This price is made up of the net price (as stated when the hammer comes down), and« buyer's premium (additional percentage of the auction house). Other sources may indicate "pure» price. The dollar to pound exchange rate often fluctuates, so British and American lots are located relative to each other with approximate accuracy (we are not Forbes).

Additions and corrections to our list are welcome.

Message quote The most famous and significant paintings of the world for the history of art. | 33 masterpieces of world painting.

Below the pictures of the artists they belong to there are links to the posts.

The immortal paintings of great artists are admired by millions of people. Art, classical and modern, is one of the most important sources of inspiration, taste and cultural education of any person, and even more so a creative one.
There are certainly more than 33 world-famous paintings. There are several hundred of them, and all of them would not fit into one review. Therefore, for ease of viewing, we have selected several paintings that are most significant for world culture and are often copied in advertising. Each work is accompanied interesting fact, an explanation of the artistic meaning or the history of its creation.

Kept in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden.

The painting has a little secret: the background, which from afar appears to be clouds, turns out to be the heads of angels upon closer examination. And the two angels depicted in the picture below became the motif of numerous postcards and posters.

Rembrandt "Night Watch" 1642
Kept in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The true title of Rembrandt’s painting is “The Performance of the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg.” Art historians who discovered the painting in the 19th century thought that the figures were standing out against a dark background, and it was called “Night Watch.” Later it was discovered that dark picture creates a layer of soot, but the action actually takes place during the day. However, the painting has already been included in the treasury of world art under the name “Night Watch”.

Leonardo da Vinci "The Last Supper" 1495-1498
Located in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

Over the more than 500-year history of the work, the fresco has been destroyed more than once: a doorway was cut through the painting and then blocked, the refectory of the monastery where the image is located was used as an armory, a prison, and was bombed. The famous fresco was restored at least five times, with the last restoration taking 21 years. Today, to view the art, visitors must reserve tickets in advance and can spend only 15 minutes in the refectory.

Salvador Dali "The Persistence of Memory" 1931

According to the author himself, the painting was painted as a result of the associations that Dali had with the sight of processed cheese. Returning from the cinema, where she went that evening, Gala quite correctly predicted that no one, once they saw The Persistence of Memory, would forget it.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder "Tower of Babel" 1563
Kept in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

According to Bruegel, the failure that befell the construction Tower of Babel, are not guilty of suddenly arising according to biblical story language barriers, and mistakes made during the construction process. At first glance, the huge structure seems quite strong, but upon closer examination it is clear that all the tiers are laid unevenly, the lower floors are either unfinished or are already collapsing, the building itself is tilting towards the city, and the prospects for the entire project are very sad.

Kazimir Malevich “Black Square” 1915

According to the artist, he painted the picture for several months. Subsequently, Malevich made several copies of “Black Square” (according to some sources, seven). According to one version, the artist was unable to finish work on the painting in required deadline, so he had to cover up the work with black paint. Subsequently, after public recognition, Malevich painted new “Black Squares” on blank canvases. Malevich also painted “Red Square” (in two copies) and one “White Square”.

Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin “Bathing the Red Horse” 1912
Located in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

Painted in 1912, the painting turned out to be visionary. The red horse acts as the Fate of Russia or Russia itself, which the fragile and young rider is unable to hold. Thus, the artist symbolically predicted with his painting the “red” fate of Russia in the 20th century.

Peter Paul Rubens "The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus" 1617-1618
Kept in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.

The painting “The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus” is considered the personification of manly passion and physical beauty. The strong, muscular arms of young men pick up young naked women to put them on horses. The sons of Zeus and Leda steal their cousins' brides.

Paul Gauguin "Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?" 1898
Kept in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

According to Gauguin himself, the painting should be read from right to left - three main groups of figures illustrate the questions posed in the title. Three women with a child represent the beginning of life; middle group symbolizes the daily existence of maturity; in the final group, according to the artist’s plan, “ old woman, approaching death, seems reconciled and given over to her thoughts”, at her feet “a strange white bird... represents the futility of words.”

