Pictures of great artists. The most famous paintings of all time
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These photographs are known to anyone who is in the slightest degree familiar with the history of photography. Yes, precisely art, because looking at them you understand that here, as never before, the photographer left the framework of an outside observer, into which he drives his lens, and became an Artist, that is, he rethought reality and let it pass through himself. Here we see not so much an objective reflection of reality as its subjective assessment given by the author. Each of these photos has its own story ... "Soldiers of the federal troops who fell on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania" One of the first war photographers Matthew Brady was known as the creator of the daggerotypes of Abraham Lincoln and Robert Lee. Brady had it all: career, money, own business... And he decided to risk all this (as well as his own life), following the army of the northerners with a camera in his hands. Having barely escaped capture in the very first battle in which he took part, Brady somewhat lost his patriotic ardor and began to send assistants to the front line. For several years of the war, Brady and his team took more than 7,000 pictures. This is quite an impressive figure, especially when you consider that in order to take a single shot, equipment and chemicals were required, which were placed inside a covered wagon, which was carried by several horses. Doesn't it look like your usual digital soap boxes? The photographs that seemed so appropriate on the battlefield had a very heavy aura. However, it was thanks to them that ordinary Americans for the first time were able to see the bitter and harsh military reality, not veiled by jingoistic patriotic slogans. 
"John F. Kennedy assassin shot ..."“Oswald was taken outside. I squeeze the camera. The police are holding back the pressure from the townspeople. Oswald took a few steps. I press the shutter release. As soon as the shots rang out, I pulled the trigger again, but my flash did not have time to recharge. I started to worry about the first photo and after two hours I headed to develop the photos. ” - Robert H. Jackson Photography That Raised the Stakes of Photojournalists. "Omaha Beach, Normandy, France" War photojournalist Robert Capa said that if your photos are bad, it means that you were not close enough to the scene. And he knew what he was talking about. His most famous photographs were taken on the morning of June 6, 1944, when, together with the first infantry detachments, he went ashore in Normandy on the day of the Allied landing. Under fire, Capa was forced to dive under the water with his camera to avoid bullets. He barely escaped. Of the four films shot by the photographer on the day of the terrible battle, only 11 frames have survived - the rest were hopelessly spoiled by an elderly laboratory assistant, who in a hurry lit up almost all the material (as it turned out later, he tried to develop the films before being sent to print fresh issue Life magazine). Ironically, it was this mistake in film development that gave several extant photographs their famous "surreal" look (Life magazine in the comments to the photographs mistakenly assumed that they were "slightly out of focus"). Fifty years later, filming the Normandy landing scene from Saving Private Ryan, director Steven Spielberg tried to recreate the effect of Robert Capa's photographs by removing the protective film from the camera lenses for the "blur" effect. "Murder of a Viet Cong by the Saigon Police Chief" AP photojournalist Eddie Adams once wrote: "Photography is the most powerful weapon in the world." A very apt quote to illustrate the own life- In 1968, his photograph of an officer shooting a handcuffed prisoner in the head not only won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969, but also completely changed the attitude of Americans towards what was happening in Vietnam. Despite the obviousness of the image, in fact, the photograph is not as unambiguous as it seemed to ordinary Americans, filled with sympathy for the executed. The fact is that the man in handcuffs is the captain of the Viet Cong "warriors of revenge", and on that day he and his henchmen shot and killed many unarmed civilians. General Nguyen Ngoc Loan, pictured on the left, has been haunted by his past his entire life: he was refused treatment in an Australian military hospital, after moving to the United States he was faced with a massive campaign calling for his immediate deportation, a restaurant that he opened in Virginia every day was attacked by vandals. "We know who you are!" - this inscription haunted the general of the army all his life. "He killed a man in handcuffs," said Eddie Adams, "and I killed him with my camera." 
The Death of Omaira Sanchez November 13, 1985. The eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano (Colombia). Mountain snow melts, and a mass of mud, earth and water 50 meters thick literally wipes everything in its path from the face of the earth. The death toll has exceeded 23,000. The disaster received a huge response around the world, thanks in part to a photograph of a little girl named Omaira Sanchez. She was trapped - up to her neck in liquid, her legs were trapped in the concrete structure of the house. Rescuers tried to pump out the dirt and free the child, but in vain. The girl held out for three days, after which she contracted several viruses at once. As the journalist Christina Echandia, who was nearby all this time, recalls, Omaira sang and communicated with others. She was scared and constantly thirsty, but behaved very courageously. On the third night, she began to hallucinate. The photo was taken several hours before death. Photographer - Frank Fournier. 
"Portrait of Churchill" January 27, 1941. Winston Churchill went to a photo studio at 10 Downing Street to take some of his portraits, demonstrating his resilience and determination. However, no matter what, his gaze was too relaxed - with a cigar in his hands, great person did not match the image that photographer Yousuf Karsh wanted to get. He went up to the great politician and with a sharp movement pulled the cigar right out of his mouth. The result is slightly higher. Churchill looks angrily at the photographer, who, in turn, presses the trigger. This is how mankind received one of the most famous portraits of Winston Churchill. Two photographs showing the dramatic change in life in the United States. 
