15. Belshazzar's Feast
By Rembrandt
Style: Oil on Canvas, Baroque
Date: 1635
Museum: National Gallery, London
Reason: This is one of my favorite Rembrandt paintings, the biblical depiction of "the writing on the wall". In the biblical book of Daniel, King Belshazzar is suddenly frightened by a supernatural miracle, that foretells the collapse of the Babylonian Empire. The painting is extremely expressive, and captures the shock and awe in Belshazaar's face, as well as his party guests. It is also one of the defining masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age.
14. Christina's World
By Andrew Wyeth
Style: Tempera on Gessoed Panel, Realism
Date: 1946
Museum: Museum of Modern Art, New York City
Reason: This realistic painting by Andrew Wyeth could almost pass as a photograph. It is an extremely daunting image of a woman who is laying in a vast meadow, crawling towards a distant house in the horizon. She appears to be suffering, perhaps lost or confused. Wyeth creates an incredible sense of depth to this painting, with an unusual sepia-tone color scheme, it captures a sense of gloom, thus evoking a very powerful reaction.
13. Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
By Caspar David Friedrich
Style: Oil on Canvas, Landscape
Date: 1818
Museum: Kunsthalle Hamburg, Germany
Reason: This Romantic masterpiece by Caspar David Friedrich, depicts a wandering explorer, as he gazes out into the misty abyss. It is quite a compelling image, of a well-dressed explorer, who seems to have reached the top of the world, surrounded by a sea of fog, and lost in the moment. It is the hazy mysticism in this painting that makes it such a mysterious masterpiece.
12. Persistence of Memory
By Salvador Dali
Style: Oil on Canvas, Surreal
Date: 1931
Museum: Museum of Modern Art, New York City
Reason: This surreal masterpiece by Salvador Dali, represents an abstract concept of time and memory. Dali creates an extraordinary colorful and dreamlike world, with a repetitive theme of melting and fading watches. Surely this painting has many interpretations of physics, time, and relativity, yet for me it is a masterful demonstration of a dreamworld.
11. The Milkmaid
By Johannes Vermeer
Style: Oil on canvas, Still-Life
Date: 1657
Museum: Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam Netherlands
Reason: This incredible still-life of a domestic kitchen maid, is in my opinion one of the greatest portraits ever painted. This is perhaps due to Vermeer's original style of light exposure, which enhances the paintings details and colors. It is a perfect harmony of strong colors and realism, that make this one of the greatest paintings of the Dutch Golden Age.
By Rembrandt
Style: Oil on Canvas, Baroque
Date: 1635
Museum: National Gallery, London
Reason: This is one of my favorite Rembrandt paintings, the biblical depiction of "the writing on the wall". In the biblical book of Daniel, King Belshazzar is suddenly frightened by a supernatural miracle, that foretells the collapse of the Babylonian Empire. The painting is extremely expressive, and captures the shock and awe in Belshazaar's face, as well as his party guests. It is also one of the defining masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age.
14. Christina's World
By Andrew Wyeth
Style: Tempera on Gessoed Panel, Realism
Date: 1946
Museum: Museum of Modern Art, New York City
Reason: This realistic painting by Andrew Wyeth could almost pass as a photograph. It is an extremely daunting image of a woman who is laying in a vast meadow, crawling towards a distant house in the horizon. She appears to be suffering, perhaps lost or confused. Wyeth creates an incredible sense of depth to this painting, with an unusual sepia-tone color scheme, it captures a sense of gloom, thus evoking a very powerful reaction.
13. Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
By Caspar David Friedrich
Style: Oil on Canvas, Landscape
Date: 1818
Museum: Kunsthalle Hamburg, Germany
Reason: This Romantic masterpiece by Caspar David Friedrich, depicts a wandering explorer, as he gazes out into the misty abyss. It is quite a compelling image, of a well-dressed explorer, who seems to have reached the top of the world, surrounded by a sea of fog, and lost in the moment. It is the hazy mysticism in this painting that makes it such a mysterious masterpiece.
12. Persistence of Memory
By Salvador Dali
Style: Oil on Canvas, Surreal
Date: 1931
Museum: Museum of Modern Art, New York City
Reason: This surreal masterpiece by Salvador Dali, represents an abstract concept of time and memory. Dali creates an extraordinary colorful and dreamlike world, with a repetitive theme of melting and fading watches. Surely this painting has many interpretations of physics, time, and relativity, yet for me it is a masterful demonstration of a dreamworld.
11. The Milkmaid
By Johannes Vermeer
Style: Oil on canvas, Still-Life
Date: 1657
Museum: Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam Netherlands
Reason: This incredible still-life of a domestic kitchen maid, is in my opinion one of the greatest portraits ever painted. This is perhaps due to Vermeer's original style of light exposure, which enhances the paintings details and colors. It is a perfect harmony of strong colors and realism, that make this one of the greatest paintings of the Dutch Golden Age.
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