6.
DIEGO VELÁZQUEZ (1599-1660) – Along with
The 101 most important painters of the
Rembrandt, one of the summits of Baroque painting.
history of Western Painting from 13th But unlike the Dutch artist, the Sevillan painter spent
century to 21st century most of his life in the comfortable but rigid courtesan
society. Nevertheless, Velázquez was an innovator, a
"painter of atmospheres" two centuries before Turner
and the Impressionists, which it is shown in his colossal
1. PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973) – Picasso is to Art
'royal paintings' ("Meninas", "The Forge of Vulcan"), but
History a giant earthquake with eternal aftermaths.
also in his small and memorable sketches of the Villa
With the possible exception of Michelangelo (who
Medici.
focused his greatest efforts in sculpture and
architecture), no other artist had such ambitions at the 7. WASSILY KANDINSKY (1866-1944) – Although the
time of placing his oeuvre in the history of art. Picasso title of "father of abstraction" has been assigned to
created the avant-garde. Picasso destroyed the avant- several artists, from Picasso to Turner, few painters
garde. He looked back at the masters and surpassed could claim it with as much justice as Kandinsky. Many
them all. He faced the whole history of art and single- artists have succeeded in painting emotion, but very
handedly redefined the tortuous relationship between few have changed the way we understand art. Wassily
work and spectator. Kandinsky is one of them.
2. GIOTTO DI BONDONE (c.1267-1337) – It has been 8. CLAUDE MONET (1840-1926) – The importance of
said that Giotto was the first real painter, like Adam was Monet in the history of art is sometimes "underrated",
the first man. We agree with the first part. Giotto as Art lovers tend to see only the overwhelming beauty
continued the Byzantine style of Cimabue and other that emanates from his canvases, ignoring the complex
predecessors, but he earned the right to be included in technique and composition of the work (a "defect"
gold letters in the history of painting when he added a somehow caused by Monet himself, when he declared
quality unknown to date: emotion that "I do not understand why everyone discusses my
art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary
3. LEONARDO DA VINCI (1452-1519) – For better or for
to understand, when it is simply necessary to love").
worse, Leonardo will be forever known as the author of
However, Monet's experiments, including studies on the
the most famous painting of all time, the "Gioconda" or
changes in an object caused by daylight at different
"Mona Lisa". But he is more, much more. His humanist,
times of the day; and the almost abstract quality of his
almost scientific gaze, entered the art of the
"water lilies", are clearly a prologue to the art of the
quattrocento and revoluted it with his sfumetto that
twentieth century.
nobody was ever able to imitate
9. CARAVAGGIO (1571-1610) – The tough and violent
4. PAUL CÉZANNE (1839-1906) – "Cezanne is the father
Caravaggio is considered the father of Baroque painting,
of us all." This famous quote has been attributed to
with his spectacular use of lights and shadows.
both Picasso and Matisse, and certainly it does not
Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro became so famous that many
matter who actually said it, because in either case
painters started to copy his paintings, creating the
would be appropriate. While he exhibited with the
'Caravaggisti' style.
Impressionist painters, Cézanne left behind the whole
group and developed a style of painting never seen so 10. JOSEPH MALLORD WILLIAM TURNER (1775-1851) –
far, which opened the door for the arrival of Cubism and Turner is the best landscape painter of Western
the rest of the vanguards of the twentieth century painting. Whereas he had been at his beginnings an
academic painter, Turner was slowly but unstoppably
5. REMBRANDT VAN RIJN (1606-1669) – The fascinating
evolving towards a free, atmospheric style, sometimes
use of the light and shadows in Rembrandt's works
even outlining the abstraction, which was
seem to reflect his own life, moving from fame to
misunderstood and rejected by the same critics who
oblivion. Rembrandt is the great master of Dutch
had admired him for decades
painting, and, along with Velázquez, the main figure of
17th century European Painting. He is, in addition, the
great master of the self-portrait of all time, an artist
who had never show mercy at the time of depicting
himself
11. JAN VAN EYCK (1390-1441) – Van Eyck is the 17. VINCENT VAN GOGH (1853-1890) – Few names in
colossal pillar on which rests the whole Flemish the history of painting are now as famous as Van Gogh,
paintings from later centuries, the genius of accuracy, despite the complete neglect he suffered in life. His
thoroughness and perspective, well above any other works, strong and personal, are one of the greatest
artist of his time, either Flemish or Italian. influences in the twentieth century painting, especially
in German Expressionism
12. ALBRECHT DÜRER (1471-1528) – The real Leonardo
da Vinci of Northern European Rennaisance was 18. ÉDOUARD MANET (1832-1883) – Manet was the
Albrecht Dürer, a restless and innovative genious, origin of Impressionism, a revolutionary in a time of
master of drawing and color. He is one of the first artists great artistic revolutions. His (at the time) quite
to represent nature without artifice, either in his polemical "Olympia" or "Déjeuner sur l'Herbe" opened
painted landscapes or in his drawings of plants and the way for the great figures of Impressionism
animals
19. MARK ROTHKO (1903-1970) – The influence of
13. JACKSON POLLOCK (1912-1956) – The major figure Rothko in the history of painting is yet to be quantified,
of American Abstract Expressionism, Pollock created his because the truth is that almost 40 years after his death
best works, his famous drips, between 1947 and 1950. the influence of Rothko's large, dazzling and emotional
After those fascinating years, comparable to Picasso’s masses of color continues to increase in many painters
blue period or van Gogh’s final months in Auvers, he of the 21st century
abandoned the drip, and his latest works are often bold,
20. HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954) – Art critics tend to
unexciting works.
