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Painting story
Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci
Saint John the Baptist is a late-period devotional painting by Leonardo da Vinci in which a solitary figure emerges from a dark background with an…
Painting Stories
The meaning and history of famous paintings: what they show, where the originals hang, and how each one is recreated by hand in oil on canvas.
Painting story
Portrait of a Musician by Leonardo da Vinci
The Portrait of a Musician is believed to be the only surviving portrait of a male subject painted by Leonardo da Vinci, depicting an unidentified…
Painting story
Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci
Lady with an Ermine is a portrait by Leonardo da Vinci depicting Cecilia Gallerani, the young mistress of Ludovico Sforza, holding a white ermine…
Painting story
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne by Leonardo da Vinci
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne is a large-scale devotional painting by Leonardo da Vinci depicting three generations of the Holy Family…
Painting story
Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci
The Virgin of the Rocks is a large-scale devotional panel painting by Leonardo da Vinci that depicts the Virgin Mary, the infant Christ, the…
Painting story
Ginevra de Benci by Leonardo da Vinci
Ginevra de Benci is one of Leonardo da Vinci earliest surviving painted portraits, depicting a young Florentine noblewoman against a detailed…
Painting story
Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci
Salvator Mundi shows Christ facing the viewer, one hand raised in blessing and the other holding a crystal orb, in a blue robe with embroidered…
Painting story
Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci
The Vitruvian Man is a precise pen and ink drawing by Leonardo da Vinci that explores the mathematical proportions of the human body as described…
Painting story
Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
The Mona Lisa is Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine silk merchant, begun in 1503 and kept and reworked by…
Painting story
The Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper directly onto the refectory wall of a Dominican convent in Milan, creating a scene of psychological…
Painting story
The Madonna of Chancellor Rolin by Jan van Eyck
This devotional panel depicts Chancellor Nicolas Rolin kneeling before the Virgin Mary and Christ Child in an elaborate loggia overlooking a…
Painting story
Self-Portrait by Vincent van Gogh
His last and greatest self-portrait. Painted at Saint-Remy weeks before leaving for Auvers.
Painting story
The Church at Auvers by Vincent van Gogh
The medieval church at Auvers-sur-Oise painted against a turbulent blue sky. One of his final masterworks.
Painting story
Portrait of Patience Escalier by Vincent van Gogh
An old Provencal shepherd painted with the intensity Van Gogh brought to every face he studied.
Painting story
The Yellow House by Vincent van Gogh
The house in Arles where he lived and dreamed of an artists colony. Painted with bold pride.
Painting story
Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries by Vincent van Gogh
Brightly colored fishing boats on the Mediterranean beach. Painted during a brief trip to the sea.
Painting story
The Potato Eaters by Vincent van Gogh
Five peasants eating potatoes by lamplight. His first major painting, made in the Netherlands.
Painting story
Olive Trees by Vincent van Gogh
The ancient olive groves of Provence painted in the asylum grounds at Saint-Remy.
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Curated collectionsOdyssey, Magic and Witchcraft, Famous Women, Landscapes and more.Artists A to ZEvery painter in the catalogue, with an archive of their works.Art movementsRenaissance to Expressionism: what defines each and who led it.Top 50 most famous paintingsThe ranked list, with the story behind every entry.
