Paintings have been around for centuries, with some of the oldest surviving examples going back tens of thousands of years. While the technologies and styles have changed over time, paintings have always remained an important part of human culture—even if they’re primarily seen as just a work of art, not as functional objects like they were in the past (at least before photography was invented). The following is a list of the 10 most famous paintings of all time, and their significance to each era they were created in.
10. A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
This is one of the exquisite masterpieces created by George Seurat between 1884 and 1886.
9. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Pablo Picasso painted this canvas in 1907, an ur-canvas of 20th-century art.
8. The Garden of Earthy Delights
Hieronymus Bosch depicted the premise that Heaven and Hell are parts of the world, which is evident in a painting made around 1503 to 1515.
7. The Starry Night
This is one of the most well-known works by the legendary Vincent Van Gogh. It was painted in 1889 in the mental asylum at Saint-Remy.
6. The Kiss
Between 1907 and 1908, Gustav Klimt painted this beautiful picture.
5. Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1
James Abbott McNeill Whistler painted this in his London studio in 1871.
4. The Arnolfini Portrait
Considered to be one of the best artworks of the Northern Renaissance, this is also one of the first paintings done with oils by Jan van Eyck in 1434.
3. The Birth of Venus
This painting was Sandro Botticelli’s first full-length, non-religious nude painting and The Birth of Venus was painted between 1484 to 1486.
2. Girl with a Pearl Earring
Almost like a photograph, you can see a modern girl in this painting by Johannes Vermeer.
1. Monalisa
Leonardo Da Vinci painted Monalisa between 1503 and 1517.
