Elena Rossi
There are many paintings that could be considered the most famous in the world. One of the most iconic is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, which is valued at over $660 million. The painting has been on display in the Louvre since 1797, and every year, around 10 million people visit the museum, with 80% of them believed to be there just to see the Mona Lisa. Other contenders for the most famous painting include The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, and The Scream by Edvard Munch.
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The Mona Lisa
The painting's novel qualities include the subject's enigmatic expression, the monumentality of the composition, the subtle modelling of forms, and the atmospheric illusionism. Leonardo employed his sfumato technique, which involved carefully blurring edges and contours so that sharp outlines disappear, resulting in a three-dimensional painting with no harsh lines or borders. The subject's unproven identity and mysterious smile have made the painting a source of ongoing investigation and fascination.
The painting's global fame and popularity stem partly from its theft in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia, who attributed his actions to Italian patriotism—a belief that the painting should belong to Italy. The theft and subsequent recovery in 1914 generated unprecedented publicity for an art theft, leading to numerous cultural depictions, including an opera, two films, and a song recorded by Nat King Cole. The Mona Lisa holds the Guinness World Record for the highest known painting insurance valuation in history at US$100 million in 1962, equivalent to $1 billion as of 2023.
Today, the Mona Lisa hangs behind bulletproof glass in a gallery of the Louvre Museum in Paris, where it has been since 1804. It is now the property of the French Republic.
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The Last Supper
Measuring an impressive 460 cm by 880 cm (15 by 29 feet), The Last Supper covers an entire wall of the dining hall at the Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery in Milan, Italy. The scale of the work is striking, and Leonardo skillfully used perspective to create the illusion of space, drawing viewers into the emotional scene. The painting depicts Jesus and his disciples during the Passover feast, with Jesus announcing that one of them will betray him. The disciples react with a range of emotions, from shock to anger, each expressing their feelings in their own unique way.
Leonardo da Vinci's use of perspective and shading to suggest depth and volume, known as sfumato, is evident throughout the painting. He masterfully captures the human form and expression, conveying a range of emotions on the disciples' faces. The composition is carefully constructed, with Jesus as the calm center point, surrounded by the more animated reactions of his followers. The use of subtle gestures and eye contact between the figures adds to the sense of interplay and drama.
One of the most notable aspects of The Last Supper is the sense of movement and energy it conveys. Unlike traditional static depictions of religious scenes at the time, Leonardo's work is full of dynamism and life. Each disciple is captured in a moment of action, leaning forward, reaching out, or turning, creating a sense of urgency and emotion that draws the viewer into the narrative. This sense of movement and expression was revolutionary for its time and had a profound influence on future generations of artists.
Beyond its artistic significance, The Last Supper also holds deep religious and cultural importance. It serves as a visual representation of a pivotal moment in the Christian faith, bringing the Bible story to life with remarkable humanity and emotion. For many, it is a powerful reminder of faith and a source of inspiration and reflection. The painting's enduring popularity and influence attest to its status as a true masterpiece, securing its place in the canon of the world's most famous and beloved artworks.
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The Scream
"The Scream" is an iconic modern artwork created by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. It is considered one of the most famous paintings in the world, with the agonised face in the painting becoming one of the most recognisable images in art. The painting is said to symbolise the anxiety of the human condition, with Munch's work having a significant influence on the Expressionist movement.
Munch created four versions of "The Scream": two paintings and two pastels, as well as a lithograph stone from which several prints survive. The first painting, done in oil, tempera, and pastel on cardboard, is dated 1893 and is currently held at the National Gallery of Art in Oslo. This version includes a barely visible pencil inscription in the upper left corner, saying, "Kan kun være malet af en gal Mand!" ("Could only have been painted by a madman!"). The inscription was long thought to be a comment by a critic or visitor but was later attributed to Munch himself, indicating his sensitivity to mental illness prevalent in his family.
The second pastel version, created in 1893, is held in the Munch Museum in Oslo. The third version, a tempera painting from 1910, is also in the collection of the Munch Museum. The fourth and final version, a pastel-on-board work from 1895, was sold at Sotheby's auction in 2012 for a record-breaking price of $119,922,600 to financier Leon Black. Both painted versions have been stolen from public museums and successfully recovered.
