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“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol 

Art History

William S. Burroughs

What makes a great artist or writer? Is it solely their great work that we should acknowledge? What if they were actually bad people - should that affect our criticism of their work and contributions to art or literature? Many people argue that we need the separate the bad person from the great artist, as the two are in distinct categories. But sometimes the bad nature of a person seeps into their work, influencing the overall narrative to reflect them.Take H.P. Lovecraft for example: his virulent racism was seeped into his work and made it a challenging read for many people who were offended by his slurs and attacks on other races. Is it right to support these artists by buying their work and giving them money for their prejudice? What if some people use that money to directly spread this bigotry, in a Chik-fil-A type of scenario. Regardless of your view point on the subject, we can all agree that finding out your favorite author was a bigot is less than exciting.Unfortunately though, like everyone else, they are people too, with flaws of their own. Sometimes those flaws are inexcusable, or even run contradictory to the very morals their works preach. The artists and writers below all led less than perfect lives and find themselves among the many artists and&nbsp;writers who were bad people throughout history.

This list contains information on the greatest painters of all time, ranked from best to worst by user votes. History&#39;s greatest painters come in many forms. Some famous painters are impressionists while other painters are surrealists. Many of the top painters of all time have been inspired by a variety of classic religious imagery and biblical verses.

What artists will you find on this greatest painters of all time list? Leonardo da Vinci has to be near the top. His works include such iconic paintings as the Mona Lisa&nbsp;and The Last Supper.&nbsp;He was known as <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-renaissance-artists/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">a Renaissance artist</a> and his works now auction for hundreds of millions of dollars. Pablo Picasso is another one of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-paintings-all-time/ranker-art?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best painters of all time</a>.

Claude Monet has inspired many art fans with his beautiful Water Lilies.&nbsp;More modern artists including Jackson Pollock, Georgia O&#39;Keeffe, and Roy Lichtenstein are also featured on this famous painters list.

Which artist do you think is the greatest painter of all time? Vote your favorites to the top.

Venus de Milo

Click on any list item to see replica pricing and more information!&nbsp;This is a CrowdRanked List of the most fantastic pieces of art ever made. While art is most definitely subjective, these are pieces that few can argue about and have withstood the test of time and changing cultural tastes. Make your own list and rank the artwork you think is the best, or just make a list to add an item you think is missing.

Shanghai

List of the best international cities for artists. The art community is spread far and wide across the globe. It is the dream of many young and seasoned artists to be able to tour the grounds of the Louvre or experience an underground art performance in Tokyo. If you are an artist or simply a lover of great art, this list explores, “what are the best world cities for artists?”Since the United States is a relatively new culture, there isn’t the sort of artistic history that exists in international cities like Rome, London, and Vienna. In Florence, you can experience the rich history of groundbreaking artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Donatello. An artist in Saint Petersburg can explore any of the two hundred museums or wonder at the artistic architecture of Palace Square. No matter what your artistic preference, from historical to modern, there is something for any type of artist. This list explores the best of the best world cities with strong artistic atmospheres. The art culture of these cities cannot be replicated through art classes at the local college. These cities have art that must be experienced first hand in order to inspire even the most novice artist.&nbsp;

Exit Through the Gift Shop

A list of the best art movies. This is a list not of &quot;art films&quot; but of movies that feature art as a central theme. We tried to include all of the best ones here, but if you believe we missed one, please feel free to add it to the list yourself. All genres have been included. Movies about art can be fascinating and these are the best art films of that genre. The drama, adventure, and politics involved in the creation of famous art can be mind-boggling. And as far as artists go, let us not forget that, &quot;There is no great genius without some touch of madness.&quot; While we might not all enjoy going to the museum to view our favorite works of art, the art films on this list are incredibly accessible and can be enjoyed by almost anyone. If you don't see your favorite art film on this list of the best art films, make sure to add it so others can get a little bit of your good (art film) taste.What are the best art movies? Take a look at this list and you'll see what are the top movies about artists.