Grocery store Just a few years before the "Great Depression" of the United States. The shops are overflowing with fish, vegetables and fruits. Photo taken in Alabama, next to the railroad. "Mother of immigrants" Thanks to legendary photographer Dorothea Lange, Florence Owen Thompson has literally been the epitome of the Great Depression over the years. Lange took the picture while visiting a vegetable picker camp in California in February 1936 to show the world the resilience and resilience of a proud nation during difficult times. Dorothea's life story turned out to be as attractive as her portrait. At 32, she was already a mother of seven children and a widow (her husband died of tuberculosis). Finding themselves practically without a livelihood in a labor camp for displaced persons, her family ate meat from birds, which they managed to shoot by children and vegetables from the farm - so did the other 2,500 camp workers. The publication of the photograph had the effect of a bomb exploding. Thompson's story, which has appeared on the covers of the most authoritative publications, has caused an immediate response from the public. The IDP immediately dispatched food and necessities to the camp. Unfortunately, by this time the Thompson family had already left their habitable place and received nothing from the government's bounty. It should be noted that at that time no one knew the name of the woman depicted in the photograph. Only forty years after the publication of this photograph, in 1976, Thompson "revealed" herself, giving an interview to one of the central newspapers. 
"Retreat" Retreat of the US Marine Corps in 1950 due to inhuman frost. During Korean war General MacArthur overestimated his capabilities, and was absolutely confident in the success of the campaign. So he believed before the counterblow of the Chinese troops, after which he uttered his famous phrase: “Retreat! For we are moving in the wrong direction! ” 
"Famine in Sudan" The author of the photograph, Kevin Carter, received the Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his work. The card depicts a Sudanese girl bent over from hunger. Soon she will die, and the large condor in the background is ready for it. The photograph shocked the entire civilized world. The origin of the girl is unknown to anyone, including the photographer. He took a shot, drove the predator away and watched the child leave. Kevin Carter was a member of the Bang Bang Club - four fearless photojournalists who travel across Africa in search of photo sensations. Kevin Carter was consigned to oblivion by the entire reading public for the fact that when asked if he took this girl to the food distribution point, he replied that he was only a messenger bringing news, and helping the type was not within his competence. Two months after receiving the award, Carter committed suicide. Perhaps haunted by horrific memories of what he saw in Sudan. "The Loch Ness Monster" or "Surgeon's Photo" This photo is also called the "Surgeon's Photo". This blurry photo, taken in April 1934, is world famous. For 60 years, it has fed the most incredible assumptions about a living fossil lizard living today in the Scottish Loch Ness, gave rise to a lot of rumors and conjectures, initiated several underwater expeditions and gave rise to a whole tourism industry in a small Scottish town. This continued until 1994, until Foster-son the author of the forgery - Christian Sperling - did not tell the public that his stepfather, Marmaduke Weatherrell, was hired by a London newspaper Daily mail to search for a large animal, could not find it and decided to take this fake photo with the help of Christian's stepson and Ian's son. It is Ian who is the actual author of the photograph. "Nessie" was built on hastily and was supported on the surface by a toy submarine and a counterweight made of planks. To make the story look more believable, the scammers persuaded local surgeon Robert Kenneth Wilson to identify himself as the author of the picture. 
"The line for rice" Between the winter of 1948 and the spring of 1949, Henry Cartier Bresson traveled with his camera to Beijing, Shanghai and other cities. This photo was taken in Nanjing. The photo shows a line of hungry people for rice. "Gandhi and his spinning wheel"... One of the most influential people In the 20th century, Gandhi did not like to be photographed, but in 1946 Life staffer Margaret Bork-White was allowed to take a photo of him in front of a spinning wheel - a symbol of India's struggle for independence. Before the photographer was admitted to the photo session, she herself had to learn how to use a spinning wheel - these were the requirements of Gandhi's entourage. After overcoming this obstacle, Margaret had two more. To begin with, it turned out that it was forbidden to talk to Gandhi - he just had a "day of silence", which he traditionally spent without talking to anyone. And since he hated bright light, Margaret was only allowed three shots (accompanied by three flashlights). The very humid atmosphere of India was also a problem, which negatively affected the state of the camera, so the first two photos were unsuccessful, but the third one was successful. It was he who formed the image of Gandhi for millions of people. The photo was the last lifetime portrait Gandhi - two years later he was killed. "Dali Atomicus" Philip Khaltsman was the only photographer to make a career in shooting people ... jumping. He argued that in a jump, the subject unwittingly shows his real, inner essence. One cannot but agree with this statement when looking at the photograph of Salvador Dali entitled "Dal? Atomicus". 