The top 100 paintings of all time.. OF ALL TIME.

Cafe Society
1

I read Skald the Rhymer’s thread here where he asked a very thought provoking question. If you could save only 100 paintings in the world, which would they be? I gave the answer quite a bit of thought and came up with a full list of the 100 paintings (or other forms of graphic art) I would choose to save. I posted my first ten in that thread and was pleased when other posters asked to see the rest of my list.

I’m going to follow Skald’s excellent advice and post ten entries on my list with commentary every week and see how it goes. When I made my list I took the scenario seriously and made a few judgement calls as a result. I tried to choose art that is not only beautiful but representative of its kind and the artist who created it. I tried, as much as possible, to avoid duplicating too many of the same themes. I also decided that since the rest of humanity is going to perish, I would avoid ripping out beloved art in places of public worship. I reasoned that quite a few would choose to spend their last hours in such places so things like the Sistine Chapel ceiling were left behind. These were all just rules I made for myself, but they helped in the immense task of eliminating choices.

Here are numbers eleven through twenty, again in a very rough chronological order.

“The Book of Kells”, Illuminated vellum manuscript, artists unknown

If you think of Celtic art or design elements, chances are excellent that you’re thinking of something from ‘The Book of Kells’. It is a superb example of early medieval and Celtic art.

“The Stigmatization of St. Francis”, Tempura on wood, Giotto

When you get a shout out from no less than Dante Alighieri as the greatest painter of your time, you can rest pretty easy. It’s a comparatively rare non-fresco example from an artist that defines the transition from medieval to renaissance art.

“St. George and the Dragon”, Oil on canvas, Paolo Uccello

While Uccello is most appreciated for his pioneering use of perspective, I just like the guy. I think of him as the late Gothic/early Renaissance equivalent to an action movie director. Battles, dragon fighting, murder and hunting… what’s not to like?

“The Arnolfini Portrait”, Oil on wood, Jan Van Eyck

Wow. So, Jan Van Eyck is probably the best known of the early northern renaissance artists and deservedly so. There is so much going on in the Arnolfini Portrait, it’s just a showcase for light and shadow, textures and perspective. Check out the mirror in the background. :slight_smile: It also shows a rare glimpse into domesticity of the day and the nature of marriage at the time.

“The Birth of Venus”, Tempura on wood, Sandro Botticelli

It’s famous and his best known work. It’s also a really important work of art. A. It’s not a religious theme or portrait… as I considered my list it struck me how rare that was for his time. B. It showcases the nude female form in a spectacular way.

“Vitruvian Man”, Ink on paper, Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo gets two spots on the space-ark and this is one of them. I feel it encapsulates humanity itself, our quest to understand ourselves and the world around us in a way distinct from spirituality.

“Mona Lisa”, Oil on wood, Leonardo da Vinci

Ok. I’m going to say right now that it’s overrated, but then it would be almost impossible for it not to be considering how famous it is. If nothing else it’ll keep me from being beaten to death by casual art fans if they found out I left it behind.

“Young Hare”, Watercolor on paper, Albrecht Dürer

I struggled with this choice, I really did. On one hand I wanted to go with his self portrait at 28, on the other… one of his more famous woodcuts such as ‘Knight, Death and the Devil’. I chose this simply because I love it. Through that painting, that bunny has been alive for over five hundred years. I’d like to keep it that way.

“The Temptation of St. Anthony”, Oil on wood, Hieronymus Bosch

When you must freak somebody out with scenes of surrealist horror and weirdness, accept no substitute.

“The Triumph of Death”, Oil on wood, Pieter Bruegel the Elder

When you want to be reminded that people are scary, life can be grim and death is certain… look at this painting.

That’s numbers eleven through twenty on my list. :slight_smile:

2

Everything painted by Klimt. How many is that?

3

I just wanted to say I appreciate very much this list. Please continue, even though it seems no one is paying any attention.

4

I have a book of many plates from the Book of Kells. I can’t open it if I don’t have at least an hour to spare, it’s mind bogglingly beautiful.

5

This is an impossible exercise. Any decent museum has at least 100 paintings that the world would be poorer without.

That said, I’d have to rate “Starry Night,” “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” “Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte” at the top of my personal list. I’d include a Hopper, too, probably “New York Movie” over “Nighthawks.”

6

Any list has to include a Caillebot, a Monet, a Manet and a Degas, a Raphael, a Titian, and at least several of the Dutch artists’ works.

7

This is pretty cool, lokij, and you’re obviously going roughly chronologically. I hope a Raphael is going to pop up really, really soon in the list, and I’m interested to see what you pick.

8

One thing I like about your list (especially your first ten) was the non-Western examples. I would like to ask, though – are you familiar with any paintings from India? I’m not familiar with any Indian artists or artworks that are considered masterworks.

9

I’m very interested in your list, lokij.

I just wanted to say that.

10

Sadly neither am I, at least not any pre-modern painting. The fact is, not all cultures valued painting as an art form as much as in the west and far east. This is true in the Islamic world, for example, because of religious proscription against representational art. There are always exceptions, there is a strong tradition of miniature painting originating in Persia that was also practiced in the Mughal empire. I have a Persian miniature but it’s a little later in the list. Art is more than painting, if this had been the top 100 works of sculpture or textile art there would be far far more examples from India, Africa and the Americas. If somebody more knowledgeable about Indian and Islamic art wants to chime in, I’d be really interested. :slight_smile:

11

I’ll just add a vote to substitute The Fall of Icarus, oil on canvas, also by Pieter Bruegel for the other Bruegel work (although Wikipedia now says that Bruegel’s ownership here is questionable - news to me).

I love this work primarily because of W. H. Auden’s insights.

12

Another vote for each of these, and I’d add Winslow Homer to the list, and someone else from the Ashcan School. Kelly5078 - we have similar art taste!

13

A nice walk through an Art Appreciation class. If you are going for the 1300 - 1400’s:

You’ve gotta include Masaccio’s Expulsionalongside Giotto (and it would be great to have a Duccio as well) to represent early Renaissance.

You include Botticelli, deservedly so, but no Piero Della Francesca? His Baptism of Christis innovative in it’s layout, use of color, etc…

Would be good to see a Venetian artist and their treatment of light.

I assume you will get to Vermeer in the next tranche…

14

Sadly, your first suggestion violates one of my rules as it is painted on the wall of the Brancacci chapel. :confused: You’re right to say it’s a very worthy painting from the period.

I have to disagree with including Francesca, however. I only have room for 100 and though his work is beautiful and a masterwork of the period, I just don’t find it has the emotional appeal of Botticelli. In addition, all of his work that I’ve been able to find are religiously themed. One of the reasons I chose Botticelli is that he broke with that convention.

That said, you wouldn’t go wrong with your suggestions either. :confused: When you have to pick only 100 you have to be a bit arbitrary.

Vermeer is coming. :smiley:

15

As with the other thread, I would pick Raphael’s La Donna Velata (lady with a veil). I’ve seen this painting in person and it’s exquisite. An added plus is that it doesn’t have any religious trappings, as were common in the day.

16

Heh, I’d include some Hieronymus Bosch, particularly this:

Nicely complements “The Triumph of Death”. :smiley:

17

Bosch is on the list, number 19. I went with “The Temptation of St. Anthony” instead of the “Garden of Earthly Delights”. The reason I did so is kind of silly, I like the flying fish creatures in my choice. :stuck_out_tongue:

18

My mistake! I somehow skipped that one. :o

19

Come on, guys. There can really only be one answer to the OP.

20

What? No love for Cassius Marcellus Coolidge? :smiley: