From Impressionism to Surrealism, Cubism to the Avant Garde, global art history is richly diverse and endlessly fascinating. Many of the painters that remain popular names in modern and popular culture are not only hailed for their undeniable talents with the brush, but for their ability to break boundaries, mark profound moments in time, and impact hearts and minds. In this blog, we explore some of the famous painters that have left a lasting legacy, spanning different art movements and periods in time.
Leonardo Da Vinci, 1452 - 1519
Da Vinci is considered today one of the most diversely talented people in history: a scientist, mathematician, engineer, architect, musician, and in the main, a renowned and revered Renaissance artist. His most famous and widely celebrated work is the Mona Lisa – the subject’s identity and enigmatic smile still a topic of great intrigue today. The iconic oil painting now hangs in the Louvre in Paris and, highly unusual for a painting of its period, has survived six centuries without ever having been restored. With other famous works including The Last Supper and The Lady with an Ermine, Da Vinci remains a significant inspiration to artists today.
Pablo Picasso, 1881 - 1973
Spanish painter Pablo Ruiz Picasso is considered one of the 20th century’s most influential artists, having helped develop a wide variety of artistic styles, and famously, co-founding the Cubist movement. Picasso is thought to have produced around 50,000 artworks in his lifetime, but he’s best known for his paintings and his expressive use of colour and facial features. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon is perhaps the most famous of his vast collection, alongside Guernica, a striking depiction of the bombing of the town during the Spanish Civil War.
Georgia O’Keefe, 1887 – 1986
A mainstay of the American modernism movement, Georgia O’Keefe made her unique mark in art history. As one of the first American artists associated with abstractionism, O’Keefe put her own distinctive twist on the traditional flower painting, her large-scale paintings focusing on the smaller, intricate parts of the wider picture. With notable works including Jimson Weed and Sky Above Clouds IV, O’Keefe’s work placed New Mexico on the map at a time when the US art scene had been solely focused on New York.
Johannes Vermeer 1632 - 1675
The Dutch Baroque painter is widely known today for his masterpiece, the Girl With a Pearl Earring, with his use of light and purity of colour setting his work apart from others of the time. Despite his reputation as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age, it wasn’t until the 19th century, long after his death, that his works became recognised as the remarkably influential pieces they’re considered to be today. While Vermeer produced a relatively small number of paintings in his lifetime, almost all his works are believed to be set in the same two rooms of his house in Delft, portraying the same furnishings and people. The Milkmaid, The Kitchen Maid and View of Delft are other notable, and now celebrated, pieces in his name.
Mary Cassatt, 1844 – 1926
American painter Mary Cassatt carved out a unique legacy in the history of art, renowned as being an influential figure in the Impressionist movement and paving the way for female artists. She began her studies at a time when only around 20% of art students were female, and significantly less still were able to make art their career. After moving to Paris to study under private tutors, Cassatt began to hone her own unique style, favouring figure compositions. Her most famous works centre around the theme of motherhood, portraying warmth and magic in the everyday moments. Her works Little Girl in Blue Armchair and Child’s Bath best showcase her individual style and technique.
Andy Warhol, 1928 - 1987
American artist, film director and producer Andy Warhol is best known for his unmistakable mark in the visual art movement with his ‘pop art’ depictions of banal American and celebrity culture of the 1960s. Characterised by unapologetic bright colours, bold clean lines, and dot technique, his silkscreen works are still widely critiqued for their commerciality and praised for their individuality in equal measure. Iconic paintings such as Campbell’s Soup Cans and Marilyn Diptych are still widely studied and recreated today, and his original works are highly sought after, with The Blue Shot Marilyn selling for an incredible $195.4 million in May 2022.
Frida Kahlo, 1907 – 1954
Famous for her deeply personal and brilliantly bright series of self-portraits, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo not only made waves in 20th century art but remains an iconic figure in popular culture. Her popular works including The Two Fridas and Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird explore and celebrate her cultural heritage, and centre around expressing raw emotion over focusing on aesthetics for the viewer. Synonymous with unapologetic strength and self-expression, Kahlo remains a modern-day inspiration to artists and women more generally.
Vincent Van Gogh, 1853 - 1890
Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent Willem van Gogh produced more than 2,000 artworks in his lifetime, spanning portraits, landscapes and still life paintings. His distinctive masterpieces are characterised by his bold use of colour and expressive brushwork, with Sunflowers, Starry Night and Self Portrait being not only the most famous works to his name, but some of the most widely recognised and celebrated paintings of all time. While Van Gogh was practically unknown at the time of his death, his fame and influence is undeniable today. His works are widely acclaimed and have fetched some of the highest auction prices on record, with Orchard with Cypresses selling for $117.2 million in 2022 in New York.
Salvador Dali, 1904 - 1989
Spanish artist Salvador Dali is perhaps the world’s best-known Surrealist painter, renowned for his unique blend of innovation, precise technical skill, and bizarre concepts inspired by his fascination with the unconscious mind. The Catalonia-born artist drew inspiration from the Impressionist movement and the Renaissance and studied fine arts at Madrid, before experimenting with Cubism and the avant-garde movement. It wasn’t until the late 1920s when Dali found his feet in Surrealism and began to create the works he’s most famous for today. The Persistence of Memory is perhaps his most famous piece, immediately recognisable by the distinctive melting clocks starkly draped across a bleak landscape.
Claude Monet, 1840 - 1926
Oscar-Claude Monet was a founder and lynchpin of the French Impressionist movement, renowned for his intricate depictions of the French countryside. He liked to bring his easel out of his studio and immerse himself in the environment he was capturing on canvas. His exploration of the ways time and light could transform a scene became the main focus of his work in the 1880s, with his water lily series, consisting of over 250 iterations of the same landscape, being his best-known work of the time. Other famous artworks in his name include Impression, Sunrise and The Japanese Footbridge.
While the list of celebrated and influential painters throughout the ages is extensive, the artists showcased in this blog have had a significant impact on modern culture and left a lasting legacy. Their unique appeal and appreciation for their talents has transcended generations, and they continue to inspire artists of today and tomorrow.
