What does it really mean to be the “greatest”? More importantly, how do you even get to earn that title? For sure, it takes tons of perseverance, hard work, innovation, and sheer genius. There exist a plethora of personas who rightly belong to this category of the “greatest.” And that’s why we’ve prepared a detailed list of the 20 Best Painters of All Time (by Era).
As mentioned earlier, there are many painters who would be rather easily termed among the “greatest.” But some painters just exist in a different dimension and stand apart from the herd. And that’s what this list of the 20 Best Painters of All Time (by Era) is all about.
These painters, while revolutionizing western culture, have been able to create an eternal legacy. Through their shocking innovations, they pushed the limits of human capacity and knowledge of what we knew as art.
Some enjoyed fame and unparalleled success. During their lifetimes, people termed them geniuses. In contrast, some weren’t so fortunate and didn’t get their due long until they passed away.
Thus, without further ado, let’s dive into our list of the 20 Best Painters of All Time (by Era).
Giotto di Bondone,1267-1337
Giotto di Bondone, unlike popular figures such as Da Vinci and Picasso, is a name that many people are probably unaware of. In brief, Giotto is the pioneer of European painting.
Acclaimed by contemporaries such as Boccaccio, Petrarca, and Dante, he brought upon a new age to Western Art. Giotto achieved the same through his endearment for nature and the original iconographies.
The frescoes at the Basilica are a testimony to his unique imaginative talent. Further, the depth in his style is evident from frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel. Here, Giotto added values of spatial conception.
Jan van Eyck, 1390-1441
There’s little information regarding the early life of this incredibly skilled painter. At the same time, it’s clear that Jan van Eyck wasn’t the first painter in his family.
It was the art of pictorial realism that Van Eyck specialized in. He uplifted the style exponentially.
“Portraits of a Man in a Turban” and “Ghent Polyptych” are among his notable work on small portraits and large-scale paintings, respectively. Jan van Eyck chose oil paintings as the medium to showcase his meticulousness and accuracy.
Van Eyck’s efficient use of perspectives and technical perfection makes him among the best painters of all time.
Michelangelo, 1475-1564
Michelangelo in the list of the 20 Best Painters of All Time (by Era) is sure to throw off some people. The artist considered himself a sculptor rather than a painter. His famed “painted sculptors” such as the frescoes are evident of that.
Nonetheless, in no way that downplays his talent as a painter, thus rightfully deserving a spot on this list.
His immense growth and masterful resilience are evident from the way he was able to master fresco paintings in a short time. The difference in the techniques used in The Last Judgment and Sistine Chapel Ceiling holds testimony to that.
Raffaello Sanzio, 1483-1520
Raphael is the author of timeless works of art that have left an everlasting imprint on the Vatican, the church, and the world. Italian painter Giorgio Vasari referred to him as “a painter of catholic excellence.”
Raphael is famous for his “Madonnas,” notably the Sistine Madonna. One can witness his talent pour out in the Vatican Palace’s “Stanza Della Segnatura” murals.
Raffaello Sanzio was also a forerunner of High Renaissance classicism in Italy.
Leonardo Da Vinci, 1492-1519
Leonardo Da Vinci is a legend among the most extraordinary painters that ever walked the earth. Only a handful would compare when it comes to finesse and techniques this man possessed.
Leonardo, better known for his innovations and experimentations with mediums, curated the efficient triangular composition. It’s termed as one of the most creative printing layouts that equally possesses appealing visuals.
Pushing beyond legalities to perfect art techniques, Leonardo Da Vinci was among the first pioneers to employ anatomical models. No one can rival Da Vinci when it comes to stirring up studies, debates, and discussions.
Michelangelo Merisi Da Caravaggio, 1571-1610
When Italian painters of his Era loyally followed the exquisite style of Late Renaissance painting, Caravaggio portrayed the Biblical stories as intense and frequently glory dramas.
He re-enacted scenes from the ancient sacred past as though it took place in the present.
The painter also created a unique style of chiaroscuro. Caravaggio used strong contrasts of darkness and light. His paintings emphasized subtleties of action or facial expressions.
