Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was an Italian artist, scientist, and polymath of the High Renaissance, celebrated for his profound impact on art and science. His style, defined by its use of perspective, anatomical accuracy, and lifelike portraiture, set a precedent for future Western art. His works, like “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper,” are renowned for their technical innovation and enigmatic quality. Beyond painting, Leonardo’s hundreds of journal entries contain sketches and notes on anatomy, mechanics, art, and nature, testifying to one of the most brilliantly creative minds in human history.
Richard Dadd
Richard Dadd (1817-1886) was an English Victorian painter known for his depictions of fairies and other supernatural subjects, Orientalist scenes, and enigmatic genre scenes. Dadd’s style, characterized by its intricate detail, vivid color, and imaginative subject matter, is exemplified in works such as “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke.” Notably, much of his significant work was created while he was a patient in psychiatric hospitals, having been committed after a psychotic episode resulted in the murder of his father. Despite his troubled life, Dadd’s contribution to Victorian fairy painting and his highly individualistic style have been increasingly appreciated.
Salvador Dali
Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) was a Spanish artist renowned for his surreal and dreamlike images that explored the depths of the subconscious mind. As one of the leading figures of the Surrealist movement, Dalí’s style is characterized by precise draftsmanship and bizarre subject matter, fusing reality with fantasy. His most iconic work, “The Persistence of Memory,” is known for its melting clocks, embodying the fluidity and distortion of time. Dalí’s provocative and eccentric personality matched his groundbreaking artistic contribution, leaving an indelible mark on 20th-century art.
Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) was a prominent French painter during the Neoclassical period. Known for his rigorous adherence to classical traditions and his promotion of moral virtue, David became an active supporter of the French Revolution. His style is characterized by clarity of form, sober color, and a profound influence from ancient art. Major works, such as “The Death of Marat” and “The Oath of the Horatii,” are iconic historical paintings that reflect the political and social upheaval of his time. David’s artistry had a profound impact on the trajectory of French art.
Zhang Daqian
Zhang Daqian (1899–1983), also known as Chang Dai-chien, was one of the best-known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the twentieth century. Originally known for his guohua (traditional Chinese painting), Zhang is renowned for his modernist adaptations of traditional Chinese landscapes and figures, his forgeries of traditional Chinese masters, and later in his career, his splash-ink paintings. His style, characterized by its versatility, boldness, and innovation, is exemplified in works like “Ancient Temples Amid Spring Mountains.” Despite controversies over his forgeries, Zhang’s significant influence on both traditional and modern Chinese art is widely recognized.
Raoul De Keyser
Raoul De Keyser (1930–2012) was a Belgian artist known for his abstract paintings that blur the line between abstraction and representation. De Keyser’s style, characterized by its simplified forms, soft color palette, and subtly textured brushwork, often suggested landscapes or other familiar motifs while retaining an essential ambiguity. His works, such as those in his “Waterloo” series, are noted for their quiet restraint and introspective quality. Despite keeping a low profile for much of his career, De Keyser’s influence on contemporary painting, particularly within Belgium, has been significant.
Tamara de Lempicka
Tamara de Lempicka (1898–1980), born Tamara Rozalia Gurwik-Górska, was a Polish artist known for her Art Deco portraits and still life paintings. De Lempicka’s style, characterized by its bold color, polished finish, and stylized forms, captured the glamour and decadence of the Roaring Twenties. Her works, such as “Auto-Portrait (Tamara in the Green Bugatti)” and “La Tunique Rose,” combine a cool, objective gaze with a sense of luxury and sensuality. Despite the rise of Abstract Expressionism and other art movements, de Lempicka’s contribution to the Art Deco style and her iconic portrayal of women have ensured her enduring legacy.
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was a prominent French artist known for his exploration of modern life, especially ballet, horse racing, and cafe scenes. Often associated with the Impressionist movement, Degas diverged from his contemporaries through his focus on composition and drawing. His innovative style, marked by off-center compositions, experiments with color and form, and a profound understanding of movement and anatomy, is evident in notable works like “The Dance Class.” Degas’ influence extends to multiple genres, including painting, sculpture, and printmaking.
Eugène Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) was a prominent French Romantic artist celebrated for his dramatic historical and political scenes. Rejecting the neoclassical emphasis on clarity of form and sober colors, Delacroix’s style was characterized by vigorous brushwork, a rich color palette, and a focus on motion and emotion. His iconic work “Liberty Leading the People” is known for its symbolism of liberty and revolution. Delacroix’s influence extends to many artists, including the Impressionists and Symbolists, making him a pivotal figure in 19th-century French art.
Paul Delvaux
Paul Delvaux (1897-1994) was a Belgian painter noted for his dreamlike scenes that blend elements of Surrealism with classical approaches to composition and form. Delvaux’s style, characterized by its depictions of somnambulant women, classical architecture, and trains, often conveys a mysterious, timeless atmosphere. His works, such as “The Echo,” are imbued with a sense of enigma and eroticism, creating an uncanny world that blurs reality and fantasy. Though not officially associated with the Surrealist movement, Delvaux’s unique contribution to 20th-century art has often aligned him with Surrealist concerns.