6 hours, 28 jumps, a full room of assistants throwing a bucket of water into the air and angry cats - this is how this photo was born. In the background of the photograph is Dali's yet-to-be-completed surreal masterpiece, Leda Atomica. Haltsman wanted to pour milk from the bucket, not water, but in the post-war period it was too dismissive of food. Khaltsman's photographs of celebrities in a jump appeared on at least seven Life magazine covers and gave rise to a new kind of portraits - without the still obligatory static. "Einstein showing tongue" You may rightly ask yourself, "Did this photograph really change the world?" Einstein revolutionized nuclear physics and quantum mechanics, and this photograph changed attitudes towards Einstein and scientists in general. The fact is that the 72-year-old scientist was tired of the constant harassment of the press that harassed him on the Princeton campus. When he was asked to smile for the camera for the hundred thousandth time, instead of smiling, he showed Arthur Saysse's protruding tongue to the camera. This language is the language of genius, which is why photography instantly became a classic. Now Einstein will always be remembered and considered a great original - always! "The body of Che Guevara" Thug? Sociopath? The beacon of socialism? Or, as existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre called him, "the most perfect man of our century"? Regardless of your point of view, Ernesto "Che" Guevara has long been the patron saint "of revolutionaries around the world. Without a doubt, he is a legendary man, and this status was assigned to him not by life, but by his own death. Dissatisfied with Che's efforts to promote revolution among the poor and oppressed in Bolivia, the national army (trained and equipped by American troops and the CIA) captured and executed Che Guevara in 1967. But before burying his body in a secret grave, assassins gathered around him, posing for for staged photography. The military wanted to prove to the whole world that Che was dead, hoping that his political movement would die with him. Waiting to be accused that the photo was falsified, Che Guevara's prudent executioners amputated his arms and stored them in formaldehyde. But by killing a man, Bolivian officials unwittingly gave birth to a legend about him. The photograph that made its way around the world bore a striking resemblance to the Renaissance images of Jesus taken from the cross. Che's face is frighteningly calm, and his killers are preening in front of the camera, one of them points to a wound in Che Guevara's body The allegorical meaning of the photo was immediately taken up by Che's supporters, who came up with the slogan "Che is alive!" Thanks to this photo, Che Guevara will be forever remembered as a martyr who died for socialist ideas. "Airship Hindenburg" The explosion of the Hindenburg airship in 1937 is, of course, not the wreck of the Titanic or the Chernobyl tragedy of the 20th century. Of the 97 people on board amazingly 62 survived. During landing at Lakehurst airport, New Jersey, after a flight from Germany, a German Hindenburg zeppelin exploded. The shell of the airship was filled with hydrogen, and not safe inert helium, since at that time the Americans had already refused to sell this gas to a potential enemy: a new world war was imminent. The event was filmed by 22 photographers. After the incident, airships were no longer considered a safe and developed mode of transport. This photograph recorded the end of the development of airship building. "Snake River Valley" Many believe that the era of photography can be divided into two parts: before Ansel Adams and after Ansel Adams. In the "pre-Adam" era, photography was not at all considered as independent art... Photos with the help of various manipulations were made to look like paintings. Adams, on the other hand, avoided any manipulation of photographs with all his might, declaring photographic art "the poetry of reality." With his works, he proved the value of “pure photography”. In the era of fairly compact handheld cameras, he stubbornly adhered to bulky equipment and old-fashioned wide-format cameras. Adams showed Americans the beauty of their nationality. In 1936, he took a series of photographs and sent them to Washington DC to help preserve California's Kings Canyon. As a result, this area was declared a national park. "Victory Day, Times Square, 1945" or "The Kiss" On August 14, 1945, the news of Japan's surrender heralded the end of World War II. A stormy celebration began on the streets of New York, but, perhaps, not one of the residents of the city felt more free at that moment than the military. Among the happy people gathered in Times Square that day was one of the most talented photojournalists of the 20th century, a German immigrant named Alfred Eisenstadt. Picking up pictures of the celebration with his camera, he noticed a sailor "walking down the street and grabbing every girl in his field of vision." Of course, a photo of a sailor kissing a venerable retired woman would never appear on the cover of Life magazine, but when a dashing military man danced and kissed an attractive nurse, and Eisenstadt took a picture, the image was replicated in newspapers all over the country. Needless to say, the Victory Day photograph was not a depiction of two war-torn lovers meeting, but it remains to this day an enduring symbol of America at the end of a long struggle for peace. 
"Boy with a grenade" A little boy with a toy grenade in his hand - famous work by Diane Arbus. The boy's name is Colin Wood, the son of the famous tennis player Sidney Wood. V right hand the boy squeezes a grenade, his left hand is empty. Diane spent a long time choosing the angle she needed, and as a result, the guy could not stand it and shouted “Take it off already!”. In 2005, the photo was sold for $ 408,000. 
"Trunks" Street punks threatening the photographer with a pistol. Yes, the child is only 11 years old, and a toy gun in his hands. He's just playing his game. But if you look closely, you will not see any game in his eyes. 
"Picasso" Eight pieces of chl :) were required in order to perfectly reflect the dissimilarity of views on the world of Pablo Picasso and other people. The artist was delighted with this photo. “Look at the bread! Just four fingers! That's why I decided to call this photo “Picasso”, ”- said Picasso to his friend, the photographer Duvanuoshi. 