Eugene Delacroix "Liberty Leading the People" 1830
Kept in the Louvre in Paris

Delacroix created a painting based on the July Revolution of 1830 in France. In a letter to his brother on October 12, 1830, Delacroix writes: “If I did not fight for my Motherland, then at least I will write for it.” The bare chest of a woman leading the people symbolizes the dedication of the French people of that time, who went bare-chested against the enemy.

Claude Monet "Impression. Rising Sun" 1872
Kept in the Marmottan Museum in Paris.

The title of the work “Impression, soleil levant”, thanks to the light hand of journalist L. Leroy, became the name artistic direction"impressionism". The painting was painted from life in the old outport of Le Havre in France.

Jan Vermeer "Girl with a Pearl Earring" 1665
Kept in the Mauritshuis Gallery in The Hague.

One of the most famous paintings by the Dutch artist Jan Vermeer is often called the Nordic or Dutch Mona Lisa. Very little is known about the painting: it is undated and the name of the girl depicted is unknown. In 2003, based on the novel of the same name by Tracy Chevalier, it was filmed Feature Film“Girl with a Pearl Earring”, in which the history of the creation of the painting is hypothetically restored in the context of Vermeer’s biography and family life.

Ivan Aivazovsky “The Ninth Wave” 1850
Kept in St. Petersburg in the State Russian Museum.

Ivan Aivazovsky is a world-famous Russian marine painter who devoted his life to depicting the sea. He created about six thousand works, each of which received recognition during the artist’s lifetime. The painting “The Ninth Wave” is included in the book “100 Great Paintings”.

Andrey Rublev “Trinity” 1425-1427

The Icon of the Holy Trinity, painted by Andrei Rublev in the 15th century, is one of the most famous Russian icons. The icon is a board in a vertical format. Tsars (Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Mikhail Fedorovich) “overlaid” the icon with gold, silver and precious stones. Today the salary is kept in the Sergiev Posad State Museum-Reserve.

Mikhail Vrubel “Seated Demon” 1890
Kept in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

The plot of the film is inspired by Lermontov’s poem “The Demon”. The demon is an image of the strength of the human spirit, internal struggle, doubt. Tragically clasping his hands, the Demon sits with sad, huge eyes directed into the distance, surrounded by unprecedented flowers.

William Blake "The Great Architect" 1794
Kept in the British Museum in London.

The title of the painting “The Ancient of Days” literally translates from English as “Ancient of Days.” This phrase was used as the name of God. Main character The paintings show God at the moment of creation, who does not establish order, but limits freedom and denotes the limits of imagination.

Edouard Manet "Bar at the Folies Bergere" 1882
Kept at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.

The Folies Bergere is a variety show and cabaret in Paris. Manet often visited the Folies Bergere and ended up painting this painting, his last before his death in 1883. Behind the bar, in the middle of a crowd of people drinking, eating, talking and smoking, a bartender stands absorbed in her own thoughts, watching the trapeze acrobat, who can be seen in the upper left corner of the picture.

Titian “Earthly Love and Heavenly Love” 1515-1516
Kept in the Galleria Borghese in Rome.

It is noteworthy that the modern name of the painting was not given by the artist himself, but began to be used only two centuries later. Until this time, the painting had various names: “Beauty, embellished and unadorned” (1613), “Three types of love” (1650), “Divine and socialite women"(1700), and, finally, "Earthly Love and Heavenly Love" (1792 and 1833).

Mikhail Nesterov “Vision to the youth Bartholomew” 1889-1890
Kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

The first and most significant work from the cycle dedicated to Sergius of Radonezh. Until the end of his days, the artist was convinced that “Vision to the Youth Bartholomew” was his best work. In his old age, the artist liked to repeat: “It’s not me who will live. “The Youth Bartholomew” will live. Now, if thirty, fifty years after my death he still says something to people, that means he’s alive, and that means I’m alive.”

