50 Famous Paintings · Masterworks of Painting

Whether for symbolic, aesthetic, practical or economic reasons, the truth is that Painting has always been humanity’s favourite and most used artistic medium, and, along with Music, the one with the greatest influence on society. For example, no one doubts that the visual image of French Revolution will always be Delacroix’s “The Liberty leading the People”. It is not a surprise to find Hopper’s “Nighthawks” decorating the rooms of millions of urban teenagers; and everyone can notice how, many decades later, hundreds of anti-war protests still exhibit Picasso’s “Guernica” as a symbol of the disasters of War.

As a small tribute to Painting and all those artists who have turned it into a fascinating expression of the human genius, theartwolf.com has humbly selected 50 masterpieces of painting, from different epochs and cultures, displaying them in form of a virtual tour that you can start in this very webpage.

For sure, the 50 works showcased here are not the 50 best paintings of all time, and quite probably the reader will find, next to unquestionable masterpieces, some “surprises” and “debatable works”. Yes, the “Gioconda” is here. Yes, “The Night Watch” is also here. Of course you’ll find “Les demoiselles d’Avignon”. But you’ll also find Basawan’s wonderful miniatures from Mughal India, the bloody sacrifices depicted in the “Códex Borgia” or a luminous contemporary Californian scene by David Hockney. They are, simply put, 50 masterpieces which form a unique, magnificent trip through the history of universal Painting. 15,000 years of Painting which are only a click away from you.