Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci

The Mona Lisa, the world’s most famous painting, is owned by the French government and hangs in the Louvre in Paris. The painting shows a woman looking out at the viewer with what is often described as an "enigmatic smile". The Mona Lisa is perhaps the most famous piece in art history; few other works of art are as romanticized, celebrated, or reproduced.

Gallery Index

Image 16 of 27

Image © Stuart Gregory / Getty Images

"The Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci. Painted c.1503-6. Oil paint on wood. Size: 30x20" (77x53cm). In the collection of the Louvre in Paris.

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, in the Louvre in Paris, is arguably the most famous painting in the world. It is probably also the best known example of sfumato, a painting technique partly responsible for her enigmatic smile.

You'll have to elbow your way through the crowds to see it "in the flesh" rather than as a reproduction. Is it worthwhile? I'd have to say "probably" rather than "definitely". I was disappointed the first time I saw it as I'd never truly realized just how small a painting it was because I'm used to seeing it poster-sized.

But that said, could you really visit the Louvre and not go to see it at least once? Just patiently work your way towards the front of the admiring horde, then take your time looking at the way the colors have been used. Simply because it's such a familiar painting, doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile spending time with it.

There's been a lot of speculation about who the woman in the painting was, but it's not known for definite. It's thought to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of a Florentine cloth merchant called Francesco del Giocondo. (The 16th-century art writer Vasari was among the first to suggest this, in his Lives of the Artists.)

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

One of the today's most recognized paintings, Van Gogh’s Starry Night is a classic painting that invokes emotions from the serenity of the church steeple to the wild abandon of color used for his late night sky.

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

Gustav Klimt, the Vienna master painted the Kiss painting in 1907. The painting depicts a couple surrounded by a gold blanket and ornaments sharing a moment of shear passion - the perfect kiss.

Gustav Klimt Style: Art Nouveau Lived: July 14, 1862 - February 6, 1918 (19th - 20th century) Nationality: Austria Biography Quotes Paintings The Kiss Back to the paintings The Kiss 1908 by Gustav Klimt Original Dimensions: 180 x 180 cm The Kiss is a painting of a kneeling woman getting kissed by a man. Photo of The Kiss on Flickr Buy Gustav Klimt Prints The Kiss, c.1907 Gustav Klimt 24x36 Fine ... Buy From Art.com

Search Artist by last name by movement by country by century Most popular artists Most popular paintings

Luncheon of the Boating Party by Pierre Auguste Renoir

The painting depicts a group of Renoir's friends relaxing on a balcony along the Seine River. In this painting Renoir has captured the joy of the middle class of late 19 century France, it is a lively painting that brings happiness and excitement to any room.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Jan Vermeer

This is a plain portrait of a girl, presumably before her wedding. The lack of background and color showcases her tear drop pearl earrings.

Café Terrace at Night by Vincent Van Gogh

In this painting Van Gogh depicts a cafe in Arles, then Cafe Terrace and today it is called Cafe van Gogh. The style of the painting is unique for Van Gogh with warm colors and depth of perspective.

Vincent van Gogh Cafe Terrace at Night Painting

Painting Title: Cafe Terrace at Night 1888 Oil on Canvas, 81 x 65.5cm - 31 x 26 Inches (approx) Vincent van Gogh Famous Dutch artist - Post Impressionist painter About the Cafe Terrace at Night Painting Vincent van Gogh painted several night scenes and became fascinated with depicting the stars (most famously with his Starry Night paintings) and the light effects of the night. Van Gogh has achieved an effect of luminosity with the use of contrasting colors and tones. The darks compliment the lights, the blues intensify the oranges, and the purples bring out the yellows. Van Gogh wrote about the Cafe Terrace at Night painting in a letter to his sister, saying "Here you have a night painting without black, with nothing but beautiful blue and violet and green and in this surrounding the illuminated area colors itself sulfur pale yellow and citron green. It amuses me enormously to paint the night right on the spot. Normally, one draws and paints the painting during the daytime after the sketch. But I like to paint the thing immediately. It is true that in the darkness I can take a blue for a green, a blue lilac for a pink lilac, since it is hard to distinguish the quality of the tone. But it is the only way to get away from our conventional night with poor pale whitish light, while even a simple candle already provides us with the richest of yellows and oranges." The cafe still exists today and is a popular destination for those following the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh.

. Corner of the Garden at Montgeron by Claude Monet

This famous painting by Monet was originally created in 1877. Monet is known as the classic impressionist. In the Corner of the Garden at Montgeron, Monet has captured the ever-changing nature of light and color.