Pieter Bruegel the Elder "Parable of the Blind" 1568
Kept in the Capodimonte Museum in Naples.

Other titles of the painting are “The Blind”, “Parabola of the Blind”, “The Blind Leading the Blind”. It is believed that the plot of the film is based on the biblical parable of the blind: “If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit.”

Victor Vasnetsov “Alyonushka” 1881
Kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery.

It is based on the fairy tale “About Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka.” Initially, Vasnetsov’s painting was called “Fool Alyonushka.” At that time, orphans were called “fools.” “Alyonushka,” the artist himself later said, “seemed to have lived in my head for a long time, but in reality I saw her in Akhtyrka, when I met one simple-haired girl who captured my imagination. There was so much melancholy, loneliness and purely Russian sadness in her eyes... Some special Russian spirit wafted from her.”

Vincent van Gogh "Starry Night" 1889
Kept in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Unlike most of the artist’s paintings, “Starry Night” was painted from memory. Van Gogh was at that time in the Saint-Rémy hospital, tormented by attacks of madness.

Karl Bryullov “The Last Day of Pompeii” 1830-1833
Kept in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

The painting depicts the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. e. and the destruction of the city of Pompeii near Naples. The artist's image in the left corner of the painting is a self-portrait of the author.

Pablo Picasso “Girl on a Ball” 1905
Stored in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow

The painting ended up in Russia thanks to industrialist Ivan Abramovich Morozov, who purchased it in 1913 for 16,000 francs. In 1918, the personal collection of I. A. Morozov was nationalized. IN currently the painting is in the collection State Museum Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin.

Leonardo da Vinci "Madonna Litta" 1491

Kept in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

The original title of the painting was “Madonna and Child.” Modern name the painting comes from the name of its owner - Count Litt, owner of the family art gallery in Milan. There is an assumption that the figure of the baby was not painted by Leonardo da Vinci, but belongs to the brush of one of his students. This is evidenced by the baby's pose, which is unusual for the author's style.

Jean Ingres "Turkish Baths" 1862
Kept in the Louvre in Paris.

Ingres finished painting this picture when he was already over 80 years old. With this painting, the artist sums up the image of bathers, the theme of which has long been present in his work. Initially, the canvas was in the shape of a square, but a year after its completion the artist turned it into a round painting - a tondo.

Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Savitsky “Morning in a pine forest” 1889
Stored in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow

“Morning in a Pine Forest” is a painting by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky. Savitsky painted the bears, but the collector Pavel Tretyakov, when he acquired the painting, erased his signature, so now Shishkin alone is indicated as the author of the painting.

Mikhail Vrubel “The Swan Princess” 1900
Stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery

The painting is based on the stage image of the heroine of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” based on the plot fairy tale of the same name A. S. Pushkin. Vrubel created sketches for the scenery and costumes for the 1900 premiere of the opera, and his wife sang the role of the Swan Princess.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo “Portrait of Emperor Rudolf II as Vertumnus” 1590
Located in Skokloster Castle in Stockholm.

One of the few surviving works of the artist, who composed portraits from fruits, vegetables, flowers, crustaceans, fish, pearls, musical and other instruments, books, and so on. "Vertumnus" is a portrait of the emperor, represented as the ancient Roman god of seasons, vegetation and transformation. In the picture, Rudolph consists entirely of fruits, flowers and vegetables.

Edgar Degas "Blue Dancers" 1897
Located in the Museum of Art. A. S. Pushkin in Moscow.

Sandro Botticelli "Birth of Venus" 1486
Kept in Florence in the Uffizi Gallery

The painting illustrates the myth of the birth of Aphrodite. A naked goddess swims to the shore in an open shell, driven by the wind. On the left side of the painting, Zephyr (the west wind), in the arms of his wife Chloris, blows on a shell, creating a wind filled with flowers. On the shore, the goddess is met by one of the graces. The Birth of Venus is well preserved due to the fact that Botticelli applied it to the painting protective layer from egg yolk.

