Best Paintings in History: 10 Masterpieces That Shaped Art

Did you know Vincent Van Gogh was able to sell only one painting during his lifetime, or that Picasso could draw before he could walk? The best paintings in history have their own story to tell! These paintings have captured the imagination, provoked thought, and captured the essence of an era. The best paintings are kept in museums, studied in classrooms, and help us to understand history. This blog covers the best paintings in history that you must know about.

S.No	Painting Name	Artist	Why It Is Considered One of the Best
1	Mona Lisa	Leonardo da Vinci	Renowned for its mysterious smile and lifelike realism.
2	The Last Supper	Leonardo da Vinci	Masterfully captures the dramatic tension of Christ’s final meal.
3	The Starry Night	Vincent van Gogh	Emotionally intense with iconic swirling night skies.
4	The Scream	Edvard Munch	Visually striking symbol of existential dread.
5	Girl with a Pearl Earring	Johannes Vermeer	Celebrated for its radiant light and intimate gaze.
6	The Birth of Venus	Sandro Botticelli	Groundbreaking mythological nude with ethereal beauty.
7	The Creation of Adam	Michelangelo	An iconic depiction of divine touch with anatomical precision.
8	Guernica	Pablo Picasso	Powerful anti-war message expressed through Cubist chaos.
9	The Kiss	Gustav Klimt	Famed for its golden design and romantic symbolism.
10	Las Meninas	Diego Velázquez	Complex perspective blending reality and illusion.

10 Best Paintings in History You Must Know About

These are the top ten paintings in history you must know about. These iconic paintings have transcended time, continue to inspire generations, and set standards for what we mean by art.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1503–1519)

Did you know Mona Lisa is the best painting in human history? This painting by Leonardo da Vinci is a portrait of a girl named  Lisa Gherardini. If Lisa Gherardini was known for her mysterious smile. Her painting is a part of the Renaissance history, and sets the standards for portraits. The painting was stolen around 1911. However, it was later recovered and kept in the Louvre museum, and is considered priceless. 

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci (1495–1498)

The Last Supper is a painting depicting the final meal of Jesus with his disciples (as per the Bible). This is one of the best paintings in history. Today it is kept at Milan’s Santa Maria delle Grazie. The painting’s composition and its hidden symbolism make it a unique masterpiece. For example, it showcases the person who betrays Jesus. The painting is considered one of the most significant mural paintings in the world. It is celebrated for its emotional portrayal and symbolism.

The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (1889)

The Starry Night is a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. He painted this while he was in an asylum! He painted a blue and yellow night sky that contrasts against a serene village. This showcases his inner turmoil and his admiration for nature. The painting is one of the most important pieces of art kept at the Museum of Modern Art, New York 25. NASA scientists discovered that the turbulence in Van Gogh’s painting matches the mathematics of real fluid dynamics in space!

The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893)

The Screm is one of the best paintings in history. This painting is actually based on Munch’s hallucinatory experience. The haunting simplicity makes it among the top paintings in pop culture. The painting was stolen twice! Moreover, there are multiple versions of the paintings. It is kept at Oslo’s National Museum and Munch Museum 59. The painting was titled as The Shriek of Nature after a volcanic eruption.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer (1665)

The Gril with a Peal Earring is another one of the best paintings in history. The painting is often referred to as the Mona Lisa of the North. The mastery of light and shadow in this painting makes the subject into an eternal icon. The painting is displayed at the The Hague’s Mauritshuis. Some believe the peal here might not be a pearl at all! It might be a glass or tin that is painted to shimmer.

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (1484–1486)

Botticelli’s Renaissance marvel is one of the best paintings in human history. This painting depicts Venus born from the sea form, and broke norms with its full-length nude. The Medici family commissioned the painting. Therefore, it survived Savonarola’s bonfires of “vanities”, and remains an important possession of Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. Botticelli became obsessed with the painting so much that his request to bury him at the feet of the model was fulfilled by those who buried him.

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo (1512)

The Creation of Adam is one of the best paintings in history. This painting is kept at the Sistine Chapel and showcases God breathing life into Adam. The almost touching fingers show the divine-human connection. While Adam’s idealized form showcases the anatomical precision made by Michelangelo. The painting was restored. Did you know the shape surrounding God in the painting perfectly depicts the human brain?

Guernica by Pablo Picasso (1937)

Guernica is one of the best paintings in human history, that is painted against war that was taking place. This oil painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso showcases the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The monochromatic chaos, disembodied soldier, a bull, and screaming figures in the painting capture the horror of the war.  When US officials visited the UN to declare war on Iraq, this painting was covered with a curtain!

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt (1907–1908)

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt is one of the best paintings in human history. This is an oil canvas painting that is embellished with silver, gold leaf, and platinum. It was painted around 1907, a time that was referred to by scholars as the “Golden Period”. The painting showcases a couple embracing each other, and their bodies entwined in an elaborate robe in the Nouveau style. It showcases the love’s transcendence. 

Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez (1656)

The Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez is one of the best paintings in history. The term “Las Meninas” means “The Maids of Honor” or ‘’ The Ladies-in-Waiting,”. This oil painting is kept at Museo del Prado in Madrid. This is a masterpiece of the Spanish Baroque period, and one of the most complex works in Western art. The painting showcases Infanta Margarita surrounded by attendants. However, the artist is there in the background, making it a thought-provoking painting.

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These were the facts about the best paintings in history. If you find it fascinating and wish to read more such interesting facts, then stay tuned to the General Knowledge page of Leverage Edu.