10 Famous Paintings and Stories behind Them
Every painting has a story behind it. Every brush stroke and each drop of color used is a word written on the canvas. Sometimes the stories turn
out to be even more interesting than the actual painting itself. Here, let us look at some of the world famous paintings and the background stories.
Story of ‘Portrait of Dr. Gachet’
Vincent Van Gogh is the creator of a bunch of world famous art paintings. Portrait
of Dr. Gachet is one among them. But, you cannot expect this painting to be a part
of this list unless there is a story behind it. And yes, there is one. After Van Gogh
was released from asylum, he was sent to Dr. Gachet, so that he was still under
some supervision. The doctor was also a fan of working artists. Some days later,
Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo that the doctor was sicker than he was and
should look for someone else. However, a couple of days later, he wrote to his
sister, “I have found a true friend in Dr. Gachet, something like another brother, so
much do we resemble each other physically and also mentally.”
There began a beautiful friendship. Van Gogh ended up painting two versions of
the Portrait of Dr. Gachet. After completing the painting, he wrote to his brother
saying, “I’ve done the portrait of M. Gachet with a melancholy expression, which
might well seem like a grimace to those who see it”. Today, this painting is one of
the most famous and expensive paintings of all time.
Story of ‘The Scream’
Edvard Munch is the creator of one of the most expensive paintings in the history of
art. We are talking about ‘The Scream’! This particular painting has attracted many
people, amazed even more, and scared a few. Do you want to know how the idea of
creating this fabulous piece of art came to Edvard Munch? Let us see. The artist
himself scribbled in his diary about how ‘The Scream’ actually came to his
imaginations.
One fine evening, the artist was walking through the city roads. For a second, he
stopped walking and looked at the skies. All he saw was the setting sun and clouds,
which appeared in blood red color. There was also a faint creaking sound from
under the city. According to him, the whole setting made him feel like the nature
was screaming for something. Then, he went on to paint The Scream with blood red
clouds and screaming backgrounds. Thus, the painting was born. There are four
versions of this painting and a couple of them are a part of world famous art
galleries and others a part of someone’s private collection.
‘American Gothic’ Story
This is one of those modern paintings by an American artist, Grant Wood.
The paintings show a father, who is a farmer, and his daughter standing
together in front of a house. There is nothing drastic about how Grant
Wood found inspiration for American Gothic.
On a fine August morning, another young artist took Grant for a drive
around Iowa, to find an inspiration for his next painting. At that time, he
noticed a small house built in a Gothic style. Right then, Grant drew the
house on an envelope he had with him. After getting the consent of house
owners, Grant Wood thought about creating a painting with people who, he
thought, would be perfect for a house like that and went on to do so. The
two characters in the paintings are actually Grant’s sister and his dentist.
The ‘Mona Lisa’ Story
Today, this painting is on display at Art Institute of Chicago.
The ‘Mona Lisa’ Story
You do not need any introduction for this famous lady with the most mysterious smile.
This famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci is completely out of the world! The
confirmation about the fact that Da Vinci is in fact the creator of ‘Mona Lisa’ and the
date of creation came only recently. The subject of the painting is believed to be Lisa del
Giocondo, wife of a wealthy businessman of that era.
Da Vinci created this painting when Lisa and her husband moved to a new home and
when they had their second child. However, there are different opinions about the
subject and some people even dare to think the subject is none other than Leonardo
himself! The truth behind the painting might still be an unresolved mystery, but the
value of this piece of art is beyond anyone’s imagination. The painting is on display at
Louvre, Paris.
‘The Night Watch’ Story
Rembrandt is considered as one of the best painting artists in the world. He has
created many masterpiece paintings, which remain a wonder to many artists.
‘The Night Watch’ is one such painting. It was completed in the year 1642. The
characters shown in the painting are Captain Frans Banning Cocq and his
company, marching out. Rembrandt was paid a large sum to create this
painting.
There are 34 characters in the painting and Rembrandt added a drummer to it,
free of cost. The army, at that time, had this fondness for creating paintings and
‘The Night Watch’ is a part of a series of paintings created by different artists.
Today, this painting is on display at Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
‘The Little Deer’ Story
Frida Kahlo painting of The Little Deer was painted as a selfportrait in 1954. Kahlo was 47. The arrows represent her stormy
marriage and constant personal physical suffering due to a bus
accident from her youth. Her face is realistic, yet her
transformation into a gentle deer, wounded by arrows and
floating in a menacing forest creates a dreamlike and surreal
image. The juxtaposition of Kahlo’s head and the animal’s body
stresses the connection she felt with animals and nature.
The ‘Guernica’ Story
Pablo Picasso is a name you just cannot keep out of discussions about art paintings. His cubist style of painting has
created many wonders on the canvas. ‘Guernica’ is, perhaps, the best work of art by this Spanish legend. In 1937, the
German and Italian warplanes bombed the city if Guernica, taking many innocent lives. The Government asked Picasso to
create a painting about the bombings and suffering of people. This bought the best out of Picasso and he went on to
create another masterpiece art. This painting was later displayed at the World’s art Fair in Paris. In this painting, Picasso
illustrates the sufferings of humans, animals and birds, caused due to heavy bombing. You will see this painting at The
Sofia museum, Spain.
‘The Son of Man’ Story
Rene Magritte envisions a world where apples defy gravity. Magritte couldn’t
support himself and his wife just by painting, so in his early years he worked as a
graphic designer. Like other businessmen of the time, he dressed in a suit and hat,
called a bowler hat. Seeing so many other men dressed like him on the street
inspired Magritte. The man wearing the bowler hat became a motif, or subject
that appears often in the artist’s work. In the 1964 work The Son of Man, a bright
green apple hovers unnaturally just in front of the figure’s face. It hides the man’s
facial features. The figure could be anyone, including the artist himself. In this
surreal composition, Magritte invites viewers to wonder what the apples is hiding
and why.
Golconda is another surreal painting by Magritte.
‘The Starry Night’ Story
If you ask some art lover to pick two of the best works by Vincent
Van Gogh, Starry Night would definitely be one among them. This
bright and colorful painting was completed in the year 1889. This
painting was drawn when he was spending time at the
sanitarium. The view outside the window during the nighttime
attracted Van Gogh and he went on to create this painting.
However, he actually painted Starry Nights during daytime. After
completing the painting, he sent it to his brother, Theo, in Paris.
However, in Van Gogh’s subsequent letters to Theo, it can be
interpreted that the artist was not that happy with the painting
Story of ‘Whistler’s Mother’
for some reason.
James McNeill Whistler was an American born artist, who lived in London.
Whistler’s Mother is the most famous work by this American artist. The stories
surrounding this painting are numerous that no one knows for sure. The most
popular one is that a model could not make it to the studio of the artist and
his mother took the place of that model. Also, the artist wanted to paint the
character in a standing pose, but had to change mind due to bad health of his
mother. The painting won so many recognitions and awards for James
Whistler. Today, the painting is on display at Musée d’Orsay, Paris.