If you think that all great artists are in the past, then you have no idea how wrong you are. In this article you will learn about the most famous and talented artists modernity. And, believe me, their works will remain in your memory no less deeply than the works of maestros from past eras.

Wojciech Babski

Wojciech Babski is a contemporary Polish artist. He completed his studies at the Silesian Polytechnic Institute, but associated himself with. IN Lately draws mainly women. Focuses on the expression of emotions, strives to obtain the greatest possible effect using simple means.

Loves color, but often uses shades of black and gray to achieve the best impression. Not afraid to experiment with different new techniques. Recently, he has been gaining increasing popularity abroad, mainly in the UK, where he successfully sells his works, which can already be found in many private collections. In addition to art, he is interested in cosmology and philosophy. Listens to jazz. Currently lives and works in Katowice.

Warren Chang

Warren Chang - modern American artist. Born in 1957 and raised in Monterey, California, he graduated with honors from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1981, where he received a BFA. Over the next two decades he worked as an illustrator for various companies in California and New York before embarking on a career as a professional artist in 2009.

His realistic paintings can be divided into two main categories: biographical interior paintings and paintings depicting people at work. His interest in this style of painting dates back to the work of the 16th century artist Johannes Vermeer, and extends to subjects, self-portraits, portraits of family members, friends, students, studio interiors, classrooms and homes. His goal is to create mood and emotion in his realistic paintings through the manipulation of light and the use of muted colors.

Chang became famous after switching to traditional fine arts. Over the past 12 years, he has earned numerous awards and honors, the most prestigious of which is the Master Signature from the Oil Painters of America, the largest oil painting community in the United States. Only one person out of 50 is given the opportunity to receive this award. Warren currently lives in Monterey and works in his studio, and he also teaches (known as a talented teacher) at the San Francisco Academy of Art.

Aurelio Bruni

Aurelio Bruni – Italian artist. Born in Blair, October 15, 1955. He received a diploma in scenography from the Institute of Art in Spoleto. As an artist, he is self-taught, as he independently “built a house of knowledge” on the foundation laid in school. He began painting in oils at the age of 19. Currently lives and works in Umbria.

Bruni's early paintings are rooted in surrealism, but over time he begins to focus on the proximity of lyrical romanticism and symbolism, enhancing this combination with the exquisite sophistication and purity of his characters. Animated and inanimate objects acquire equal dignity and look almost hyper-realistic, but at the same time they do not hide behind a curtain, but allow you to see the essence of your soul. Versatility and sophistication, sensuality and loneliness, thoughtfulness and fruitfulness are the spirit of Aurelio Bruni, nourished by the splendor of art and the harmony of music.

Aleksander Balos

Alkasander Balos is a contemporary Polish artist specializing in oil painting. Born in 1970 in Gliwice, Poland, but since 1989 he has lived and worked in the USA, in Shasta, California.

As a child, he studied art under the guidance of his father Jan, a self-taught artist and sculptor, so from an early age, artistic activity received the full support of both parents. In 1989, at the age of eighteen, Balos left Poland for the United States, where his school teacher and part-time artist Kathy Gaggliardi encouraged Alkasander to enroll in art school. Balos then received a full scholarship to the University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he studied painting with philosophy professor Harry Rosin.

After graduating in 1995 with a bachelor's degree, Balos moved to Chicago to study at the School of Fine Arts, whose methods are based on the work of Jacques-Louis David. Figurative realism and portrait painting formed the majority of Balos' work in the 90s and early 2000s. Today Balos uses the human figure to highlight features and show flaws. human existence without offering any solutions.

The subject compositions of his paintings are intended to be independently interpreted by the viewer, only then will the paintings acquire their true temporal and subjective meaning. In 2005, the artist moved to Northern California, since then the subject matter of his work has expanded significantly and now includes freer painting methods, including abstraction and various multimedia styles that help express ideas and ideals of existence through painting.

