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35,600 BCE
Altamira Cave
35,600 years ago. Found in Spain by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola. Ochre and charcoal images of handprints, bison, and horses are depicted. Among the best paintings preserved worldwide. -
12,000 BCE
Bhimbetka
Found in Bhopal but archeologist Dr. Vishnu Wakankar. Animals like tiger, bison, wild boar, rhinoceros, monkeys, elephants, lizards, antelopes, peacocks etc. have abundantly been depicted inside these rock shelters. -
6300 BCE
Magura Cave
This was found in Bulgaria by Bulgarian Council Ministers. Depicted is woman, animals, men hunting, dancing, weapons, and tools. -
1640 BCE
Coffin of Khnumnakht
The brilliantly painted exterior of the coffin of Khnumnakht, an individual unknown except for his name, displays the multiplicity of texts and decorative panels characteristic of coffin decoration -
1479 BCE
Sphinx of Hatshepsut
This colossal sphinx portrays the female pharaoh Hatshepsut with the body of a lion and a human head wearing a nemes–headcloth and false beard. The sculptor has carefully observed the powerful muscles of the lion as contrasted to the handsome, idealized face of the pharaoh. It was one of at least six granite sphinxes that stood in Hatshepsut's mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri. -
1332 BCE
Tutankhamun’s Mask
Discovered by Howard Carter in 1925, it is the death mask of the Egyptian Pharaoh of 18th dynasty Tutankhamun who reigned 1332–1323 BC. The mask is made from 11kg of solid gold. -
650 BCE
Lady of Auxerre (Kore of Auxerre)
The Lady of Auxerre, mysteriously came to light in the storage vault of the Louvre Museum in 1907, where she came from and how she got there, nobody knows. The Lady of Auxerre is a “kore”, meaning a young girl, a maiden, also another name for Persephone, daughter of Demeter in Greek mythology. -
570 BCE
The Moschophoros
Moscophoros, which means “the calf-bearer”was found in fragments in the Perserschutt in the Acropolis of Athens. The statue is estimated to have originally measured 5.4 ft. According to an inscription on its base, the statue was a votive offering to the goddess Athena by a certain Rhonbos and it is thought to represent Rhonbos himself, bringing sacrifice. -
480 BCE
Kritios Boy (Ephebos Youth)
The body of the Kritios Boy was found during excavations on the Acropolis Athens, in 1866, the head, twenty-three years later, when joined together, the statue stands 86 cm tall. This statue, attributed to the sculptor Kritios, is one of the best examples of the shift from late archaic to early classical Greek style, when statues became less stiff and rigid, showing more natural movement, with them bearing their weight on one leg, rather than two, as in archaic style -
359
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus
Depicts different scenes from the Bible, both old and new Testament. The Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus is a marble Early Christian sarcophagus used for the burial of Junius Bassus, who died in 359. It has been described as "probably the single most famous piece of early Christian relief sculpture. -
1306
The Kiss of Judas
Giotto di Bondone's fresco cycle on the Scrovegni Chapel is one of the most important masterpieces of Western art and ‘The Kiss of Judas’ is the most famous painting of the cycle. The painting captures the moment of betrayal when Judas identifies Jesus to the soldiers by kissing him. Giotto masterfully captures the drama and confusion of the arrest of Christ as well as the contrast of expressions of Jesus and Judas as they look face to face. -
1381
The Temptation of Christ on the Mountain
Satan visited Christ during his 40 day fast in the wilderness and tempted him to use his powers. In the third and final temptation, Satan asked Christ to worship him, which Christ refused to do.