These are evident from his work depicting an outstretched arm or a face of misery or desire.
Artemisia Gentileschi, 1597-1654
Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the pioneer females to join the ranks of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno, situated in Florence.
During the Baroque Era, she was also among the most skilled, gifted, talented, and greatest painters. The reevaluation of her work in the last decade confirms the same.
At the young age of 15, she’d already began painting professionally. By making use of rich colors and chiaroscuro, her trademarks, she painted explosive and dynamic works all throughout the 17th century.
With great techniques and skills, she made a name for herself among other Baroque painters such as Caravaggio.
Velázquez, 1599-1660
The Sevillan painter forms an influential part of the Baroque era artists.
Far from having a struggling painter life, Velázquez lived a rather comfortable life. But he grew up in a strict courtesan society. His is a story of well-deserved and constant success.
The extraordinary “royal paintings” are a statement of his expertise as a “painter of atmospheres” and an innovator. Villa Medici is another one of his memorable works that portray the depth of his skills and talents.
In the entire history of art, Velázquez remains among those influential, admired, and most studied figures of all time.
Rembrandt, 1606-1669
The way Rembrandt employs shadows and light in his paintings is truly remarkable and fascinating.
Moreover, a lot of speculation around his work relates to how his paintings somehow depicted the conditions of his life. That is, how he transitioned from being a famed and successful artist and ultimately paving his way to oblivion.
Apart from Velázquez, Rembrandt is the only other person who stood at the top of Dutch painters during his time. Also, regardless of which Era we consider, Rembrandt is second to none when it comes to self-portraits. This also includes a portrait of himself.
JMW Turner, 1775 -1851
A pioneer of modern art, he is an English romantic painter. With regards to Western culture, no one is better at painting landscapes than JMW Turner.
In his early years, Turner began his journey as an academic painter. But all that changed as he evolved and accepted an atmospheric and free style. In a few instances, Turner would also outline the abstractions.
Critics first rejected his style and techniques. But later, for the decades to come, they admired Turner for the same.
In his works, Turner strived towards realism. In that way, it would be quite correct to state that he was ahead of his time.
Paul Cezanne 1839-1906
Paul Cezanne, a well-known French painter, was a leading post-impressionist painter. He created his unique style, which paved the way for several avant-garde movements in the twentieth century.
Cezanne had a creative approach to the use of expressive brushstrokes, perspective, and a vibrant color palette. His style was neatly grouped into geometric patterns, which left an enduring impact.
Cezanne always had an inclination for dismantling structures and using vivid tones. That led to him getting dubbed a forerunner of Cubism.
He is best known as an exceptional artist of still life and landscape as well as portraiture.
Claude Monet, 1840-1926
Claude Monet is the iconic impressionist painter, a prodigious genius who produced over 2,500 pieces. The father of French impressionist art was immensely in awe and fascinated by the elements of light and time.
Monet painted landscapes and leisure activities in Paris and the Normandy coast regularly. He paved the way for twentieth-century modernism.
Monet invented a distinct style that aimed to depict the act of viewing landscape on canvas.
The paintings he created of nature were groundbreaking. Many experts regard Monet’s work “Impression, Sunrise” as initiating the entire art movement.
Mary Cassatt, 1844-1926
Mary Cassatt was an influential member of the Impressionist group. She played a vital role in forming the legacy of the movement.
The focus of her art forms was mainly children and mothers. Through the usage of luminous colors and loose and light brushstrokes, Mary Cassatt surpassed the limits.
Her style was, in a way, revolutionary. Mary portrayed motherhood and its ordinary and simple moments through intimate depictions.
“Little Girl in a Blue Armchair” and “The Child’s Bath” are a few of her most notable works.
Mary Cassatt paved the way for other future female painters by forging an impeccable legacy for herself.
Vincent van Gogh, 1853-1890
Although art history is littered with famous personalities, only a few artists reach stardom that extends outside their field of work. But such a painter is Vincent Willem van, Gogh.