Alyssa Monks

Alyssa Monks is a contemporary American artist. Born in 1977, in Ridgewood, New Jersey. I began to be interested in painting when I was still a child. Studied at the New School in New York and State University Montclair and graduated from Boston College in 1999 with a B.A. At the same time, she studied painting at the Lorenzo de' Medici Academy in Florence.

Then she continued her studies in the master's degree program at the New York Academy of Art, in the department of Figurative Art, graduating in 2001. She graduated from Fullerton College in 2006. For some time she lectured at universities and educational institutions throughout the country, teaching painting at the New York Academy of Art, as well as Montclair State University and Lyme Academy of Art College.

“Using filters such as glass, vinyl, water and steam, I distort human body. These filters allow you to create large areas abstract design, with islands of color peeking through - parts of the human body.

My paintings change the modern view of the already established, traditional poses and gestures of bathing women. They could tell an attentive viewer a lot about such seemingly self-evident things as the benefits of swimming, dancing, and so on. My characters are pressed against the glass of the shower window, distorting own body, realizing that they thereby influence the notorious male gaze on a naked woman. Thick layers of paint are mixed to imitate glass, steam, water and flesh from afar. However, up close, the amazing physical properties oil paint. By experimenting with layers of paint and color, I find a point where abstract brushstrokes become something else.

When I first started painting the human body, I was immediately fascinated and even obsessed with it and believed that I had to make my paintings as realistic as possible. I “professed” realism until it began to unravel and reveal contradictions in itself. I am now exploring the possibilities and potential of a style of painting where representational painting and abstraction meet – if both styles can coexist at the same moment in time, I will do so.”

Antonio Finelli

Italian artist – “ Time Observer” – Antonio Finelli was born on February 23, 1985. Currently lives and works in Italy between Rome and Campobasso. His works have been exhibited in several galleries in Italy and abroad: Rome, Florence, Novara, Genoa, Palermo, Istanbul, Ankara, New York, and can also be found in private and public collections.

Pencil drawings " Time Observer"Antonio Finelli takes us on an eternal journey through inner world human temporality and the associated scrupulous analysis of this world, the main element of which is the passage through time and the traces it makes on the skin.

Finelli paints portraits of people of any age, gender and nationality, whose facial expressions indicate passage through time, and the artist also hopes to find evidence of the mercilessness of time on the bodies of his characters. Antonio defines his works by one thing, common name: “Self-portrait”, because in his pencil drawings he not only depicts a person, but allows the viewer to contemplate real results the passage of time within a person.

Flaminia Carloni

Flaminia Carloni is a 37-year-old Italian artist, the daughter of a diplomat. She has three children. She lived in Rome for twelve years, and for three years in England and France. She received a degree in art history from the BD School of Art. Then she received a diploma as an art restorer. Before finding her calling and devoting herself entirely to painting, she worked as a journalist, colorist, designer, and actress.

Flaminia's passion for painting arose in childhood. Her main medium is oil because she loves to “coiffer la pate” and also play with the material. She recognized a similar technique in the works of artist Pascal Torua. Flaminia is inspired by great masters of painting such as Balthus, Hopper, and François Legrand, as well as various artistic movements: street art, Chinese realism, surrealism and Renaissance realism. Her favorite artist is Caravaggio. Her dream is to discover the therapeutic power of art.

Denis Chernov

Denis Chernov is a talented Ukrainian artist, born in 1978 in Sambir, Lviv region, Ukraine. After graduating from the Kharkov Art School in 1998, he remained in Kharkov, where he currently lives and works. He also studied at the Kharkov State Academy of Design and Arts, Department of Graphic Arts, graduating in 2004.

He regularly participates in art exhibitions, this moment more than sixty of them took place, both in Ukraine and abroad. Most of Denis Chernov's works are kept in private collections in Ukraine, Russia, Italy, England, Spain, Greece, France, USA, Canada and Japan. Some of the works were sold at Christie's.

Denis works in a wide range of graphic and painting techniques. Pencil drawings are one of his most favorite painting methods, a list of his topics pencil drawings is also very diverse, he paints landscapes, portraits, nudes, genre compositions, book illustrations, literary and historical reconstructions and fantasies.

