Art itself always tells a story, but often has an intriguing tale behind it as well, which is why we chose to compile a list of 12 famous paintings with the stories behind them.
The story behind anything is always very important, and more often than not, makes it even more special in our eyes, but when it comes to art, it is especially significant, for it usually helps us understand the artist’s intentions and the story he is struggling to convey. Throughout history, due to various philosophies and artistic styles, art movements such as impressionism and cubism have assisted in the propagation of art and have infused it with a vast variety of artistic ideals, each with its own unique touch. For a closer look at each individual movement, check out this compilation prepared by The Art Story.
These movements are precisely why art history is such a rich subject, and besides, art has had a widespread cultural impact on the world throughout the ages. In the past, artists were often commissioned to make portraits directed towards a certain audience, and distinguishing the various factors that motivated the artist to make the painting often helps us in interpreting the piece.
If, however, you’re most focused on the art itself rather than its background, take a look at our list of the 25 most famous paintings in the world which presents a collection of incredible and inspiring art that has continued to make a mark through the ages. Naturally, almost all pictures on this list are on that one too, which perfectly depicts the idea that behind greatest work of arts are also the great stories.
We referred to a number of sources to find out the stories behind some of the best paintings in the world. So, let’s finally hear them!
12. Girl With a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer
This painting, depicting a beautiful girl with a distinctive earring as the title clearly states, is also considered to be the Dutch Mona Lisa or the Mona Lisa of the North. It is believed by some that the girl is Vermeer’s eldest daughter Maria, but no one really knows who she is. This fact emphasizes the aura of mystery that surrounds the painting and the speculation about the painted girl perhaps adds to the story of the painting.
11. Self Portrait Without Beard by Vincent van Gogh
Up next in our list of famous paintings with the stories behind them is this painting by Van Gogh that is just a single self-portrait among the 43 others he painted of himself merely between 1886 and 1889. It was one of the last paintings he produced and was a gift to his mother; his little way of showing her he was alright. However, he committed suicide only a few months later. Fortunately, the portrait shows his left side; hence his mutilated ear is not visible, which he had cut off in an episode of extreme rage.
10. The Persistence of Time by Salvador Dali
We are continuing our list of famous paintings with the stories behind them with the famous painting of melting clocks. It is what propelled its artist, Dali, to worldwide fame. Some interpreted the unusual clocks as an attempt of the painter to show Einstein’s theory of relativity, however, when asked, Dali stated that he was inspired by some Camembert cheese melting in the sun! Its background was influenced by Catalonia, the region in Spain where Dali spent his childhood. A future painting titled The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory also features melting clocks in a fashion similar to the original, such that it can be labeled its sequel. Dali also painted several melting clocks in future paintings; Profile of Time is just one example.
9. American Gothic by Grant Wood
Perhaps the only painting on our list with a touch of humor is American Gothic, a piece of art which has been endlessly mimicked and parodied in numerous forms. Wood saw a small house infused with Gothic architecture, and it immediately inspired him to produce this painting. The two sullen characters in front came from his sister and dentist, whom he believed to be perfect for the painting. It’s now almost a century old, and American Gothic has cemented its place in both American art and on our list of 12 famous paintings with the stories behind them.
8. The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn
The painting depicts the shooting company led by Captain Frans Banning Cocq; thirty-four characters in all, along with a little girl who is supposed to a mascot. Interestingly, its title of The Night Watch is not its actual name: it has several names, each longer than the last. For instance, one of such names is The Shooting Company of Frans Banninck Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch. Rembrandt originally painted it to show daytime, but aging and dirt took its toll on the picture, and it grew so dark as to be nicknamed The Night Watch. The original painting was also too big to fit the hall where it was supposed to hang, so it was cut from the edges, and later, eighteen names were added to the arch in the painting. Both of these alterations were made long after the artist had passed away.
