Most Appreciated Works of Unsung Painters

Some artists do amazing work all through their lives and receive recognition only once they are gone. Their paintings become masterpieces — because these artists were usually ahead of their time, and were not understood by the common people who lived alongside them. They leave behind a legacy that is deeply appreciated, and followed, by many other artists. And it is never just one painter. Here are some of those paintings, by those unsung masters.

1. The Starry Night — Vincent van GoghThe world's most famous painting was recognised only after Van Gogh's death. This oil-on-canvas depicts the view from the window of his asylum just before sunrise, and is now kept permanently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He first made it in the asylum in charcoal and ink on paper, then painted the finished canvas at the same asylum. Painted in beautiful colour with smooth, rolling brushstrokes, it had been preceded by Starry Night Over the Rhône, every bit as lovely. Countless films and book covers have drawn on it since. It is, without question, a masterpiece.
2. Girl with a Pearl Earring — Johannes VermeerAn oil painting by the Dutch master who went unrecognised his whole life and became a great name only after his death. It shows a girl in an oriental turban and a large pearl earring, and it has influenced a great many people. The writer Tracy Chevalier wrote a historical novel of the same name, which in turn inspired a film and a play. The painting has been shown in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, in the Netherlands, among other places. All of Vermeer's paintings are admired, but this is among the most appreciated of them all.
3. The Burial of the Count of Orgaz — El GrecoEl Greco, the Greek painter, sculptor and architect, contributed greatly to the Spanish Renaissance, and this is considered his finest work — and one of the most famous artworks in the world. Completed in 1586 and based on a local legend, its precise detail and superb use of colour make it worth every moment of appreciation. It is divided into two beautifully rendered halves depicting heaven and earth, drawn from the legend of Orgaz, a philanthropist and knight, and shows the scene of his death. It was a landmark in El Greco's career, and was followed by work more remarkable still.
4. Water Lilies — Claude MonetA series of paintings by the French Impressionist Claude Monet — some 250 oil paintings depicting his flower garden. There are many beautiful pictures of water lilies, and each one is different from the last. Monet made some of these while suffering from cataracts. One sold for £18.5 million in 2007; another for more than £41 million in 2008; and whenever these paintings come to auction, they sell for still more than before. Monet's work was slow to win acceptance early in his career — today it hangs in museums all around the world.
5. Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? — Paul GauguinGauguin is now considered one of the most important painters of the Post-Impressionist movement, and this is among his best and most famous works. As Gauguin himself said, the painting must be read from right to left, and its three main figures illustrate the questions posed by the title. Three women and a child depict the periods in the life of a person — from childhood, to adulthood, to old age. It has hung in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, since 1936, and draws thousands of visitors regularly.

They were usually ahead of their time — and were not understood by the people who lived alongside them.

Each of these canvases outlived the neglect its maker endured. If you would like to know more about the lives behind them, read on in Unsung Painters and Their Work.