Sometimes an artist creates a painting that leads the way for an entirely new school of thought. Such paintings are sometimes made by chance; other times a lot of thought and effort goes into their creation. A work of art such as this may be perceived in new ways over time as it gains popularity and influence.
Mona Lisa
Probably the most famous painting ever made is the Mona Lisa. Leonardo Da Vinci worked on this painting for four years.
Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh's most famous work, "Starry Night," is a good representation of Van Gogh's original technique of applying thick globs of paint.
Impressionism
Claude Monet's "Impression, Sunrise" was the basis for a new impressionist style. It was painted quickly and was used as inspiration for many other pieces of art.
Cubism
Pablo Picasso's "Demoiselles D' Avignon," a very influential painting, spawned Cubism and was a precursor to modern abstraction.
Surrealism
Marcel Duchamp was the pioneer of Surrealism. His "Nude Descending a Staircase" is a good example of Surrealism emerging from Cubism and Futurism.
Pop Art
Andy Warhol's famous Campbell Soup paintings helped to make pop culture popular within the framework of visual art.
