The art of painting dates back to ancient human civilisation. History has it, that early artists went as far as applying ochre and charcoal on cave walls to draw animals. Art, in other words, is a part of human existence. With technological advances and human civilisations, the nature of paintings has been evolving considerably. Many pictures have been described over the years, but only a few have stood the test of time. Here is a list of timeless painting classics.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci

This piece of art is believed to have been painted between 1503 and 1517 by Leonardo Da Vinci. This famous painting has always attracted a list of never-ending questions about the subject. In response to these concerns, the number of theories trying to answer them have multiplied. Whatever the reason, Mona Lisa’s portrait in an idealised landscape behind her remains to be a timeless classic.

Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli

The Birth of Venus is recorded as one of the first-length nude paintings since antiquity. This painting was inspired by the goddess of love, modelled after Simonetta Cattaneo, whose ideals were allegedly shared by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici, the person he made the painting for. Besides the timeless beauty displayed by this non-religious nude, it was later subjected to incineration, but luckily escaped the wrath of the authorities.

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

The Starry Night is undoubtedly one of the most famous works of Vincent van Gogh. This painting was created during his stay in the asylum at Saint-Remy. This painting depicts the artist’s state of mind at the time of his breakdown when the night seems to come alive with swirls of frantically applied brush marks.

Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch

This painting is seen as a detached forerunner to surrealism. It captures the expressions and beliefs of a late medieval artist who shared the idea of the existence of a supernatural being, the devil, and the fact that heaven and hell exist in the spiritual life. In this picture, the artist manages to bring out a rare sense of symbolism, which is mostly subjective. This is the main reason why this classic painting has managed to amass widespread appeal.

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon was actually painted in 1907 and is one of the best-known examples of cubism painting to date. The beauty of this painting is anchored on Piccasso’s ability to move away from traditional forms of art in an innovative way, which features distortions and the use of geometrical shapes. The size of the painting and the nine-month duration it took Picasso to finish the picture is a true reflection of the influence of African art on the works the career of Picasso.