There are many talented individuals among Russian artists. Their work is highly valued all over the world and is a worthy competitor to such world masters as Rubens, Michelangelo, Van Gogh and Picasso. In this article we have collected 10 of the most famous Russian artists.

1. Ivan Aivazovsky

Ivan Aivazovsky is one of the most famous Russian artists. He was born in Feodosia. From childhood, Aivazovsky showed his incredible Creative skills: He loved to draw and taught himself to play the violin.

At the age of 12, the young talent began studying in Simferopol at the Academy of Painting. Here he learned to copy engravings and paint pictures from life. A year later, he managed to enter the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy, although he had not yet reached the age of 14.

For a long time, the artist traveled around Europe and lived in Italy, where his paintings were also recognized. So the young artist from Feodosia became a fairly famous and rich man.

Later, Aivazovsky returned to his homeland, where he received the uniform of the Naval Ministry and the title of academician. The artist also visited Egypt and was present at the opening of the new Suez Canal. The artist described all his impressions in paintings. By this time, he had already developed his own unique style and the ability to write from memory. Complex elements Aivazovsky quickly sketched in a notebook in order to later transfer them to canvas. His paintings “Odessa”, “The Ninth Wave” and “The Black Sea” brought him worldwide fame.

The artist spent the last years of his life in Feodosia, where he built himself a house in the Italian style. A little later, Aivazovsky added a small gallery to it so that everyone could freely enjoy it. amazing paintings and drown in an ocean of colors. Today, this mansion still serves as a museum and many visitors come here every day to see with their own eyes the skill of the marine painter, who lived a long and happy life.

2. Viktor Vasnetsov

The list of the most famous Russian artists continues with Viktor Vasnetsov. He was born in the spring of 1848 into the family of a priest in the small village of Lopyal. His craving for painting awoke in a very early age, but his parents could not give him a proper education due to lack of money. Therefore, at the age of 10, Victor began studying at a free theological seminary.

In 1866, with virtually no money, he left for St. Petersburg. Vasnetsov easily passed the entrance exam and entered the Academy of Arts. This is where his friendship began with famous artist Repin, with whom he later went to Paris. After returning to St. Petersburg, Vasnetsov began to paint his most famous paintings: “Three Heroes,” “Snow Maiden” and “God of Hosts.”

The artist was able to fully reveal his talent only after moving to Moscow. Here he feels cozy and comfortable, and each subsequent picture turns out better than the previous one. It was in Moscow that Vasnetsov painted such paintings as “Alyonushka”, “Ivan Tsarevich and Gray wolf" and "Nestor the Chronicler".

3. Karl Bryullov

This famous Russian artist was born in 1799. Karl's father was famous painter and professor at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Therefore, the boy’s fate was predetermined in advance. Fortunately, Karl Bryullov managed to inherit the talent of an artist from his father.

Study was a success to a young artist very easy. He was many times superior to the rest of the students in his class and graduated from the Academy of Arts with honors. After this, Karl went to travel around Europe, stopping for a long time only in Italy. It was here that he created his masterpiece, “The Last Day of Pompeii,” spending about six years writing it.

Upon his return to St. Petersburg, fame and glory awaited Karl Bryullov. They were glad to see him everywhere and certainly admired his new paintings. During this period, the artist created several of his immortal canvases: “Horsewoman”, “Siege of Pskov”, “Narcissus” and others.

4. Ivan Shishkin

Ivan Shishkin is one of the most famous Russian landscape artists, who in his paintings could present any inconspicuous landscape in the most favorable light. It seems that nature itself plays on the canvases of this artist with living colors.

Ivan Shishkin was born in 1832 in Elabuga, which today belongs to Tatarstan. The father wanted his son to eventually take the post of city official, but Ivan gravitated towards drawing. At the age of 20, he went to Moscow to study painting. After successfully graduating from the Moscow School of Arts, Shishkin entered the Imperial Academy in St. Petersburg.