The inspiration for "The Scream" came from Munch's own experience while walking along a fjord path overlooking Oslo at sunset. He described sensing an "infinite scream passing through nature" as the setting sun turned the clouds "blood red". The reddish sky in the background of the painting has been attributed to the memory of the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa, which tinted skies red for months in the Western hemisphere about a decade before Munch painted "The Scream". Another interpretation suggests that the unnaturally orange sky may be due to the artist's psychological reaction to his sister's commitment to a nearby lunatic asylum.
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The Starry Night
During his year-long stay at the asylum, Van Gogh remained highly productive, creating Irises, a self-portrait, and The Starry Night. The painting's celestial elements include Venus, which was visible in the sky at the time, though the moon’s depiction is not astronomically accurate. The cypress trees in the foreground were exaggerated in scale compared to other works. Van Gogh's letters suggest he viewed them primarily in aesthetic rather than symbolic terms. The village in the painting is an imaginary addition, based on sketches rather than the actual landscape seen from the asylum.
Van Gogh depicted the view at different times of the day and under various weather conditions, such as the sunrise, moonrise, sunshine, overcast days, windy days, and rain. While the hospital staff did not allow Van Gogh to paint in his bedroom, he was able to make sketches in ink or charcoal on paper; eventually, he would base newer variations on previous versions. The pictorial element uniting all of these paintings is the diagonal line coming in from the right, depicting the low rolling hills of the Alpilles mountains. In fifteen of the twenty-one versions, cypress trees are visible beyond the far wall enclosing the wheat field. Van Gogh exaggerated their size in six of these paintings, most notably in Wheat Field with Cypresses and The Starry Night, bringing the trees closer to the picture plane.
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Liberty Leading the People
The painting "Liberty Leading the People" is a famous work by Eugène Delacroix, commemorating the July Revolution in Paris that removed Charles X, the restored Bourbon king, from the throne. The painting depicts a bare-breasted "woman of the people" with a Phrygian cap, personifying the concept and Goddess of Liberty. She is accompanied by a young boy brandishing a pistol in each hand and leads a group of people forward over a barricade and the bodies of the fallen. The painting is known for its chaotic yet subtly ordered composition, with the figure of Liberty standing out amidst the churning human bodies. Delacroix's use of pyramidal composition and muted colours helped to subdue the chaos of the scene.
The painting is considered a masterpiece and is exhibited in the Louvre in Paris. It has had a significant influence on popular culture, appearing in various films and television series, including the 2023 film "John Wick: Chapter 4" and the 2021 South Korean TV series "Vincenzo". The painting has also inspired works of classical music, such as George Antheil's Symphony No. 6, which was titled "After Delacroix". Additionally, an engraved version of part of the painting was featured on the 100-franc note from 1978 to 1995.
The female figure in the painting is viewed as a symbol of France and the French Republic, known as Marianne. She holds a bayonetted musket in her left hand and raises the tricolour, the French national flag, with her right. The man on the far left is identified as a factory worker due to his clothing, including an apron, working shirt, and sailor's trousers. His attire also reveals his revolutionary leanings, with a handkerchief around his waist securing a pistol, patterned similarly to the Cholet handkerchief, a symbol used by Royalist soldiers.
Delacroix began painting "Liberty Leading the People" after witnessing the violent escalation of protests against a set of restrictive ordinances issued by Charles X on July 26, 1830. The painting was completed in the same year as the event it depicts, and it is considered a history painting. Delacroix's skill in both drawing and classics, combined with his formal art education, prepared him to create this iconic work. The painting initially received mixed reviews but eventually became one of Delacroix's most popular works, recognised as an emblem of the July Revolution and justified revolt.
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Frequently asked questions
While there is no definitive answer, the most visited painting in the world is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. It is also the most famous portrait ever painted.
The Mona Lisa has been on display at the Louvre since 1797, with around 10 million people visiting the museum each year.
Other paintings that are considered among the most famous in the world include:
- The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli
- The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch
- The Scream by Edvard Munch
- The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
- The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
- Guernica by Pablo Picasso