17 x 18 1/8 inches / 43.2 x 46 cm -
1447
The Annunciation
The angel Gabriel visits Mary to announce to her that she will be the mother of God. At this moment, Jesus Christ miraculously conceived, and God is made flesh and blood. -
1486
The Birth of Venus
Done by Sandro Botticelli. Depicts the classical myth of Venus rising from the sea. In the painting the goddess of love, Venus, born out of a seashell, a fully mature woman, is arriving at the sea shore. Scholars have proposed many interpretations of the painting with the most prominent one being that Botticelli represented the Neoplatonic idea of divine love in the form of a nude Venus. Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’ remains one of the most treasured artworks of the Renaissance. -
1498
The Last Supper
Done by Leonardo Da Vinci, this piece masterfully depicts the bewilderment and confusion that occurs among the disciples of Jesus when he announces that one of them would betray him. -
1510
The Garden of Earthly Delights
This is the fundamental connection between these inner panels and the destructive flood depicted on the outer wings. Bosch’s lesson, if there is one, seems to be that we can choose good over evil or we can be swept away. Man proposes, God disposes. -
1511
The School of Athens
Critics have suggested that every great Greek philosopher can be found among the 21 painted in the painting. However, apart from Plato and Aristotle, who are placed in the center of the scene, no one’s identity can be verified with certainty. ‘The School of Athens’ is considered “the perfect embodiment of the classical spirit of the High Renaissance.” -
1512
The Creation of Adam
The scene depicted in the fresco shows God reaching out toward Adam, with the index fingers of their outstretched hands almost touching. After creating Adam out of clay, God then breathes life into His creation. -
1517
The Mona Lisa
Leonardo Da Vinci's "The Mona Lisa is “the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about and the most parodied work of art in the world”. Its fame rests, in particular, on the elusive smile on the woman’s face which is why it is also known as “la Gioconda”, or the laughing one. For Da Vinci, the ‘Mona Lisa’ was forever a work in progress, as it was his attempt at perfection. -
1541
The Last Judgement
Done by Michelangelo Buonarroti, painted on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, it depicts the Second Coming of Christ (a future return of Jesus to earth) and the final and eternal judgment by God of all humanity. Jesus is shown in the center of the painting and is surrounded by prominent saints; while the Resurrection of the Dead and the Descent of the Damned into Hell is shown in the zone below. -
Bacchus
Bacchus was the Roman name for Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, madness and ecstasy. Here, he is, somewhat appropriately, portrayed by Caravaggio as a 17th century Italian teenager. The painting is interesting for a number of reasons: Many have speculated that Caravaggio used a mirror to paint, modelling himself posing as Bacchus. -
The Calling of St. Matthew
Caravaggio used dramatic tenebrism in the piece which brought a new dramatic and emotional intensity to the realism. Where the light hits the men they are solid and bold yet the painting is full of deep shadows that work to veil parts of the figures. Christ is almost entirely in the shadows with the exception of his face and his right hand which is pointing and summoning Levi to follow him. The perspective and structure of the work draw the viewer into the room. -
The Crowning With Thornes
The painting depicts a crown of thorns being forced onto the head of Jesus before his crucifixion, to mock his claim to authority. The twisted body of Christ was influenced by the Belvedere Torso -
Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes
By Artemisia Gentileschi, daughter of the painter Orazio Gentileschi and a strong woman who, against all odds, established herself as a respected painter. The subject is executed with a directness that sets it apart from many other contemporary renditions. The theatrical lighting of the scene echoes in many respects the works of the northern followers of Caravaggio, who had specialized in such effects, while the intense realism of the scene is close to Caravaggio himself. -
Triumph of Venus
Well balanced yet active, lighthearted yet sexually charged, the scene symbolizes Rococo in its energy and palette, and points to how Boucher further developed a playful sense of eroticism as a defining element of the genre. -
The Swing
Fragonard's The Swing, rich with symbolism, not only manages to capture a moment of complete spontaneity and joie de vivre, but also alludes to the illicit affair that may have already been going on, or is about to begin. -
The Meeting
Fragonard demonstrated his mastery over various textures, from billowy clouds to dappled leaves and flowers, and the carefully creased fabrics of the couple’s clothing. Likely because they were not Neoclassical enough, the comtesse returned the paintings to Fragonard, who created seven more works in the series. -
The Death of Marat
Because of David's moving depiction of his fallen friend, The Death of Marat has struck a chord and spent the last two centuries becoming a highly recognized painting. Though some viewers might not know it by name, they recognize its influential iconography. But Marat the man is known primarily because of this very portrait -
The Stonebreakers
Painted only one year after Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote their influential pamphlet, The Communist Manifest, Courbet's concern for the plight of the poor is evident. Here, two figures labor to break and remove stone from a road that is being built. In our age of powerful jackhammers and bulldozers, such work is reserved as punishment for chain-gangs. -