Andre Derain
André Derain (1880–1954) was a French artist and a co-founder of Fauvism with Henri Matisse, known for his innovative landscape and portraiture. Derain’s style, characterized by its bold, unmodulated color and simplified form, marked a radical departure from traditional representation. His works, such as “The Pool of London” and “Charing Cross Bridge,” showcased the Fauvist emphasis on strong color over realistic values. Despite his later stylistic shifts towards a more classical approach, Derain’s early work and his influence on the development of 20th-century art remain significant.
Thomas Dewing
Thomas Dewing (1851–1938) was an American painter working at the turn of the 20th century, associated with Tonalism and the American Aesthetic Movement. Dewing’s style, characterized by its soft focus, muted color palette, and dreamy, introspective subjects, often featured elegant women in languid, introspective poses set against abstract, atmospheric landscapes. His works, such as “The White Dress,” reflect an influence from Whistler and the Pre-Raphaelites. Despite his somewhat limited output, Dewing’s unique fusion of figure and landscape, as well as his contribution to the American Aesthetic Movement, have been recognized for their influence on American art.
Duccio di Buoninsegna
Duccio di Buoninsegna (circa 1255-1319) was an influential Italian painter from Siena, credited with significant contributions to the development of the Italian Renaissance. Duccio’s style, while preserving Byzantine traditions, introduced greater naturalism and complexity into his compositions. His most notable work, the “Maestà” altarpiece, is known for its narrative richness and emotional depth. Duccio’s work was a formative influence on Sienese painting and had a profound impact on the visual language of early Italian Renaissance art.
Otto Dix
Otto Dix (1891–1969) was a German painter and printmaker, best known for his harshly realistic depictions of Weimar society and the brutality of war. Associated with the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) movement, Dix’s style, characterized by its grotesque detail, vivid color, and often disturbing subject matter, critiqued the social and political conditions of the interwar period. His works, such as “The War” and “Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia Von Harden,” provide a stark contrast to the idealized styles of his contemporaries. Despite facing significant challenges under the Nazi regime, Dix’s influential works continue to be celebrated for their unflinching portrayal of reality.
Tarsila do Amaral
Tarsila do Amaral (1886–1973), often known simply as Tarsila, was a Brazilian artist who is considered one of the leading Latin American modernist painters. Tarsila’s style, characterized by its bold colors, abstracted forms, and references to Brazilian landscapes and culture, was crucial in the development of modern art in Brazil. Her works, such as “Abaporu” and “A Negra,” often reflect her engagement with movements like Cubism and Surrealism, while also drawing inspiration from Brazilian cultural and national identity. Tarsila’s innovative style and her influence on the Anthropophagic Movement have ensured her important role in the history of Latin American modernism.
Peter Doig
Peter Doig (born 1959) is a Scottish painter known for his evocative and atmospheric landscapes. Doig’s style, characterized by its enigmatic imagery, bold use of color, and textural experimentation, often bridges the gap between abstraction and representation. His works, such as “White Canoe” and “Blotter,” are inspired by personal memories, photography, and cinema, resulting in dreamlike, cinematic scenes. Doig continues to be one of the most esteemed and influential painters working today, celebrated for his revitalization of contemporary landscape painting.
Arthur Dove
Arthur Dove (1880–1946) was an American artist often credited as the first American abstract painter. Breaking away from representational art, Dove’s style, characterized by its organic shapes, muted color palette, and abstract representations of nature, explored the underlying forms and rhythms of the natural world. His works, such as “Fog Horns,” demonstrated a fascination with light, color, and movement. Despite initial skepticism towards abstraction, Dove’s pioneering work has been recognized for its influence on the development of American modernist art.
Raoul Dufy
Raoul Dufy (1877–1953) was a French Fauvist painter, brother of Jean Dufy. Renowned for his decorative and lighthearted approach to painting, Dufy’s style, characterized by its bright color palette, playful brushwork, and leisurely subject matter, reflected the joy and beauty of life. His works, such as “Regatta at Cowes,” are celebrated for their sense of movement and vibrant spontaneity. Despite the changing tides of the art world throughout his career, Dufy’s innovative spirit and his ability to capture the essence of a scene or object resulted in a prolific output of paintings, watercolors, drawings, and textiles.
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a seminal German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the Northern Renaissance. Celebrated for his high detail and technical mastery in engraving and woodcut, Dürer’s works encompass religious scenes, self-portraits, and numerous prints. His style combined the intricate detail of Northern European art with the learned theories of proportion, perspective, and human anatomy from Italy. Key works like “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” and “Melencolia I” demonstrate his virtuosity. Dürer’s contributions to art theory and practice have been immensely influential.
William Dyce
William Dyce (1806–1864) was a Scottish painter known for his contributions to the Pre-Raphaelite movement and his promotion of publicly funded art education. Dyce’s style, characterized by its attention to detail, bright color palette, and often religious or historical subject matter, demonstrated a commitment to artistic truth and spirituality. His works, such as “Pegwell Bay, Kent – a Recollection of October 5th 1858,” show an interplay of scientific observation and romantic symbolism. Despite his relatively limited output, Dyce’s contributions to art education, including his role in establishing what would become the Royal College of Art, have left a lasting legacy.
Painters A, Painters B, Painters C, Painters D, Painters E, Painters F, Painters G, Painters H, Painters I, Painters J, Painters K, Painters L, Painters M, Painters N, Painters O, Painters P, Painters Q, Painters R, Painters S, Painters T, Painters U, Painters V, Painters W, Painters X Y Z