"People and Pictures" Robert Doisneau did not follow the artistic photography tradition of his time. Using the reportage technique of shooting, he looked for the unusual in the ordinary, exciting in the everyday. Every day, a nude painting was displayed in the window of a popular store, and the reactions of passers-by were photographed. The best photos taken by Robert Doisneo were included in the “People and Pictures” series. This is how the "hidden camera" appeared.
"Every portrait painted with feeling is, in essence, a portrait of the artist, and not the one who posed for him." Oscar Wilde
What does it take to be an artist? A simple imitation of work cannot be considered art. Art is what comes from within. The author's idea, passion, searches, desires and sorrows, which are embodied on the artist's canvas. Throughout the history of mankind, hundreds of thousands, and maybe millions of paintings have been written. Some of them, indeed, masterpieces, are known all over the world, even people who have nothing to do with art know them. Is it possible to single out the 25 most outstanding among such paintings? The task is very difficult, but we tried ...
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25The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali
Thanks to this picture, Dali became famous in a rather young age, he was 28 years old. The picture has several more titles - “ Soft watch"," The hardness of memory. " This masterpiece has attracted the attention of many art critics. Basically, they were interested in the interpretation of the picture. They say that the idea of Dali's painting is connected with Einstein's theory of relativity.
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24The Dance, Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was not always an artist. He discovered his love for painting after completing his degree in jurisprudence in Paris. He studied art so zealously that he became one of the greatest artists in the world. This painting has very little negative art criticism. It reflects a combination of pagan rituals, dance and music. People are dancing in a trance. Three colors - green, blue and red, symbolize the Earth, Heaven and Humanity.
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23The Kiss, Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt was often criticized for being naked in his paintings. The Kiss was critically acclaimed as it merged all forms of art. The painting could be an image of the artist himself and his beloved, Emilia. Klimt wrote this canvas under the influence Byzantine mosaics... The Byzantines used gold in their paintings. Likewise, Gustav Klimt mixed gold in his colors to create his own style painting.
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22The Sleeping Gypsy by Henri Rousseau
No one but Rousseau himself could describe this picture better. Here is his description - “a nomadic gypsy who sings her songs to a mandolin, sleeps on the ground from fatigue, next to her lies her jug with drinking water... A lion passing by came to sniff her, but did not touch her. Everything is flooded with moonlight, a very poetic atmosphere. " It is noteworthy that Henri Rousseau is self-taught.
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21The Last Judgment, Hieronymus Bosch
Without further ado, the picture is simply gorgeous. This triptych is the largest surviving painting by Bosch. The left wing shows the story of Adam and Eve. The central part is “ last judgment From the side of Jesus - who should go to heaven and who should go to hell. The earth we see here is on fire. On the right wing is a disgusting image of hell.
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20
Everyone knows Narcissus from Greek mythology- a man who was obsessed with his appearance. Dali wrote his own interpretation of Narcissus.
The story is like this. The beautiful young man Narcissus easily broke the hearts of many girls. The gods intervened and, to punish him, showed him his reflection in the water. Narcissus fell in love with himself and eventually died because he could not hug himself. Then the Gods regretted having done this to him, and decided to immortalize him in the form of a daffodil flower.
On the left side of the picture is Narcissus looking at his reflection. After which he fell in love with himself. The right panel shows the events that unfolded after, including the resulting flower - daffodil.
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19
The plot of the picture is based on the biblical massacre of infants in Bethlehem. After it became known from the Magi about the birth of Christ, King Herod ordered to kill all young male children and babies in Bethlehem. In the picture, the massacre is at its peak, the last few children, who were taken away from their mothers, await their merciless death. Also visible are the corpses of children, for whom everything is already behind.
Through the use of rich colors, Rubens' painting became a world famous masterpiece.
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18
Pollock's work is very different from other artists. He placed his canvas on the ground and moved around the canvas and walked on it, dripping paint from above onto the canvas with sticks, brushes and syringes. Thanks to this unique technique in artistic circles, he was nicknamed "Jack the Sprayer". For some time this painting held the title of the most expensive painting in the world.
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17
Also known as Dancing at Le Moulin de la Galette. This painting is considered one of the most joyful paintings by Renoir. The idea of the picture is to show the audience a fun side. Parisian life... Upon closer examination of the painting, you can see that Renoir put several of his friends on the canvas. Since the picture seems slightly blurred, at first it was criticized by Renoir's contemporaries.
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16
The plot is taken from the Bible. On the painting " The last supper”Depicts the last supper of Christ before his arrest. He just spoke to his apostles and told them that one of them would betray him. All the apostles are saddened and tell him that it is certainly not them. It was this moment that da Vinci beautifully portrayed thanks to his live image. It took the great Leonardo four years to complete this painting.
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15
Monet's "water lilies" can be found everywhere. You've probably seen them on wallpapers, posters, and art magazine covers. The fact is that Monet was obsessed with lilies. Before he started painting them, he grew countless numbers of these flowers. Monet built a Japanese-style bridge in his garden over a lily pond. He was so pleased with what he did, that he drew this plot seventeen times in one year.