Weird

Keith Haring Was Briefly an Evangelist

It's no secret that the art world attracts a lot of unusual people, but the quirks of artists always manage to surprise us. Some of our most revered artists had some pretty weird hobbies: stealing pens, carrying around guns, making time capsules. Others just really needed a bath.Some of these artists, like Salvador Dal&iacute;, have famous quirks and are known for being unusual. However, even those who weren't known as quirky artists have their own strange habits, influences, or traits. Check out this list for some seriously weird facts, and vote up the strangest quirks!

Fan Made

Be prepared for art history as you know it to be totally flipped upside down in the coolest of ways! Classic paintings are put side-by-side with&nbsp;brilliant nerd versions featuring modern-day cartoons and <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-badass-video-game-heroes-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">video game characters</a>. In no way are these works meant to dilute the originals - rather, these nerdy artists pay homage to the historical painters by re-creating illustrations with a geeky flair.&nbsp;

Paintings by renowned artists, such as <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-impressionism-artists/reference" target="_blank">famous Impressionists</a>&nbsp;like Claude Monet, are&nbsp;re-imagined&nbsp;in geek style below.&nbsp;Talent abounds in these bold artworks that both art history buffs and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scadam-pop-culture-historical-portraits/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">pop culture</a> superfans&nbsp;can thoroughly enjoy. Vote up the best nerdy&nbsp;renditions that honor the style of the original artist.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Oakland

This list of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-world-cities-for-artists/ranker-travel?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best cities for artists</a> will help you find an artists' colony to call your own. Art culture is a rare aspect of any community, especially in small towns. So many cities are lacking in large museums, various galleries, small art vendors, and other staples of an artistic community. For artists, young and more seasoned alike, it can be frustrating to live in a town where the artistic lifestyle isn’t appreciated as much as it should be. This list is the answer to the question, “what is the best city for a budding artist to live?”Artistically inclined cities, from the welcoming community of San Francisco to the southwestern style in Albuquerque, are filled with opportunities for new artists, as well as those who have been artists for decades. Whether you want to travel to one of these artistic cities, take a gander at the exquisite museums and get inspired, or try to showcase your own work for your big break, there’s a city that’s calling your name on this list.The cities on this list are the best places for artists to live because they have plenty of venues for artistic achievement where up and coming artists can illustrate their talent. From independent art shops to large metropolitan museums, these cities are heaven for the artist at heart.&nbsp;

Séraphine

On this list of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-painters-of-all-time/ranker-art?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the best artist</a> biopics, you’ll find movies detailing the lives of painters, sculptors, visual artists, and a whole host of others spanning the centuries from the Renaissance to the present. Artists live such rich lives, full of volatile emotion and undeniable talent, making them perfect subjects for biographical films. One of the best artist biopics of all time is Frida, starring Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo and Alfred Molina as her husband, the artist Diego Rivera. Hayek was nominated for <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/child-actors-nominated-for-oscars/celebrity-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">an Academy Award</a> for her performance, and she set the bar high for artist biopics. Also on this list, you will find the exceptional The Agony and the Ecstasy, starring the one and only Charlton Heston as Michelangelo during his painting of the Sistine Chapel. Other essential artist biopics on the list include Basquiat, Pollock, and Vincent and Theo, a film about the mercurial Vincent Van Gogh and his loyal but volatile brother Theo. Vote up the best artist biopics below, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section.&nbsp;

Funny

It's a truly beautiful thing when life imitates art. Those rare moments when life mirrors a recognizable form of art that makes you stop and say, &quot;whoa dude, life is totally imitating art right now.&quot; You know how much you love to say that to all of your dudes. The question is, are these life mimics art moments merely a series of random coincidences? Or are they more proof that life is an illusion and everyone lives in The Matrix? Anyway, these are 25 instances of life eerily resembling some form of art. So, it's fair to argue that these pictures are life at its most beautiful.

Dan Brown&rsquo;s novel&nbsp;The Da Vinci Code has been thoroughly&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/books/art-architecture-does-the-da-vinci-code-crack-leonardo.html?pagewanted=all">debunked</a> as being nothing but a &ldquo;beach book&rdquo; with no basis in reality (despite Brown&#39;s claims of a scholarly pedigree). Brown&rsquo;s become something of a joke to actual art history scholars, mainly because he made the general public start thinking there were mysterious codes and symbols in Renaissance art&mdash;and hidden meaning in art in general&mdash;when there largely isn&rsquo;t. There&rsquo;s no doubt, of course, that artists use symbolism&nbsp;in their work and have for centuries, but it&rsquo;s not the coded biblical messages and prophesies that a lot of people think.