Despite his work facing disregard and the fact that he only sold one painting during his lifetime, Van Gogh produced some truly spectacular works.
Over the span of a decade, he created over 2,100 pieces of art, including over 860 oil paintings. His paintings include self-portraits, portraits, still life, and landscapes.
In fact, Vincent van Gogh’s painting “Starry Night” is among the most well-known works of art in contemporary history.
His work is famous for its vibrant colors and expressive brushwork. It helped lay the groundwork for contemporary art.
Edvard Munch, 1863-1944
Art history does not describe many painters as “ahead of his time” with as much accuracy as Edvard Munch. His paintings are complex and fascinating, revealing an unconventional artist.
Munch was an expressionist before expressionism, who is crucial to understanding contemporary works of art.
His iconic painting “The Scream” is possibly the Norwegian expressionist artist’s most renowned work. However, his painting series “Frieze of Life” comprises several notable works, such as the “Dance of Life.”
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973
It matters not whether one hates him or loves him; Pablo Picasso was a painter who triumphed in changing it all.
When it comes to the history of art, he’s equivalent to a massive earthquake. And one can feel the tremors he created during his lifetime, even in the present modern-day.
The creator as well as the destroyer of the avant-garde, no painter rose to the stature of Picasso across centuries, except probably Michelangelo.
He formed his own style of painting by learning from the masters and perfecting the same. His was a style that many painters around the world imitated and will continue to for the times to come.
Georgia O’Keeffe, 1887–1986
Georgia O’Keeffe, a revolutionary artist and sculptor, used her unique vision to transform a traditional form of painting. O’Keeffe’s works metamorphosed natural subjects into abstract geometry.
Although the art of painting flowers has been around for centuries, nobody had ever painted it like O’Keeffe. Her zoomed-in images of flowers have stayed distinctive throughout history.
She was among the first artists in America to create abstract art. O’Keeffe’s explosive artwork, which was born in the American Southwest, sparked the interest of people.
Decades on, her work retains its wild energy and O’Keeffe her personal mystique.
Tamara de Lempicka, 1898–1980
Tamara de Lempicka, a Polish artist, was a sensation in the early twentieth century. She broke away from Impressionism, the prevalent style at the time.
Tamara worked on striking her own path while brushing her shoulders with the avant-garde in Paris.
Preceded by her glamorous portraits and bohemian champagne-swilling reputation, they called her “the baroness with a brush.” At its core, Lempicka’s practice was a celebration of 20th-century fun.
She wielded a singular aesthetic. It was so attuned to the times that it would come to define portraiture in the golden age of art deco.
Frida Kahlo, 1907-1954
When we consider great 20th century painters, Frida Kahlo surely belongs in that category. Her work is a living embodiment of cultural heritage, making her a pop culture icon.
Another remarkable aspect of Frida Kahlo’s art is her ability to produce intimate depictions of self-portraits. Kahlo had a flair for the dramatic with her use of color composition and choice of imagery and iconography.
Her extremely intimate self-portraits also signaled a new approach for artists today. One in which art was more about portraying deep emotions than pleasing a patron or collector.
Jackson Pollock, 1912-1956
Jackson Pollock was a prominent player in Abstract Expressionism. He was also an artist who elicited both great acclaim and scathing criticism throughout his lifetime and after his death. He created abstract dynamic art that transformed the art world.
His abstract painting style involved placing the canvas on the ground and throwing paint down at it. Pollock splashed and poured paint on his canvases using his entire body. The technique distributed traditional assumptions of how artists should work.
His atelier would frequently accompany him to work, with some works featuring cigarette butts or nails embedded in the paint.
Conclusion
With that, we conclude the list of the 20 Best Painters of All Time (by Era). However, we are well aware of the fact that, in terms of art, there exists no objectivity.
There are many forms and styles that these painters employed, each of which turned them into one of the greats in art history. Some painters were surrealists, while the others adopted the path of an impressionist.
Across the board, inspiration from biblical verses, imagery drawn from classical religious texts, nature, etc., seems to be a commonality.
Who do you think is the painter who tops this list? Let us know by leaving your comments.