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14
There is something ominous and mysterious in this picture, there is an aura of fear around it. Only a master like Munch was able to portray fear on paper. Munch made four versions of The Scream in oils and pastels. According to the entries in Munch's diary, it is pretty clear that he himself believed in death and spirits. In the painting "The Scream", he portrayed himself at a moment when one day, walking with friends, he felt fear and excitement, which he wanted to paint.
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13
The painting, which is usually referred to as a symbol of motherhood, was not supposed to be one. It is said that Whistler's model, who was supposed to pose for the painting, did not come and he decided to paint his mother instead. We can say that it depicts the sad life of the artist's mother. This mood is due to the dark colors used in this painting.
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12
Picasso met Dora Maar in Paris. It is said that she was intellectually closer to Picasso than all his previous mistresses. Using Cubism, Picasso was able to convey movement in his work. It seems that Maar's face turns to the right, towards Picasso's. The artist made the presence of a woman almost real. Maybe he wanted to feel that she was there, always.
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11
Van Gogh wrote Starry Night while undergoing treatment, where he was only allowed to paint when his condition improved. Earlier in the same year, he cut off his left earlobe. Many considered the artist insane. Of the entire collection of Van Gogh's works, Starry Night is best known, perhaps due to the unusual spherical light around the stars.
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10
In this painting, Manet recreated Titian's Venus of Urbino. The artist was notorious for portraying prostitutes. Although the gentlemen at that time visited courtesans quite often, they did not think that anyone would take it into their heads to draw them. Then it was preferable for artists to paint pictures on historical, mythical or biblical themes. However, Manet, contrary to criticism, showed the audience their contemporary.
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9
This painting is a historical canvas depicting Napoleon's conquest of Spain.
Having received an order for paintings depicting the struggle of the people of Spain with Napoleon, the artist did not paint heroic and pathetic canvases. He chose the moment of the shooting of the Spanish rebels by French soldiers. Each of the Spaniards is experiencing this moment in his own way, someone has already resigned himself, but for someone the main battle has just come. War, blood and death, this is what Goya actually portrayed.
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8
The girl depicted is believed to be eldest daughter Vermeer, Maria. Her features are present in many of his works, but they are difficult to compare. Tracy Chevalier wrote a book of the same title. But Tracy's version of who is depicted in this picture is completely different. She claims that she took this topic, because there is very little information about Vermeer and his paintings, and specifically from this picture there is a mysterious atmosphere. Later, a film was made based on her novel.
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7
The exact title of the painting is "Speech by the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruutenbürg." In addition to the militias, Rembrandt added several extra people... Given that he bought an expensive house at the time of this painting, it may well be true that he received a huge royalties for The Night Watch.
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6
Although the painting features an image of Velazquez himself, this is not a self-portrait. The main character of the canvas is Infanta Margaret, daughter of King Philip IV. This shows the moment when Velazquez, working on the portrait of the king and queen, is forced to stop and look at the Infanta Margarita, who has just entered the room with her retinue. The picture looks almost alive, arousing curiosity in the audience.
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5
This is the only painting by Bruegel that was painted in oil, not tempera. There are still doubts about the authenticity of the painting, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, he did not paint in oils, and secondly, recent studies have shown that under the layer of painting there is a schematic drawing of poor quality, which does not belong to Bruegel.
The painting depicts the story of Icarus and the moment of his fall. According to the myth, the feathers of Icarus were attached with wax, and as Icarus rose very close to the sun, the wax melted and he fell into the water. This landscape inspired Whisten Hugh Auden to write his most famous poem on the same subject.
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4
"School of Athens" is perhaps the most famous fresco by the Italian Renaissance painter, Raphael.
All the great mathematicians, philosophers and scientists gathered under one roof in this mural in the Athens school, they share their theories and learn from each other. All heroes lived in different time but Raphael put them all in the same room. Some of the figures are Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoras and Ptolemy. Upon closer inspection, it is clear that there is in this picture and a self-portrait of Raphael himself. Every artist would like to leave their mark, the only difference is the form. Although maybe he considered himself one of these great figures?
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3
Michelangelo never considered himself an artist, he always thought of himself more as a sculptor. But, he managed to create an amazing exquisite fresco, before which the whole world is in awe. This masterpiece is on the ceiling Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. Michelangelo was commissioned to paint several biblical stories, one of which is the creation of Adam. In this picture, the sculptor in Michelangelo is just visible. Human body Adama is rendered with incredible fidelity through vibrant colors and precise muscular shape. So, one can agree with the author, after all, he is more of a sculptor.
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2Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
Although it is the most studied painting, "Mona Lisa" is still the most mysterious. Leonardo said he never stopped working on it. Only his death is said to have completed work on the canvas. Mona Lisa is the first Italian portrait to show the model to the waist. Mona Lisa's skin seems to glow due to the use of several layers of transparent oils. As a scientist, Leonardo da Vinci applied all his knowledge to make the image of La Gioconda realistic. As for who exactly is depicted in the picture, it still remains a mystery.
