# What's the second most \*famous\* painting? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-famous-painting/818822 "2018-07-30T18:09:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-famous-painting/818822/121 "2018-08-03T23:31:16Z")
Andy Warhol, anyone? Campbell Soup cans? Marilyn? ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2018, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-famous-painting/818822/122 "2018-08-04T01:12:30Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Nighthawks is very famous, and one of my favorite paintings. > > But I wouldn’t cast a vote for it being the second most famous painting. The top choices for that have already been mentioned. Re-reading the thread, I’m not seeing any consensus developing whatsoever, nor any agreement on geography or as to what constitutes “a” and “painting”. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-famous-painting/818822/123 "2018-08-07T07:18:49Z")
There doesn’t need to be “agreement” for something that already has a definition, like painting. Sure, there might not be bright-line differentiation between, say, drawing and painting (we could have a whole thread for that - what are pastels to you, and why?) but there is no relevant definition of “painting” that includes _The Great Wave off Kanagawa_ or _32 Campbell’s Soup Cans_, or _Vitruvian Man_ - really any person advocating for those as “paintings” would just be being bolshie. “Work of art” =/= “painting” “a”, of course, we _could_ argue about (and should!), although I’d say it’s OK to include all close copies if the image itself is what people recognize, like _The Scream_ should be considered “a painting” for this sort of discussion because though there are multiple versions, and prints, when _hoi polloi_ say “The Scream” it’s almost a certainty a reproduction of the Oslo National Gallery one they’ve seen and are thinking of. But “Van Gogh[self-portrait](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portraits_of_Vincent_van_Gogh)” is not “a painting” and requires more specificity (even my earlier _Portrait with a Bandaged Ear_ wasn’t specific enough - I meant _Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear, Easel and Japanese Print_. Good thing I didn’t go with _Portrait with A Straw Hat_ 🙂 ). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-famous-painting/818822/124 "2018-08-07T13:04:52Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > _32 Campbell’s Soup Cans_, or _Vitruvian Man_ - really any person advocating for those as “paintings” would just be being bolshie. “Work of art” =/= “painting” I really don’t see a sense in which that work is not a painting. They’re literally drawn (the underdrawing) and hand-painted. [Even MOMA](https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79809) refers to the works as “paintings.” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-famous-painting/818822/125 "2018-08-07T14:27:05Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I really don’t see a sense in which that work is not a painting. They’re literally drawn (the underdrawing) and hand-painted. [Even MOMA](https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79809) refers to the works as “paintings.” I’d read [contradicting material](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell%27s_Soup_Cans#Pop_art) that said the base cans were silkscreened, then overpainted. But I’d happily take MOMA’s word on this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-second-most-famous-painting/818822.md?page=6)