Top 10 Painters Of All Time
A painting can pass on an incredible amount of information. Not only have painters throughout history managed to tell stories about the time and the age but through amazing simplicity have also managed to make an impact far more compelling upon the human mind. A painting can say more than a thousand words can sometimes and making a painting speak is the trait of the painter. History has bestowed humanity with great painters and even greater artists who painted out their own signatures to be left etched in the memory of generations and generations that have come after them. Perhaps there will never be a precise and a unilateral agreement on who the best painters of all time are, we make an attempt nonetheless to look at some of the greats of the trade.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was a well known Italian artist (1571-1610 AD). He was notorious for his violent outbursts and was never a loved or admired man when he lived. Widely known today as one of the founding fathers of the Baroque school of painting, Caravaggio still remains an underrated painter. His work on the use of shadows and lighting to demonstrate and incredible reality through his paintings was almost forgotten post his death. He was most well known during the years of 1600-1606 when he had managed be among the most well known painters in Rome.
One of the pioneers of the Baroque style of painting which has since the 1600s become so popular. Diego Velazquez was a Spanish painter and at one time he was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was adept at painting atmospheres and was an innovator in his own right. His fame has been forgotten in many circles but he was surely a master ahead of his time when it comes to his contemporary work.
Matisse is often overlooked as a painter and is considered more of a sculptor and draftsman but this view is wrong as he along with Picasso was one of the founders of the wonderfully vibrant styles that the 20th century saw. His early expositions into painting led to many different areas being explored and his work was then considered as wild. In the latter part of the 20th century however he was already recognized as one of the leading proponents of what the world today calls modern art and also one of the experts of the classical French traditions.
One of the most versatile and intelligent minds that the world has ever seen, Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci lived in the 15th century. He has made an impression in almost every field that he has ventured into. In the world of painting he is the painter of one of the most well known paintings of all time, the Mona Lisa. His genius was unparalleled in many fields of art and science and is arguably one of the greatest geniuses of all time.
Even though Michelangelo is better known as a sculptor, his genius does also come alive in his paintings. Throughout his life he also stressed that he was a sculptor but some of his work in the Sistine Chapel certainly helps his cause as a great painter too. He was a man of many traits as he was also a poet, architect, and an engineer all in one. He was well known during his years as one of the greatest artists of the time. The paintings that he did on the Sistine Chapel have pushed him into immortality as a painter and it took him more than 4 years to complete.
Well known for the breathtaking beauty on his canvases he is often ignored by art lovers and aficionados for the great technicality in his work. A well known painter during his time, he had always emphasized that art is not always understood. He is known today as one of the pioneers of 20th century paintings and styles and will always be remembered for his unique styles. His many experiments included studying the changes in objects with respect to daylight and other lighting conditions.
Pablo Picasso is one of the most influential painters to have ever been born. His unparalleled genius in areas of art can be matched by but a few in the entire history of humankind. His will and his visions of creating an avant garde which could still outlast any categorization of even the strangest of art have shaken the foundations of all art. In other words he recreated the history of his art and the art that the world had seen. His personal life was also adventurous and full of controversy in many ways.
Paul Cezanne was a French artist and painter who is known to have built the bridges between the 19th century painters and their styles and the 20th century painters and styles. His post impressionist styles have since then been used in many parts of the world. He also was one of the pioneers of what later became much popular, Cubism. He also opened up many new areas for painters in the 20th century to begin to explore and has laid the foundation for more than one style of painting during his lifetime.
Rembrandt is one of the many unforgettable names in the history documenting the world of artists. The amazing use of lights and shadows in his paintings which not only depict but also project many emotions of both the painting and the painter at the same time is unparalleled. His works gave shape to the 17th century Dutch styles of painting and even European painting. His self portraits are also among the best the world has ever seen and he is known as a master of that too.
Wassily Kandinsky was a well known Russian painter who lived between 1866 -1944. He is also one of the many people who are referred to as one of the founding fathers of the abstraction styles of painting. He is known for immense work in this area and truly managed to change the way that people look at art upon canvas.
