Fans of painting claim that you can endlessly look not only at fire, water and working people, but also at the works of great artists. Their paintings are sold for hundreds of millions, although from a cultural point of view they are priceless.
The names of these painters are known even to those who did not come close to art galleries, and the influence they exerted on culture cannot be measured. Introducing the 10 most famous artists of the world from the first half of the 19th to the 20th century and earlier.
10. Andy Warhol (1928-1987)
Andy Warhole - The personality is non-standard and odious. He never did a cuming out, but everyone knew perfectly well about his non-traditional sexual orientation.
He was shot at by a woman who starred in his film, but he refused the charges, so for three bullets in the artist’s stomach she received only 3 years and treatment in a clinic for the mentally ill.
The total value of his paintings sold at auction is approaching $ 500 million (only the Silver Car Crash went under the hammer for 105.4 million).
In recent decades, the works of this American are considered the most popular, and his image is often used in films.
The artist was played by Guy Pearce (“I Seduced Andy Warhol”), Evan Peters (“American Horror Story”), Jared Harris (“I shot Andy Warhol”) and others.
9. Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)
Mexican portrait painter Frida Kahlo, known for her self-portraits, is the only woman in our selection. She was sick with polio since she was 6 years old, and in her teens she had an accident, which further aggravated her precarious health.
Despite this, she was always cheerful and “alive,” never complaining or demanding compassion for herself.
Her most famous works are “Henry Ford Hospital”, “Two Frida”, “Self-portrait with dedication to Leon Trotsky”.
As for her image in cinema, the most popular is the 2002 Julie Taymor film “Frida,” in which Salma Hayek played the role of the great artist.
8. Jackson Pollock (1912-1956)
About creativity Jackson Pollock we can safely say that it is not for everyone. His paintings by one seem to be a meaningless daub, and the other - masterpieces with a deep meaning.
In 1947, he invented a unique painting technique: he took a huge canvas, spread it on the floor and sprayed paint from brushes without touching the canvas.
Only 2 years after this, the authoritative publication "Life Magazine" called him the greatest American artist.
If it were not for the alcoholism that Pollock had been fighting with all his life, the world would have seen much more of his paintings, and so he crashed in a car (when he was drunk) at 44.
His paintings "Male and female", "Eyes in the heat", "Rapprochement" and others were sold for cosmic amounts. The picture "No. 5, 1948" in 2006 left the auction for $ 140 million, becoming the most expensive at that time.
If you want to know more about his life, we recommend the movie "Pollock", where the artist was played by Ed Harris.
7. Salvador Dali (1904-1989)
Spanish painter, sculptor, designer and versatile person in general, Salvador Dali it is rightfully considered one of the greatest representatives of the genre of surrealism.
His extravagance and not always adequate behavior played into the hands, since stories about his antics often became public.
So, after a quarrel with his father (in which Dali himself was to blame), the artist mailed his sperm to him, enclosing a note with the words "This is all I owe you."
His most famous paintings are The Sistine Madonna, The Dream, The Persistence of Memory, and many others. In the movie, his image was tried on by Adrien Brody (Midnight in Paris), Robert Pattinson (Echoes of the Past), Lorenzo Quinn (Dali).
Interesting fact: Dali came up with the initial design of Chupa-Chups chocolates in less than an hour, when Enrique Bernat, who created caramel on a stick, asked him about it.
6. Edward Munch (1863-1944)
Norwegian artist Edward Munch became famous for his works in the genre of expressionism, becoming one of its founders.
His painting “The Scream”, existing in 4 copies, is known to everyone, as it firmly entered not only into painting, but also into culture as a whole.
The only four of the paintings in a private collection was sold in 2013 for almost $ 120 million.
The most complete film about the life of this painter is the film "Edward Munch", shot in Norway in 1974.
5. Raphael (1483-1520)
Raphael, as well as two more geniuses of that era, which we will discuss later, can not be considered only as an artist.
His “Sistine Madonna” (in all, he painted several dozen Madonnas in his entire life) is, of course, one of the greatest works of painting, but one should not forget about the Italian architectural achievements.
The Chigi Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, the Palazzo Vidoni Caffarelli and other buildings have no less cultural value.
4. Michelangelo (1475-1564)
Michelangelo Buonarroti with his work left an imprint not only on Renaissance art, but also on the whole world culture. Having lived for almost 89 years, he found the reign of 13 popes, fulfilling the orders of 9 of them.
His greatest works are the statues “Bacchus”, “David”, “Pieta”, and the most prominent of the paintings was the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, for which he painted murals.
Despite the greatness of this figure, worthy biopic about the life of Michelangelo has not yet been removed, although his image is used regularly in historical films.
In 2018, the Italian director shot the documentary “Michelangelo. Infinity ”, in which he collected a lot of information about the life of his compatriot.
3. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
In 2009, The Times interviewed 1.4 million people about who was the best artist in the last 100 years. With an impressive margin won Pablo Picasso, which once again proves its influence.
The founder of the technique of cubism, he is also considered the most expensive artist: only official sales of his paintings are almost $ 300 million, and the painting "Algerian Women", sold in 2015 for 179 million is the most expensive painting in the history of auction sales.
The first films about the famous artist with French and Spanish roots were made back in the 50s of the last century during the life of Picasso, and he even appeared in them as himself.
In addition, it is worth highlighting the tape "Live life with Picasso" in 1996, in which Anthony Hopkins played the main role.
2. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, which did not receive due recognition during his lifetime, nevertheless managed to exert a huge influence on the development of painting of the 20th century.
He worked fruitfully for just over 10 years, while constantly moving, but managed to draw over 2,000 works. Problems in his personal life and frequent conflicts with loved ones led to alcohol abuse, which in turn affected the psyche of Vincent.
Shortly before his death, he ended up in a clinic, after leaving which he became even more depressed and committed suicide with a pistol shot.
His most famous works are Starry Night, A Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers, Irises, and Self-Portrait Without a Beard.
1. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
This famous Italian was not the most educated person of his time, but definitely had the most lively and inquiring mind.
A brilliant artist and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci directly associated with the Renaissance. “The Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper” - this is only the crown of his work.
He himself positioned himself primarily as a scientist, not an artist, so he drew little and slowly, devoting more time to inventions. A telescope with two lenses, a parachute, a bicycle, a catapult - these and many other things were invented by Leonardo.