10 Most Famous Renaissance Masterpieces
The cultural movement of the Renaissance lasted from the 14th to the 17th century. During this era lived and worked some of the greatest masters in the history of humanity – Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti.
#10 The Birth of Venus
Artist: Sandro Botticelli
Year: 1486
"The Birth of Venus" depicts the classical myth of Venus rising from the sea. In the painting, the goddess of love, Venus, is born from a shell and reaches the shore already a fully grown woman. Scholars have proposed numerous interpretations of the painting, but the most popular reading holds that through the nude figure of Venus the artist conveys the Neoplatonic idea of divine love. It is one of the most highly regarded works of the Renaissance.
#9 The Assumption of the Virgin
Artist: Titian
Year: 1518
This painting, created for the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, was Titian's first commission as the city's chief painter in Venice. It depicts the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on the 15th of August. Mary ascends into heaven before her earthly body can begin to decay. Standing on a cloud, the Virgin Mary is lifted into heaven by a host of cherubs. It is the most famous work by Titian, one of the greatest masters.
#8 Sistine Madonna
Artist: Raphael
Year: 1512
The painting depicts the Madonna holding the infant Jesus in her arms. On either side of her stand Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara. Below, a pair of cherubs can be seen. These are perhaps the most famous cherubs in the entire history of art, and their creation is surrounded by numerous legends. The painting is especially esteemed by German critics, who have declared it "the best of all the world's paintings" and called it "divine."
#7 Primavera
Artist: Sandro Botticelli
Year: 1482
"Primavera" means "spring," which is why the painting is sometimes called the "Allegory of Spring." It has been interpreted in many ways, but it is generally agreed to be "an elaborate, mythological allegory of the fertility of the world." "Primavera" is also the most discussed and most controversial painting in the world. Botticelli's wonderfully chosen colors and the wealth of possible interpretations have earned the painting incredible popularity. It is often called a jewel of the early Renaissance.
#6 The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
Artist: Caravaggio
Year: 1608
The painting depicts the beheading of Saint John the Baptist. On the left, Salome waits with a golden platter for the victim's head. It is the only painting Caravaggio ever signed. His name is inscribed in the pool of red blood flowing from Saint John's throat. The signature only became visible after the painting's restoration in the 1950s. Since then, a popular interpretation holds that Caravaggio wrote "I did this, Caravaggio," confessing to a crime he had committed. This painting is not only Caravaggio's greatest masterpiece but also one of the most important works of Western culture.
#5 The Kiss of Judas
Artist: Giotto di Bondone
Year: 1306
Most critics consider Giotto to be the first genius of modern painting, and some even claim that no one has ever surpassed him, with only a few coming close. "The Kiss of Judas" is the most important work in the fresco cycle in the Scrovegni Chapel. The painting depicts the moment of betrayal, when Judas identifies Jesus to the guards with a kiss. Giotto masterfully conveys the drama of Christ's arrest and the contrast between the expressions of Jesus and Judas as the two men look into each other's eyes.
#4 The School of Athens
Artist: Raphael
Year: 1511
Raphael's masterpiece "The School of Athens" belongs to a cycle of four frescoes on the walls of the Raphael Rooms in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The four paintings depict philosophy, poetry, theology, and law; "The School of Athens" represents philosophy. Critics claim that among the 21 figures depicted in the painting, all the great Greek philosophers can be found. However, apart from Plato and Aristotle in the foreground, identifying all the others is quite difficult.
#3 The Last Supper
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Year: 1498
"The Last Supper" masterfully conveys the turmoil that erupts after Jesus announces that one of his disciples will betray him. In this painting, all of Leonardo's knowledge of human anatomy, light, botany, and geology converge, along with his fascination with the expression of human emotion through gesture, and his subtle use of half-tones.
#2 The Creation of Adam
Artist: Michelangelo Buonarroti
Year: 1512
The fresco Michelangelo painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is a cornerstone of the entire Renaissance era, and "The Creation of Adam" is its most famous section. Only the "Mona Lisa" surpasses it in popularity, and together with "The Last Supper" it is the most reproduced painting in history. The nearly touching fingers of Adam and God have become a symbol of humanity. This moment has been repeated and parodied countless times.
#1 Mona Lisa
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Year: 1517
"Mona Lisa" is the most famous, most visited, most described and celebrated, and most frequently parodied painting in the history of art. The work's fame rests on the woman's extraordinary smile, which is why the painting is sometimes also called "La Gioconda" – "the laughing one." For the artist, this painting was never finished; he kept perfecting it endlessly, and as a result it was never delivered to the client who commissioned it. Da Vinci carried it with him for the rest of his life. The painting holds the Guinness World Record for the highest insurance value. On December 14, 1962, it was valued at 100 million dollars. Accounting for inflation, that would be equivalent to 759 million dollars today.