There are, however, other examples of hidden&nbsp;meanings, messages, and &ldquo;Easter eggs&rdquo; in Renaissance art that are pretty damn cool, even if they don&rsquo;t tell us when the world will end or where the treasure is hidden. Read on for some of the coolest&mdash;and totally legit&mdash;examples of secrets hidden in Renaissance art.

There have been so many paintings in such a wide range of subjects and movements across history that it can be difficult to narrow a selection to the best paintings ever. This list of the <a href="/list/classical-paintings-zodiac/megan-summers" target="_blank">best paintings</a> in history includes the best Baroque period <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-famous-art-actually-looks-like-in-context/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">art</a>, the most famous Renaissance paintings, and even the most famous portraits.

Even though some of the paintings on this list may be from famous artists whose <a href="/list/most-expensive-painting-ever-sold/alby-thompson" target="_blank">works sell for lots of money</a>, like Picasso or <a href="/list/dark-origins-of-frida-kahlo-paintings/erin-wisti" target="_blank">Frida Kahlo</a>, you may also find some classic paintings you recognize from artists whose names you didn&#39;t know, like Jan Brueghel the Younger. There are even famous paintings that may be new to you, like Tiger by German Expressionist Franz Marc and Espa&ntilde;a y Filipinas by Juan Luna. From the smooth precision of painters like Peter Paul Rubens to the broad strokes of Matisse paintings, these famous art pieces are of the very best by the greatest painters of all time.

Often housed in museums or as part of a private collection, artwork takes various forms.&nbsp;Paintings and sculptures adorn walls and occupy gardens around the world, attesting to the creativity and skill of men and women from the ancient world to the present.

You might know some of the most famous pieces of art - ancient Roman statues, Medieval paintings, and&nbsp;Renaissance works continue to be reproduced in books, shown in movies, and even parodied in popular culture.&nbsp;But what do they look like in context? How big is The Mona Lisa&nbsp;painting in real life? And just <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/height-of-famous-statues/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">how tall is Michelangelo&#39;s&nbsp;David?</a>&nbsp;

Photos that show what famous art is really like give you a sense of size and scale, but can also reshape how you see the creations entirely. Vote up the famous art&nbsp;that, amid their surroundings, give you a new appreciation of the work&nbsp;itself.&nbsp;

Considered by many art historians to be the <a href="https://www.salon.com/2017/04/30/picassos-weapon-against-fascism-why-guernica-is-the-greatest-of-all-war-paintings/" target="_blank">single greatest work of protest art</a>, Pablo Picasso&rsquo;s Guernica is full of complex imagery and hidden symbols. From harlequins to Christian imagery to scenes of bullfighting, the massive canvas can be overwhelming to dissect. Here, you&#39;ll find a breakdown of Guernica symbolism to help you better understand the work.&nbsp;

What does Guernica mean? The truth is, there&#39;s no simple answer. The span of its references and symbols, many of which hail from completely different centuries of art history, served to place the work in dialogue with an entire tradition of Western art. Primarily, the painting seeks to depict the 1937&nbsp;<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/nazi-war-crime-guernica-80-anniversary-bombing-spain-picasso-hitler-franco-a7704916.html" target="_blank">air raid on Guernica</a> during the Spanish Civil War. Spain&#39;s fascist general, Francisco Franco, worked with German troops to carry out a massive campaign which essentially wiped out the city and took the lives of hundreds of civilians. For Picasso, this was a tragedy that required his particular form of documentation. Symbols of loss and the afterlife dominate&nbsp;Guernica,&nbsp;and there are also&nbsp;nods to various myths and aspects of history.&nbsp;The meaning of Guernica is complex and difficult to pin down, but one clear theme it its strong anti-fascist tone.&nbsp;