7. Whistler’s Mother by James Abbott McNeill Whistler
The story behind this simple yet striking piece that ranks 7th in our list of famous paintings with the stories behind them, is that it was originally designated to be a portrait of Maggie Graham, the daughter of a member of Parliament. As his mother described, Maggie “failed” Whistler by not showing up, which was not unheard of, for Whistler could be highly irritable and rude to the models sitting for his paintings. He then asked his mother to fill in for her, and so Whistler’s Mother came into being. His mother originally stood for him, but it being a burden for someone her age and with her poor health to stand perfectly still for hours at a time, Whistler told her to sit instead.
6. The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
One of the best-known works of art by van Gogh is irrefutably The Starry Night, an oil painting which depicts a brilliantly lit starry sky at nightfall. The intricate swirls of paint are what make the sky so mesmerizing for the onlooker. The panorama depicted in the picture was the view seen from the asylum window – excluding the bars – where the artist had admitted himself of his own after having a mental breakdown the previous year when he had severed his ear. Van Gogh, however, did not recall doing it at all, and further experiences of hallucinations confirmed that he was mentally disturbed, possibly unhinged. Surprisingly, however, the artist deemed it a failure.
5. Guernica by Pablo Picasso
Guernica ranks 5th in our list of famous paintings with the stories behind them, It is a huge oil painting which Picasso painted as a tribute to those who suffered in the 1937 bombing of the Spanish city of Guernica by German and Italian planes. The worst part is that most of those who perished were women or children, as the men were away to fight, which made the incident even more deplorable. The painting depicts a chaotic scene of human suffering, albeit in an abstract and deconstructed form that was characteristic of Picasso and his revolutionary style of Cubism, and is considered a powerful and moving anti-war symbol.
4. Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Vincent van Gogh
There were actually two paintings of a Dr. Gachet that Van Gogh painted, both showing him with an ingrained expression of despondency. The doctor was the man who took care of the artist post-asylum period and in the months which would soon prove to be his last (as Van Gogh died within the year). He produced a number of paintings during this time and developed a warm relationship with the physician; however, in July 1980, Van Gogh committed suicide with no witnesses.
3. The Scream by Edvard Munch
A little-known fact about the Scream is that it is not merely one painting, but a collection of four, all made in their own distinctive way; two with tempera, one with pastel, and another with crayon. It occurred to the artist when, according to the entries he made in his diary, he was walking and looking out over the neighboring fjord at the time of sunset, that the clouds assumed a color he took to be blood. As he states in his diary, “I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream”, inspiring him to create this now iconic masterpiece. It is also speculated to be about suicide, as Munch’s life at the time was perhaps at an all-time low; his love affair had dissolved, he anticipated developing a mental disorder that was prevalent in his family, and he was practically penniless. And now, let’s see the top two entries in our list of famous paintings with the stories behind them.
2. The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
Up next in our list of famous paintings with the stories behind them is The Last Supper, that is a giant mural which depicts Jesus and his twelve disciples immersed in conversation. It was painted by da Vinci at the request of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, and the artist made several sketches in preparation before undertaking the real task. The painting shows that point in time when Jesus revealed to his faithful followers that one among them would betray him, which provoked a frazzled discussion. What is fascinating is that da Vinci took days searching for the perfect face to fit the traitor, Judas, in the painting, and he is depicted as the one whose hand hovers over a plate, in accordance with Christ’s saying in Matthew – “He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me” – and whose body is angled away from Jesus, distinguishing him from the rest.
1. Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
This best-known work of Leonardo da Vinci lands on number one on our list of 12 famous paintings with the stories behind them, purely because it is the best known and enjoys unparalleled fame. Although we shall never be able to decipher the reason behind Mona Lisa’s cryptic smile, we know that it belongs to a rich woman named Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a wealthy merchant, who was painted to commemorate the birth of their son. The lesser-known name of the painting is La Gioconda, Italian that translates to “the jocund one”. So where does the title Mona Lisa come from? Well, Mona Lisa, or, more properly, Monna Lisa, in Italian means “my lady Lisa”, referring to the aforementioned Lisa, the subject of the painting.