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1
The painting depicts Venus, the goddess of love, floating on a shell in the wind that is blown by Zephyr, the god of the west wind. On the shore she is met by Ora, the goddess of the seasons, she is ready to dress a newborn deity. Simonetta Cattaneo de Vespucci is considered the model for Venus. Simonetta Cattaneo died at 22, and Botticelli wished to be buried next to her. With her unrequited love tied him. This painting is the most exquisite work of art ever created.
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Conclusion
This was the article TOP 25 most famous paintings in the world... Thank you for the attention!
The collections of Moscow museums and galleries are among the richest in the world. More than 150 years ago Russian patrons of art and collectors began to collect the most famous paintings world, unique artistic creations, sparing neither money nor time to search for talents. And so that you do not get lost in the tens of thousands of paintings presented, we have selected for you famous paintings of the world, presented in museums and galleries in Moscow
State Tretyakov Gallery
"Heroes", Viktor Vasnetsov, 1881-1898
For almost twenty years, Viktor Mikhailovich worked on one of the greatest works of art Russia, a masterpiece that has become a symbol of the power of the Russian people. Vasnetsov considered this picture to be his creative duty, an obligation to his homeland. In the center of the picture are the three main characters of Russian epics: Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets and Alyosha Popovich. The prototype of Alyosha Popovich became younger son Savva Mamontova, but Dobrynya Nikitich - collective image the artist himself, his father and grandfather.
Photo: wikimedia.org "Unknown", Ivan Kramskoy, 1883
A mystical picture shrouded in an aura of mystery. Many times she changed her owners, as women claimed that with a long stay near this portrait, they lost their youth and beauty. It is curious that even Pavel Tretyakov did not want to buy it into his collection, and the work appeared in the gallery only in 1925 as a result of the nationalization of private collections. Only in Soviet times, "Unknown" by Kramskoy was recognized as the ideal of beauty and spirituality. It is not difficult to recognize Nevsky Prospekt in the background of the painting, or rather the Anichkov Bridge, across which the "unknown" gracefully rides in an elegant carriage. Who's that girl? Another mystery left by the artist. Neither in her letters nor in her diaries did Kramskoy leave any mention of her personality, and the versions diverge: from the author's daughter to Anna Karenina Tolstoy.
Photo: dreamwidth.org "Morning in pine forest", Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky, 1889
Few people know that in addition to Ivan Shishkin, another famous Russian artist, whose signature, at the insistence of Pavel Tretyakov, was erased. Ivan Ivanovich, who possessed an exceptional talent as a painter, portrayed the greatness of the awakening forest, but the creation of the playing bears belongs to the brush of his comrade, Konstantin Savitsky. This painting has one more name, the popular one - "Three Bears", which appeared thanks to the famous sweets from the "Red October" factory.
Photo: wikimedia.org Seated Demon, Mikhail Vrubel, 1890
Tretyakov Gallery - unique place for admirers of Mikhail Vrubel's creativity, as here is the most complete collection of his paintings. The theme of the demon, personifying the inner struggle of greatness human spirit with doubts and suffering, became the main one in the artist's work and a phenomenal phenomenon in world painting.
The Sitting Demon is the most famous of such images of Vrubel. The picture was created with rather large, sharp strokes of a palette knife, resembling a mosaic from afar.
Photo: muzei-mira.com "Boyarynya Morozova", Vasily Surikov, 1884-1887
The epic historical canvas, giant in size, was written based on the "Tale of the Boyar Morozova", an associate of the supporters old faith... For a long time, the author was looking for a suitable face - bloodless, fanatical, from which he could paint a portrait sketch of the main character. Surikov recalled that the key to the image of Morozova was given by a raven with a black wing, which he saw desperately against the snow.
Photo: gallery-allart.do.am
"Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on November 16, 1581" or "Ivan the Terrible kills his son", Ilya Repin, 1883-1885
This picture does not leave indifferent any visitor of the gallery: it causes anxiety, inexplicable fear, attracts and at the same time repels, bewitches and creeps through the skin. Repin wrote about his feeling of anxiety and excitement during the creation of the painting: “I worked as if spellbound. It got scary for minutes. I turned away from this picture. Hid it. But something drove me to her, and I worked again. At times there was a shiver, and then the feeling of nightmare dulled ... ". The artist managed to finish the painting for the 300th anniversary of the death of Ivan the Terrible, but the masterpiece did not immediately appear before the public: for three months the painting was banned from censorship. They say that mystically the picture brought trouble to its creator and the people who participated in its creation. After the painting was completed, Repin's hand was taken away, and the artist's friend, who posed for the painting in the role of the murdered Ivan, went crazy.
Photo: artpoisk.info "Girl with Peaches", Valentin Serov, 1887
This painting is considered one of the most joyful, fresh and lyrical paintings of the late 19th century. Youth and thirst for life are felt here in every stroke of the still very young (22 years old) Valentin Serov, in the light, barely perceptible smile of Vera Mamontova, the daughter of a famous entrepreneur and philanthropist, as well as in a bright and cozy room, the warmth of which spreads to its viewer.
Later Serov became one of the best portrait painters, recognized almost all over the world, and immortalized many famous contemporaries, but "Girl with Peaches" is still his most famous work.