The Railway
Manet’s first major canvas since the outbreak of war, went on show in the Paris Salon of 1874, the year of the first Impressionist exhibition, heralding the ascendancy of a style of art that stood for leisure, pleasure, spontaneity, freedom and nature. Situated between these two historical moments, Manet’s work stands on the crossroads: both serious and playful, unfettered and restrained. -
Little Girl In A Blue Armchair
Using a limited palette of colors, broad strokes and asymmetrical composition Cassatt gave the painting the internal dynamics. The light entering the room through the rear door adds texture and pattern to inanimate objects. This visual effect is increased by the vigorous strokes with which made haphazardly arranged blue chairs and brownish-gray floor. In contrast, the furniture girl and dog depicted in the rest. It is clear to the audience that the artist "drew" the time between games. -
The Fog Warning
The artist conveys the urgency of the fisherman needing to return to the ship by the way his boat is tipping and the size of the waves. You see a ship and a large fog attempting to show a storm is about to hit and it is dangerous for him to be on that little boat. The ship in the background being dark and somewhat faded shows it is far and he needs to analyze how he will be getting there using all of his psychical strength. The color pallet is very dull giving a sense of danger. -
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
With what resembles scientific precision, the artist tackled the issues of color, light, and form. Inspired by research in optical and color theory, he juxtaposed tiny dabs of colors that, through optical blending, form a single and, he believed, more brilliantly luminous hue -
Starry Night
Vincent van Gogh painted during his stay at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Van Gogh lived well in the hospital; he was allowed more freedoms than any of the other patients. If attended, he could leave the hospital grounds; he was allowed to paint, read, and withdraw into his own room. He was even given a studio. While he suffered from the occasional relapse into paranoia and fits -
The Steerage
Stieglitz creates an image that is as much a study in line and form as a straightforward depiction, with the decks, passageways, and ladders creating a series of bold, intersecting lines and spaces. Later, Stieglitz stated of the image that "I saw shapes related to each other. I saw a picture of shapes and underlying that, the feeling I had about life". -
The Great Masturbator
In The Great Masturbator, then, Dali lays bare some of his inner thoughts: his fears, personal anxieties, persistent obsessions. The great masturbator rock-head was to appear again and again in future paintings by the Surrealist master, becoming one of the most obsessive and ubiquitous of the various images unique to Dali's style and paranoiac-critical interpretations of his one-of-a-kind world. -
The Persistence Of Memory
Hard objects become inexplicably limp in this bleak and infinite dreamscape. Mastering what he called “the usual paralyzing tricks of eye-fooling,” Dalí painted with “the most imperialist fury of precision,” he said, but only “to systematize confusion and thus to help discredit completely the world of reality.” It is the classic Surrealist ambition, yet some literal reality is included, too the distant golden cliffs are the coast of Catalonia, Dalí’s home. -
Migrant Mother
Though Lange's story emphasizes the human element of the encounter, the photograph is also notable for its modernist sense of composition. The lines of the woman's arm on which her head rests, the lines of the children's arms and bodies as they lean into her, and use of tone and contrast create a simple and symmetrical image which adds to the power of the message. -
The Burning Giraffe
This painting depicts his personal struggle with the battle in his home country. Characteristic are the opened drawers in the blue female figure, which Dali on a later date described as "Femme-coccyx" (tail bone woman). This phenomenon can be traced back to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytical method, much admired by Dali. He regarded him as an enormous step forward for civilization. -
Campbell's Soup Cans
Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans is the work of art that led to pop art becoming a major art movement in the USA. The non-painterly style and the commercial subject of the painting initially caused offence as it affronted the technique and philosophy of abstract expressionism, the then dominant style in the United States. The resulting debates on the merits and ethics of such work made Andy Warhol the leading and most well-known pop artist. -
Drowning Girl
Considered a cornerstone of Lichtenstein’s work, Drowning Girl is sometimes also referred to as ‘I Don’t Care! I’d Rather Sink’. The printing method and the use of speech balloon to convey thoughts give the painting an appearance of a comic book page. The heroine appears a victim of an unhappy love affair who would rather drown than ask for her lover’s help -
Crying Girl
The vintage comic book series, Sacred Hearts inspired Lichtenstein’s masterwork. The comic predates the Time’s Up Movement and consequently restricts women as helpless, beauty-obsessed, naïve and above all, focused on men. However, it was Lichtenstein’s satirical objective to further amplify these outdated-tropes with brazen titles. Crying Girl inevitably became a recurring motif for the artist, with another notable example from 1964.