It is only by examining each of his visual choices for their unique symbolic nature that one can begin to appreciate&nbsp;the work. Guernica is a macabre record from a master and a memorial to a tragic event in world history.&nbsp;

Renaissance

Infants&nbsp;in medieval art all have one&nbsp;thing in common: They don&#39;t look like babies. Instead, they resemble&nbsp;miniature&nbsp;versions of middle-aged men, sometimes complete with receding hairlines and ripped muscles. Depictions of weird, prematurely aged babies&nbsp;appeared throughout the medieval era and into the Renaissance when the trend (thankfully) started to fade away. The Renaissance,&nbsp;in particular, may have spawned some of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-paintings-all-time/ranker-art" target="_blank">best paintings of all time</a>, but what&#39;s up with&nbsp;all those ugly babies in old paintings?&nbsp;

Artists had their reasons for painting babies in such a strange manner. Art is full of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/renaissance-art-symbols-and-codes/kellen-perry" target="_blank">symbolism</a>&nbsp;- and these creepy babies are no exception. Infants who look&nbsp;like they want to sell you insurance may seem weird to the modern viewer, but the practice&nbsp;was influenced&nbsp;by Christian theology, medieval medical understanding, and&nbsp;antiquated theories on childhood.&nbsp;

Mockery

Jim Carrey

No matter what role they’re most famous for portraying or how cool they seem on the big screen, most actors are weird. If you live in LA or New York, you can’t walk down the block without stumbling across weird actor art projects. (Especially if you live near Shia LaBeouf.) Whether they’re wearing bags over their heads and sitting silently in an art gallery, or rapping for eight hours straight in modern art museum, weird actor stunts are all around us. Why do actors do such weird things? A lot of them got their start in the art world, so acting out with a bag full of confetti and a bottle of pig’s blood is pretty much first nature. The rest of them probably just don’t want to be left out. Put on your beret and take a look at these actors who do “art” projects, ranked by how hard they make you roll your eyes. There are a few celebrities known for artsy stunts who are able to move in out of the commercial world with ease. Actors like James Franco and musicians like Lady Gaga have mastered the ability to smear themselves in glue and thumbtacks one day, and appear in a Honda commercial the next. Most of the actors who do weird things on this list are pretty cool, but that doesn’t mean that their artwork is any less embarrassing.

In a <a href="https://www.cartooncollections.com/directory/keyword/rembrandt_paintings" target="_blank">New Yorker cartoon</a> by J.B. Handelsman, Rembrandt stands at an easel and says, &quot;I feel another self-portrait coming on. Bring in the funny hats.&quot; Rembrandt&#39;s early painted &quot;selfies&quot;&nbsp;would fit on any Instagram feed (floppy big hats and all), but other painters from the past&nbsp;instead created&nbsp;self-portraits hidden in&nbsp;other paintings, creating&nbsp;a fine-art version of &quot;Where&#39;s Waldo?&quot;&nbsp;

This practice was especially common during the Renaissance, which valued creative independence, although earlier artists did it as well. (Perhaps some of these secret self-portraits foreshadowed&nbsp;the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/beautiful-fore-edge-paintings/laura-allan" target="_blank">fore-edge paintings</a> starting in the 1700s.) But in some cases, the artist, even if not the center of attention, was still not too secret or hidden, and often peered out at the viewer.&nbsp;

James Hall, in his book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Self-Portrait-Cultural-History-James-Hall/dp/0500292116" target="_blank">The Self-Portrait: A Cultural History</a>, writes that self-portraits&nbsp;raise questions: &ldquo;Is the artist looking at us with a view to portraying or judging us? Is the artist looking at a mirror, with a view to portraying or judging themselves? Is the artist creating a persona to serve specific ends?&quot; In the end, the viewer gets to decide.

As long as there's been artwork, there's been forged artwork. The Romans copied from the Greeks, and&nbsp;Renaissance artists copied from them both. It's been happening for centuries.&nbsp;A shockingly lucrative black market exists to create and sell fake artworks, and only in the last few decades has&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/arts/design/developing-dna-as-a-standard-for-authenticating-art.html">technology appeared</a>&nbsp;that might someday put an end to it.Some forgers are extraordinarily talented artists in their own right, while some are just scoundrels. Some switch from forgery to the real thing (shame on you, Michelangelo!), while some just get tossed in jail. If there's one constant, however,&nbsp;in the world of art forgery, it's that it&nbsp;always makes an entertaining story.&nbsp;Read on to discover&nbsp;some of the craziest art forgeries throughout history.

