5. The Scream by Edvard Munch
Created in 1903 by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, The Scream is called “an icon of modern art.” The painting that ranks 5th in our list of most famous paintings in the world was an expression of his inner torment, and this gave birth to the art style we now know as Expressionism. Munich defined how we view our age “wracked with anxiety and uncertainty.” Two versions of this painting are at the National Gallery in Oslo, and another one is at Munch Museum. In 2012, the last version of The Scream was sold at the Sotheby’s for $119.9 million.
The painting is on the cover of Arthur Janov’s book The Primal Scream. Andy Warhol made silk prints of Munch’s famous artwork. Macaulay Culkin’s Home Alone face was inspired by this painting. Cartoonist Gary Larson did a tribute to Munch’s masterpiece, too. The most famous pop culture allusion of the painting was the mask used for the horror movies Scream. The “face screaming in fear” emoji was also based on the famous artwork.
4. The Creation of Adam by Michaelangelo
Located in the Sistine Chapel, The Creation of Adam, the next one in our list of most famous paintings in the world, was painted Michaelangelo from 1508-1512. The fresco was based on the Book of Genesis when God breathed life into Adam. This breathtaking fresco is undeniably one of the great jewels of Western art. It shows the grandeur of God and the humanity of man. Michaelangelo’s achievement was recognized as superhuman in the world of art. And for its majestic grandeur, it truly is.
A lot of pop culture art was created from this renowned artwork. The movie poster of E.T. was a nod to this painting. The Creation of Muppet by parody artist James Hance recreated the scene with Kermit the Frog as Adam and Jim Henson as God. In the comic books, it was reimagined by artist Keith Giffen in The Legion of Superheroes #294 when Darkseid attacked Shadow Lass and Light Lass.
3. The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
The first of the two Leonardo da Vinci paintings on our list is The Last Supper, ranks 3rd in our list of most famous paintings in the world. It was created sometime between 1495 and 1498. The ginormous mural is 15 feet high and 29 feet wide. It is housed in a convent at Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan. The scene was taken from John 13:21 wherein Jesus predicted His betrayal. Da Vinci used a new technique for this masterpiece by painting tempera paint on stone.
Da Vinci was known as a Renaissance Man for his contributions as an artist, scientist, engineer, inventor, author, and humanist. The perspective lines radiating from the head of Christ indicate that he is the focal point of the painting and they blend with the ceilings and walls. He was also well framed by the doorway, providing the contrast from the outside view. This Da Vinci formula has since been copied and became the standard for artists creating symbolic paintings.
2. Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh
At number two in our list of most famous paintings in the world, we have this majestic painting created in June 1889 from Vincent Van Gogh’s asylum window at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole. He wrote to his brother Theo about his inspiration saying, “This morning I saw the countryside from my window a long time before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big.” Starry Night is currently housed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Van Gogh did over 2,000 oil paintings, drawings, watercolors, and sketches. But they only became famous after he died. His style ushered in Post-Impressionism, a term for works expressed as emotional and psychological responses rendered in bold colors with symbolic images. He may have sold only one painting his entire life, but his impact on the world of art has been lasting.
The painting was the subject of Don McLean’s song Vincent (Starry, Starry Night). It appeared on the gallery of Akira Kurosawa’s film Dreams, on an episode of Doctor Who titled Vincent and the Doctor, on the movie Home, on the background of the animated film Coraline, mentioned on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and used even on a Little Einsteins episode.