Photo: allpainters.ru "Bathing the Red Horse", Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, 1912
Art critics call this picture visionary. They believe that the author symbolically predicted the “red” fate of Russia in the twentieth century, depicting it in the form of a racing horse.
The work of Petrov-Vodkin is not just a picture, but a symbol, an epiphany, a manifesto. Contemporaries compare the power of its influence with Kazimir Malevich's "Black Square", which you can also see in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Photo: wikiart.org "Black Square", Kazemir Malevich, 1915
This picture is called the icon of the futurists, which they put in place of the Madonna. According to the author, it took several months to create it, and it became part of a triptych, which also included "Black Circle" and "Black Cross". As it turned out, Malevich painted the primary layer of the painting with different colors and, if you look closely, you will see that the corners of the square can hardly be called straight. In the history of world art, it is difficult to find a picture with more loud glory than "Black Square" by Kazimir Malevich. They copy him, imitate him, but his masterpiece is unique.
Photo: wikimedia.org Gallery of European and American Art of the 19th – 20th Centuries. State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin
"Portrait of Jeanne Samary", Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1877
It is paradoxical that this painting was originally planned by the artist only as a preparatory sketch for a ceremonial portrait French actress Jeanne Samary, which can be seen in the Hermitage. But in the end, art critics unanimously agreed that this is the best of all Renoir portraits of the actress. The artist so skillfully combined the tones and halftones of Samari's dress that, as a result, the picture began to play with an unusual optical effect: when looking under a certain angle green dress Jeanne turns blue.
Photo: art-shmart.livejournal.com
Boulevard des Capucines in Paris, Claude Monet, 1873
This is one of the most recognizable works of Claude Monet - pride and treasure Pushkin Museum... From a close distance, only small strokes are visible in the picture, but it is worth taking just a few steps back, as the picture comes to life: Paris is breathing fresh air, the rays of the sun illuminate the seething crowd that bustly moves along the boulevard, and it seems that you can even hear the city rumble that is heard far beyond the picture. This is the skill of the great impressionist Monet: for a moment you forget about the plane of the canvas and dissolve in an illusion skillfully created by the artist.
Photo: nb12.ru Prisoners' Walk, Van Gogh, 1890
There is something symbolic in the fact that Van Gogh wrote The Prisoners' Walk, one of his most poignant creations, in the mental illness... Moreover, if you look closely, you can clearly see that central character paintings endowed with the features of artists. Despite the use of pure shades of blue, green and purple paints, the coloring of the canvas seems gloomy, and the prisoners moving in a circle seem to say that there is no way out of the dead end, where life is like a vicious circle.
Photo: opisanie-kartin.com The King's Wife, Paul Gauguin, 1896
This work of the artist is considered by many art critics to be a unique gem among the famous naked virgins of European art. It was written by Gauguin during his second stay in Tahiti. By the way, the painting depicts not the king's wife, but Gauguin himself - 13-year-old Tehura. The exotic and picturesque landscape of the painting cannot but arouse admiration - an abundance of colors and greenery, colorful trees and a blue coastline in the distance.
Photo: stsvv.livejournal.com
Blue Dancers, Edgar Degas, 1897
Work French impressionist Edgar Degas was brought in invaluable contribution into the history of world and French fine arts. The painting "Blue Dancers" is recognized as one of the best works Degas on the theme of ballet, to which he dedicated many of his most outstanding canvases. The painting is done in pastels, which the artist especially loved for the graceful combination of color and lines. "Blue dancers" refers to late period creativity of the artist, when his vision weakened, and he began to work with large color spots.
Photo: nearyou.ru Girl on the Ball, Pablo Picasso, 1905
One of the most famous and significant works"Rose period" Pablo Picasso appeared in Russia thanks to the patron and collector Ivan Morozov, who acquired it in 1913 for his personal collection. The blue color, in which almost all the works of the previous difficult period of the artist were painted, is still present in the work, but it is noticeably weakening, yielding primacy to a lighter and more joyful pink. Picasso's canvases are easily recognizable: they clearly show the author's soul and his extraordinary perception of the world around him. And as the artist himself said: "I could paint like Raphael, but it will take me my whole life to learn how to paint the way a child draws."
Photo: dawn.com Address: Lavrushinsky lane, 10
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Gallery of European and American Art of the 19th – 20th Centuries.
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Children under 16 free of charge
In our years, there is only one way to get rich, become famous and go down in history as a photographer - by doing anything, but not photography. A hundred years ago, you could have become a great photo artist easily, since there were two key prerequisites:
a. photography was a complex, troublesome and little-known craft;
b. Slowly, technologies arose and were introduced that made it possible to reproduce photographs in newspapers and (a little later) in color magazines.
That is, the glorious moment has come when you, having pressed the shutter button, already understood that this frame would be seen by millions. But these millions did not yet know that they could do the same, since there were no digital soap boxes, full automation and photo dumps on the Internet. Well, talent, of course. You have no competition!
Perhaps the middle of the last century should be recognized as the golden era of photography. However, many of the artists on our list belong to other distant and modern eras.