Later he traveled for a long time throughout Europe, sketching amazing landscapes. At this time, he created the painting “View in the vicinity of Düsseldorf”, which brought him great fame. After returning to Russia, Shishkin continues to create with renewed energy. According to him, Russian nature is several hundred times superior to European landscapes.

Ivan Shishkin painted many stunning paintings during his life: “Morning in a Pine Forest”, “First Snow”, “ Pine forest" and others. Even death overtook this painter right behind his easel.

5. Isaac Levitan

This great Russian master of landscapes was born in Lithuania, but lived his entire life in Russia. Repeatedly Jewish origin caused him many humiliations, but never forced him to leave this country, which he idolized and praised in his paintings.

Levitan’s first landscapes already received high marks from Perov and Savrasov, and Tretyakov himself even bought his painting “Autumn Day in Sokolniki.” But in 1879, Isaac Levitan, along with all the Jews, was expelled from Moscow. Only through the enormous efforts of friends and teachers does he manage to return to the city.

In the 1880s, the artist painted many stunning paintings that made him very famous. These were “Pines”, “Autumn” and “First Snow”. But further humiliations forced the author to leave Moscow again and go to Crimea. On the peninsula the artist writes whole line amazing works and significantly improves your financial condition. This allows him to travel around Europe and get acquainted with the work of world masters. The pinnacle of Levitan’s creativity was his painting “Above Eternal Peace.”

6. Vasily Tropinin

The great Russian portrait artist Vasily Tropinin had an amazing fate. He was born into the serf family of Count Markov in 1780 and only at the age of 47 received the right to be a free man. Even as a child, little Vasily showed a penchant for drawing, but the count sent him to study to become a pastry chef. Later, he is nevertheless sent to the Imperial Academy, where he shows his talent in all its beauty. For his portraits “The Lacemaker” and “The Old Beggar” Vasily Tropinin was awarded the title of academician.

7. Petrov-Vodkin Kuzma

The famous Russian artist Petrov-Vodkin managed to leave behind a rich legacy in world painting. He was born in 1878 in Khvalynsk, and in his early years was going to become a railway worker. However, fate made him a world-famous painter.

8. Alexey Savrasov

The paintings of this Russian artist were already selling well when he was barely 12 years old. A little later, he entered the Moscow School of Painting and instantly became one of the best students. A trip to Ukraine helped Savrasov graduate from college ahead of schedule and receive the title of artist.

The paintings “Stone in the Forest” and “Moscow Kremlin” made this painter an academician at the age of 24! Interested in young talent royal family, and Tretyakov himself buys many of his works for international exhibitions. Among them were “Winter”, “The Rooks have Arrived”, “Rasputitsa” and others.

The death of two daughters and the subsequent divorce greatly affect Savrasov. He drinks heavily and soon dies in a hospital for the poor.

9. Andrey Rublev

Andrei Rublev is the most famous Russian icon painter. He was born in the 15th century and left behind a great legacy in the form of icons “Trinity”, “Annunciation”, “Baptism of the Lord”. Andrei Rublev, together with Daniil Cherny, decorated many churches with frescoes, and also painted icons for iconostases.

10. Mikhail Vrubel

Our list of the most famous Russian artists is completed by Mikhail Vrubel, who during his life created many masterpieces in various topics. He painted the Kyiv Temple, and later in Moscow began creating his famous series of “demonic” paintings. The creative wanderings of this artist did not find proper understanding among his contemporaries. Only several decades after the death of Mikhail Vrubel did art historians give him his due, and the Church agreed with his interpretations of biblical events.

Unfortunately, the artist’s personal life caused him to develop a severe form of mental disorder. The title of academician overtook him in a mental hospital, from which he was never destined to leave. Nevertheless, Mikhail Vrubel managed to create a lot amazing works art that is worthy of genuine admiration. Among them, the paintings “Seated Demon”, “The Swan Princess” and “Faust” are especially worth highlighting.