Some of my favourite artists

This article is an incomplete list, of some artists I have encountered while visiting museums (mostly in NY Met and the Prado in Madrid), when I liked some of their paintings and noted it down 😊. I hope to keep updating and adding to this list as I explore more art.


Older Artists

Juan di Espinosa: I liked his still life paintings at the Prado museum in Madrid. He painted fruits on a table, like grapes, figs, plums and apples, each one of the fruits appearing life like. As much as I generally don't get drawn to still life paintings, his were different. And I would love to have one in my dining room. You can see these paintings here, and my favourite of these were Grapes and apple and Octagonal still life.

Leonardo Da Vinci: To be honest, I have seen a lot of his paintings, in National Gallery in London, in Florence, Louvre and so on. But I was never drawn to them. When reading his biography though, I understand why he is known as a master. Some of the effects he has painted had never been painted before. And they were based on a deep understanding of physics, human body, nature, flow of water and so on. And when I look at those specific effects, I love them. But somehow none of his paintings every spoke to me.

Murillo: He painted many religious scenes, which had a softness and grandness to it. And I liked a few like the Apparition of the Virgin and Immaculate Conception in the Prado museum in Madrid.

Rubens: There are loads of paintings by him in Prado. I especially liked the ones on the 5 senses, Sense of sight, Sense of hearing, Sense of touch, Sense of smell and Sense of taste. I don't think I understand the paintings completely, but the sheer detail was mindblowing. The detailed human paintings of his are also impressive, given how realistic they all look.

Velazquez: I ran into his paintings at the Prado museum in Madrid. I wasn't a big fan of his portraits, but liked the ones with landscapes in them. My favourite ones are the Crucified Christ and the Vulcan Forge

Other artists: I also liked the paintings by Caravaggio, Goya and Titia at the Prado in Madrid. And apparently Room 61A of the museum but I dont remember what it was:). I will update these as and when I visit Madrid again.


Modern Artists

Canaletto: I loved his paintings of Venice in the NY Met. They were so detailed, it felt like you were there itself. He also made a lot of drawings which again were fantastic. Here are the ones I like, the Grand Canal, looking south, looking South East and a drawing of a Roman Arch. I had liked a lot more of his paintings than the ones I have linked here.

Guardi: Similar to Canaletto, I loved his paintings of Venice in the NY Met. They seemed very similar, as he also did detailed paintings and drawings of the city. The ones I liked were the Rialto and drawing of Medicanti and San Marco piazza.

Monet: I realised during the visit to the NY Met that I like impressionism. And within those paintings, I love the ones with flowers and landscapes. I have been drawm to Monets, especially the ones with the lilies. Here is the one from the Met that I like. I have seen the others in National Gallery, London and other museums. And always liked them.

Pissarro: I liked Pisarro impressionist paintings in the Met too but can't find online which ones they were. Maybe for later.

Pollock Jackson: I recall his abstract art paintings making an impression on me, in 2012 when I visited the Museum of Modern Art in NY. It felt like even though abstract, there was still some order in the madness. Now though after looking at them after so many years, I can't see the method in the madness.

Renoir: Another of the impressionists that I like, and I remember I liked a few of his paintings. Its generally the soft, bright and colourful paintings which draw me the most, never the dark ones. I think these are the ones (that I found online) - In the Meadow, Girls on the Piano - and I think I will like a lot more of his. I need to go back and see them again in real life though.

Van Gogh: Like him or hate him, you can never ignore Van Gogh. As for myself, I havent quite figured out if I like him as a painter or not. There are definitely some of his paintings I like, especially the rural and landscape ones. And I loved the wheatfields ones too. But a lot of the others feel too stark for my liking.

Though I did start valueing him more after I heard his life story. He did lead a typical 'artist''s life. With difficulties in relationships and finances, of not finding enough appreciation while alive but mostly after dying, and of being eccentric. I will share some titbits of his life which I found very interesting.

Van Gogh kept changing his painting style over the years. And he loved drawing too. He thought that the most important part of a painting was that it should have a message, the rest did not matter. He used to paint peasants, then changed to landscapes. He also added a lot of yellow in his paintings.

He painted more than 900 paintings in his life, of which about 300 are in museums and the rest are lying in banks. He wrote letters about his paintings, and those we know quite well about. He also often painted over his paintings! Or painted on both sides of the canvas. Or on napkins. And we don't know where or what all this paintings are. So new and new paintings keep turning up. And a lot more are not known. He signed only the ones he liked. And so there are lot of debates of which are his and which arent, which only museums can settle.

His life especially towards the end was quite unhappy and insecure. And its during this time that he painted the most. He made 75 paintings in his last 70 days, more than a painting a day! And his last painting had crows, which was very dark and was painted within an hour. A sign of things to come?


My journey into the art world
Some of my favourite artworks