Helmut Newton, Germany, 1920-2004
Slightly more than a great and famous fashion photographer with a very, very independent understanding of what erotica is. He was fiercely demanded by almost all glossy magazines, Vogue, Elle and Playboy in the first place. He died at 84 after crashing into a concrete wall at full speed.
Richard Avedon, USA, 1923-2004
God of black and white portrait, interesting also because digging in his galleries, you will find anyone. The photographs of this genius New York Jew have absolutely everything. They say that Richard took his first picture at the age of nine, when the kid accidentally caught Sergei Rachmaninov in the lens.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, France, 1908-2004
An outstanding photorealist, one of the patriarchs of photo essay and at the same time - an invisible man: he had a filigree talent for being able to remain visible to those whom he photographs. At first he studied to be an artist, where he earned a craving for light surrealism, which was then tangibly imprinted in his photographs.
Sebastian Salgado, Brazil, 1944
The creator is almost fantastic images actually taken from the real world... Salgado was a photojournalist who was especially attracted to anomalies, misfortunes, poverty and environmental disasters - but even such stories of his are mesmerizing with beauty. In 2014, director Wim Wenders made a film about him called "The Salt of the Earth" (special prize of the Cannes Film Festival).
William Eugene Smith, USA, 1918-1978
A photojournalist, perhaps famous for everything a photojournalist can become famous for - from canonical military photographs to expressive and touching portraits of great and ordinary people. Below, as an example - frames of the session with Charlie Chaplin for Life magazine.
Guy Bourdin, France, 1928-1991
One of the most copied, imitated photographers in the world. Erotic, surreal. Now - a quarter of a century after his death - it is more and more relevant and modern.
Viji (Arthur Fellig), USA, 1899-1968
Emigrant from of Eastern Europe, now - great classic street and crime photography. A person managed to come to any incident in New York - be it a fire, a murder, or a banal scuffle - faster than other paparazzi and, often, the police. However, in addition to all kinds of emergencies, his photographs show almost all aspects of life in the poorest quarters of the metropolis. Based on his photo, the film noir Naked City (1945) was filmed, Stanley Kubrick studied from his shots, and Ouiji himself is mentioned at the beginning of the comic film Watchmen (2009).
Alexander Rodchenko, USSR, 1891-1956
The pioneer of Soviet design and advertising, Rodchenko, with all this, is a pioneer of constructivism. Expelled from the Union of Artists for deviating from the ideals and style of socialist realism, but, fortunately, it did not come to the camps - he died a natural death at the dawn of the Khrushchev "thaw".
Irwin Penn, USA, 1917-2009
Master of portrait and fashion genre. He is famous for the whole abundance of his own signature pieces - for example, to shoot people in the corner of the room or on all sorts of gray, ascetic backgrounds. Famous catch phrase: "Shooting a cake can be an art too."
Anton Corbein, Netherlands, 1955
The most prominent rock photographer in the world, whose ascent began with iconic photography and video clips for Depeche Mode and U2. His handwriting is easily recognizable - strong defocus and atmospheric noise. Corbain has also directed several films: Control (biography of Joy Division frontman), American (with George Clooney) and Most dangerous man"(Based on the novel by Le Carré). If you google the famous photos of Nirvana, Metallica or Tom Waits, chances are that Corbijn's photos will be the first to appear.
Stephen Meisel, USA, 1954
One of the most successful fashion photographers in the world, whose name became especially popular in 1992 after the release of Madonna's photo book "Sex". Considered the discoverer of many catwalk superstars such as Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista or Amber Valletta.
Diana Arbus, USA, 1923-1971
Her real name is Diana Nemerova, and she found her niche in the photo business, working with the most unsightly nature - freaks, dwarfs, transvestites, imbeciles ... At best, with nudists. In 2006, the biopic Fur was released, starring Nicole Kidman as Diana.
David LaChapelle, USA, 1963
Master of Pop Photography ("pop" in good sense words) LaChapelle, in particular, shot clips for Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera, so you will understand his style not only from the photographs.
Marc Ribout, France, (1923-2016)
The author of at least a dozen "prints of the era": you must have seen a million times how a hippie girl brings a daisy to the barrel of a rifle. Ribu has traveled all over the world and is most revered for his portfolio of filming in China and Vietnam, although you can find his scenes from life. Soviet Union... Died at the age of 93.
Elliott Erwitt, France, 1928
A Frenchman with Russian roots, famous for his ironic and absurd view of our troubled world, which is very mobile in his still photographs. Not so long ago, he also began to exhibit in galleries under the name André S. Solidor, which is abbreviated as "ass".
Patrick Demarchelier, France / USA, 1943
Still a living classic of fashion photography that has enriched this genre especially sophisticated sophistication. And at the same time, he lowered the transcendental degree of glamorous oversizedness, which was the norm before him.
Annie Leibovitz, USA, 1949
Craftswoman fairy tales with a very powerful charge of wit, understandable even to simpletons who are far from hyperglamour. Not surprisingly, lesbian Annie started out as a staff photographer for Rolling Stone magazine.