The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
Completed in 1498, it is found at the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. Its intent was to capture the Apostles’ reactions after Jesus reveals that one of them will betray him. Technically not a fresco since it was painted on a dry wall, due to da Vinci’s experimental technique and medium, it began to deteriorate soon after it was completed. It was also damaged in 1943 during World War II when a bomb exploded just eighty feet away, virtually destroying the building. Miraculously, the wall with da Vinci’s painting remained standing. Despite seven restoration attempts, very little of the original painting exists today.
The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse
Painted in 1888, it is usually on display at the Tate Gallery in London, England. Waterhouse is known for his lavish depictions of women in Greek and Arthurian (i.e. King Arthur and Lancelot) mythology. This painting is a portrayal of Part IV of Lord Alfred Tennyson’s 1832 poem of the same name.
The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli
Found at the Ufizzi Gallery in Florence, Italy, it represents the goddess of love and beauty on the island of Cyprus. Venus is standing in a giant scallop shell, and demurely covering herself with her long, blond hair. It was painted in 1485. The fact that she is completely naked was groundbreaking since art in the Middle Ages was typically based on Biblical themes. It was intended to be hung in a bedroom, and was not shown in public for its first fifty years.
Water Lilies Series by Claude Monet
Monet spent the last thirty years of his life obsessed with painting roughly 250 “Water Lilies,” which are on display in museums and private collections across the world. One can experience eight of these paintings laid side-by-side in two oval-shaped rooms at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris. Monet planted and tended to the real-life water lilies in his Giverny (France) garden, and he imported several varieties from Egypt and South America. Today, his garden is open to the public.
View of Scheveningen Sands by Hendrick van Anthonissen
Painted circa 1641, it has been hanging at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England for 150 years. It was never considered to be one the museum’s more interesting pieces since the characters were simply staring at a bleak expanse of empty beach—until a huge beached whale was revealed during its restoration. There is no reference to the whale in historical documents, but it is suspected that either a previous owner found the scene unappetizing, or an art dealer thought the painting would better sell without the dead animal. As explained by the curator, “In the past it would be very common to cut a painting or paint over it to fit aesthetic purposes.”
The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
Painted in 1889, it portrays van Gogh’s view while at the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (France) where he checked himself in after having a mental breakdown—although without the bars in the window. Recently, an art historian compared the scene to a re-creation of the night sky in June 1889. It was determined that the “morning star,” as Vincent described it in one of his 650 letters to his brother Theo, is actually the planet Venus. This painting hangs at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Manhattan, New York.
The Scream by Edvard Munch
Munch created four versions in various mediums in the late 1800s/early 1900s. Supposed experts interpret it as representing the universal anxiety of modern man (whatever that means). One can be viewed at the National Gallery in Oslo, Norway and two others are at the Munch Museum in Oslo. Different versions have been involved in high-profile thefts—twice—but were later recovered. The white ghost face mask in the horror movie Scream is based on Munch’s character.
Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth
Painted in 1948, it was inspired when Wyeth saw his neighbor, Anna Christina Olsen, dragging her body across a field due to her disease, Charcot-Marie Tooth (CMT), a degenerative muscle disorder that prevented her from walking. Wyeth once explained, “I wanted to do justice to her extraordinary conquest of life which most people would consider helpless.” The actual farmhouse, known as the Olsen House, is open to the public in Cushing, Maine. This painting is on permanent display at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Manhattan, New York.
Luncheon of the Boating Party by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Renoir painted this beloved masterpiece in 1880-1881. It depicts a group of his real-life friends partying at Maison Fournaise, a restaurant, hotel and place to rent rowboats that still exists today. It is located just outside of Paris in Chatou, along the river Seine. The woman holding the dog is Renoir’s future wife. The painting can be viewed at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.
Nighthawks by Edward Hopper
Painted in 1942, it is at The Art Institute of Chicago. Debate continues as to whether the diner was real or imagined. Hopper’s only admission: the scene “was suggested by a restaurant on Greenwich Avenue (Manhattan, New York) where two streets meet.” Interestingly, in the painting there is no door shown that would allow one to enter or exit the diner, which could be interpreted as representing isolation and loneliness.