Between the millions of paintings that are created and shown in galleries and museums all around the world, a very small amount transcend time and make history. This select group of paintings is recognizable by people from all over the world and of all ages and will probably continue to echo and leave impressions in the minds of people in the centuries to come. These are the paintings that went on to become the most famous paintings in the world. A certain charm and enigma behind each of these paintings is what makes one so curious about them. So here is the list of the top 10 paintings in the world –
1. Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci
The most famous painting of all time, the Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci during the Renaissance in Florence. He began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503 or 1504 and finished it shortly before he died in 1519. The painting is named for Lisa del Giocondo, a member of a wealthy family of Florence. In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen by Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian patriot who believed the Mona Lisa should be returned to Italy. After having kept the painting in his apartment for two years, Peruggia was finally caught when he attempted to sell it to the directors of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Today, the Mona Lisa hangs again in the Louvre in Paris where 6 million people see the painting each year.
2. The Creation Of Adam – Michelangelo
Painting on a canvas is not an easy task as it is but Michelangelo took a step further and anted the painters of the world by producing one of the most beautiful paintings in the world on the walls and ceilings of a building. The ceiling of Sistine Chapel in Vatican, Rome, was painted by Michelangelo between the years 1508 and 1512. The huge wall is decorated with the nine scenes from the Book of Genesis and the main masterpiece is where God is breathing in life into Adam, the first man on the earth. The extravagant features of this painting make it one of the most famous ones in the world.
3. The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci
A masterpiece that was painted by Leonardo da Vinci was the mural painting on the wall of the dining hall of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan is The Last Supper. The painting depicts the Last Supper of Jesus Christ when he was believed to have told his two Apostles that one of them would betray him. Leonardo da Vinci is believed to not have worked on this painting continuously. He started in 1495 and completed it in 1498. This is a work of genius in its true sense.
4. Starry Night – Vincent van Gogh
Painted by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh in 1889, Starry Night is one of the most well known paintings in modern culture. The painting is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The painting was the inspiration for the song “Vincent” (also known as “starry starry night”) by Don McLean. McLean’s song reference the painting as well as other paintings by the famous artist
5. The Scream – Edvard Munch
Colors come alive in the most famous painting that Edvard Munch has painted. German Expressionist Edvard Munch painted The Scream sometime between 1893 and 1910. He used both paints and pastels on cardboard to give this painting an effect like no other. The painting is of a man who seems to be screaming in agonizing pain whilst a dramatic orange sky is painted in the background. It is said that Munch painted this when he once saw a blood red sky in the evening which showed him the might of nature. It is displayed in the National Gallery, Oslo, Norway.
6. Guernica – Pablo Picasso
Guernica is one of Pablo Picasso most famous paintings, showing the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. Picasso’s purpose in painting it was to bring the world’s attention to the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica by German bombers, who were supporting the Nationalist forces of General Franco during the Spanish Civil War. Picasso completed the painting by mid-June 1937. The painting can be seen in the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid.
6. The Persistence Of Memory – Salvador Dali
Probably the most ponder-inducing and the most intriguing painting in the world, The Persistence of Memory is one of the most famous paintings in the world today. Painted in 1931 by the Spanish genius Salvador Dali, this painting is supposedly the inspiration for Einstein’s famous Theory of Relativity. The painting is understood and deduced in many ways by many people but the most famous theory states this painting makes one wonder how they have spent their time in their lives. This painting is on display at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, USA. This work of art is known to make people ponder on their way of life and the way they spend their time, and it is also thought that this wonderful painting was inspired by Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
7. Girl With A Pearl Earring – Johannes Vermeer
Famously touted as the “Dutch Monalisa” or the “Monalisa of the North” this famous painting by Johannes Vermeer is one of the best in the world. Painted by Vermeer around 1665, this painting is a tronie, or what is known as not a full portrait. The painting solely depicts a young girl wearing a pearl earring but the details of the painting and the expressive eyes of the girl have left most art-lovers baffled by this brilliant piece of art. Today, this painting is stationed at Mauritshuis Gallery in The Hague, Netherlands.
8. The Night Watch – Rembrandt van Rijn
The Dutch are known to be exceptionally good at art and Rembrandt proves it just right. The Night Watch is a painting by Rembrandt that was completed in 1642. The painting depicts two city guards, Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ryutenburch leading what seems like an army of people out. The painting is very detailed with the low light of the night shown in a surreal manner. The painting sits in the Rembrandt Museum in Amsterdam today and is one of the most famous paintings in the world.
9. Water lilies – Claude Monet
The French painted Monet is known throughout the world. Water Lilies or Nymphea is a series of painting that were made by Monet between 1840 and 1926. It is a series of 250 oil paintings in which Monet has painted his own garden of flowers in Giverny. These gardens are known to be the inspiration behind a lot of Monet’s paintings. The paintings look simple but the amount of detail that went into every painting is incredible and one must also know that Monet painted most of these paintings while he was suffering from cataract. These are at display in museums all around the world.
10. Birth of Venus- Sandro Botticelli
The Birth of Venus is a painting by Sandro Botticelli created around 1485–87. It depicts the goddess Venus (or Aphrodite as she is known in Greek mythology) emerging from the sea upon a shell in accordance with the myth that explains her birth. The original location of the painting and its commissioner remain uncertain. Some experts attribute its commission to Lorenzo de’ Medici and the Villa of Castello as the site to which the work was originally destined. Today, the painting is held in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
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