If there's one thing any artist will tell you, it's that they could always use some inspiration. Over the years, Hollywood and many independent filmmakers have put together hundreds of amazing <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-art-movies/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">movies about artists</a> and their works. Aspiring artists have used such films for years as their own personal muses.Movies artists should watch range in style, tone, and theme.&nbsp;Whether a film is an <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-artist-biopics/ranker-film" target="_blank">artist biopic</a>,&nbsp;a documentary about a style of artwork, or is made in a visually inspiring fashion, it can be used to help get the creative juices flowing.&nbsp;Every artist has their own unique style they are accustomed to, so not every film on this list will appeal to everyone. But odds are, at least one of these movies for artists will inspire you. Whether you're following the life of fabulous painters like Frida Kahlo and Jackson Pollock or learning the story of Mark Hogancamp's&nbsp;fascinating sculpture project, browse this list to find the best film for you!&nbsp;

While Picasso and Van Gogh are pretty much household names, many <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-female-painters/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">famous female painters</a> have not achieved the same level of worldwide&nbsp;fame. Due to historical suppression and gender bias in the art world, sadly a lot of women painters go unrecognized during their lifetime and beyond. However - with the recent presence&nbsp;of artists like <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/frida-kahlo-swag/kellie-kreiss" target="_blank">Frida Kahlo</a>&nbsp;in pop culture - there is a newfound interest in all those women who made a big impact on the art world. Who are the best female painters of all time? Help decide below!&nbsp;There are plenty of famous female painters of the 21st century that are still churning out new work. Japanese artist Yayoi&nbsp;Kusama, for example, is a jack of all trades visual artist who works not only in painting but in installation, sculpture, and fashion. There are also historic female painters, like Mary Beale and Clara Peeters, whose work is now being recognized more than ever. From contemporary painters to historic artists, you'll find some great women artists below. Vote the best female painters to the top of the list!&nbsp;

The Art of Art

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Social Networks

Top art social networks on the Web, including niche social communities for artists and photographers, as well as those organized by language, nationality or specialty interest within the visual arts. This list contains social networks and online communities relating specifically to the creation and business of art and photography.  A social network is defined as an online service, platform or website which is focused largely around uniting individuals and allowing them to communicate and interact. Facebook currently is the world's largest and most popular social networking platform, having supplanted previous champions such as MySpace and Friendster.  This list gathers together major players in the creative social networking field, from the most visible, such as DeviantArt, to vibrant and active communities of artists on a smaller scale. It is an open list, so if you have a favorite artist or photographer themed social network that isn't featured, enter it below to make sure it's included on the list.

The Best Online Art Communities

The Top Online Art Communities

Top 10 Websites Lists, Blog Lists and Website Top Tens


Website

Tech

Best Rankings of Tech Brands, Companies, Interesting Gadgets, and Cool Gizmos

tech

American Samoa

Dot Commander

Gender

Women

Gen Zs

Millenials

Gen Xers

Baby Boomers

Region

West Coast US

Mountain US

Midwest US

Southern US

Northeastern US

International

PaigeeWorld

atomicwolfguild

artstation

Jessica Vargas

deviantART

Pixiv

Pixiv.net

leshie

Doodle Addicts

godwheel

KSART.nl

Jeroen van der Steen

ArtsyDating

Timo Kunz

Behance

RedBubble

bidimen

Artrift

mapola

Furaffinity

Furaffinity.net

Cgsociety

OliveraKovacevic

Bluecanvas

500px

500px.com

digitalart.com

Imagekind

ArtFellas

Artnet.com

Shifted Reality

Dafont

Shadowness

Our Art Corner

ArtistCorner

Depthcore

1x.com

European Art

Michal Vlk

Top art social networks on the Web, including niche social communities for artists and photographers, as well as those organized by language, nationality or ...