regard Matisse as the greatest exponent of twentieth
14. MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI (1475-1564) – Some century painting, only surpassed by Picasso. This is an
readers will be quite surprised to see the man who is, exaggeration, although the almost pure use of color in
along with Picasso, the greatest artistic genius of all some of his works strongly influenced many of the
time, out of the "top ten" of this list, but the fact is that following avant-gardes
even Michelangelo defined himself as "sculptor", and
even his painted masterpiece (the frescoes in the Sistine 21. RAPHAEL (1483-1520) – Equally loved and hated in
Chapel) are often defined as 'painted sculptures'. different eras, no one can doubt that Raphael is one of
the greatest geniuses of the Renaissance, with an
Nevertheless, that unforgettable masterpiece is enough
to guarantee him a place of honor in the history of excellent technique in terms of drawing and color
painting 22. JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT (1960-1988) - Basquiat is
15. PAUL GAUGUIN (1848-1903) – One of the most undoubtedly the most important and famous member
fascinating figures in the history of painting, his works of the "graffiti movement" that appeared in the New
moved from Impressionism (soon abandoned) to a York scene in the early'80s, an artistic movement whose
colorful and vigorous symbolism, as can be seen in his enormous influence on later painting is still to be
'Polynesian paintings'. Matisse and Fauvism could not measured
be understood without the works of Paul Gauguin 23. EDVARD MUNCH (1863-1944) – Modernist in his
16. FRANCISCO DE GOYA (1746-1828) - Goya is an context, Munch could be also considered the first
enigma. In the whole History of Art few figures are as expressionist painter in history. Works like "The
complex as the artist born in Fuendetodos, Spain. Scream" are vital to understanding the twentieth
Enterprising and indefinable, a painter with no rival in century painting.
all his life, Goya was the painter of the Court and the 24. TITIAN (c.1476-1576) – After the premature death
painter of the people. He was a religious painter and a of Giorgione, Titian became the leading figure of
mystical painter. He was the author of the beauty and Venetian painting of his time. His use of color and his
eroticism of the 'Maja desnuda' and the creator of the taste for mythological themes defined the main
explicit horror of 'The Third of May, 1808'. He was an oil features of 16th century Venetian Art. His influence on
painter, a fresco painter, a sketcher and an engraver. later artists -Rubens, Velázquez...- is extremely
And he never stopped his metamorphosis important
25. PIET MONDRIAN (1872 -1944) – Along with 31. GUSTAVE COURBET (1819-1877) – Leading figure of
Kandinsky and Malevich, Mondrian is the leading figure realism, and a clear precedent for the impressionists,
of early abstract painting. After emigrating to New York, Courbet was one of the greatest revolutionaries, both
Mondrian filled his abstract paintings with a fascinating as an artist and as a social-activist, of the history of
emotional quality, as we can see in his series of "boogie- painting. Like Rembrandt and other predecessors,
woogies" created in the mid-40s Courbet did not seek to create beauty, but believed that
beauty is achieved when and artist represents the
26. PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA (1416-1492) - Despite
purest reality without artifice
being one of the most important figures of the
quattrocento, the Art of Piero della Francesca has been 33. NICOLAS POUSSIN (1594-1665) – The greatest
described as “cold”, “hieratic” or even “impersonal”. among the great French Baroque painters, Poussin had
But with the apparition of Berenson and the great a vital influence on French painting for many centuries.
historians of his era, like Michel Hérubel -who defended His use of color is unique among all the painters of his
the “metaphysical dimension” of the paintings by Piero- era
, his precise and detailed Art finally occupied the place
that it deserves in the Art history 34. WILLEM DE KOONING (1904-1997) – After Pollock,
the leading figure of abstract expressionism, though one
27. PETER PAUL RUBENS (1577-1640) – Rubens was one of his greatest contributions was not to feel limited by
of the most prolific painters of all time, thanks in part to the abstraction, often resorting to a heartbreaking
the collaboration of his study. Very famous in life, he figurative painting (his series of "Women" are the best
traveled around Europe to meet orders from very example) with a major influence on later artists such as
wealthy and important clients. His female nudes are still Francis Bacon or Lucian Freud
amazing in our days
35. PAUL KLEE (1879-1940) – In a period of artistic
28. ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987) – Brilliant and revolutions and innovations, few artists were as crucial
controversial, Warhol is the leading figure of pop-art as Paul Klee. His studies of color, widely taught at the
and one of the icons of contemporary art. His silkscreen Bauhaus, are unique among all the artists of his time
series depicting icons of the mass-media (as a
reinterpretation of Monet's series of Water lilies or the 36. FRANCIS BACON (1909-1992) - Maximum exponent,
along with Lucian Freud, of the so-called "School of
Rouen Cathedral) are one of the milestones of
contemporary Art, with a huge influence in the Art of London", Bacon's style was totally against all canons of
painting, not only in those terms related to beauty, but
our days
also against the dominance of the Abstract
29. JOAN MIRÓ (1893-1983) – Like most geniuses, Miro Expressionism of his time
is an unclassificable artist. His interest in the world of
the unconscious, those hidden in the depths of the 37. GUSTAV KLIMT (1862-1918) – Half way between
mind, link him with Surrealism, but with a personal modernism and symbolism appears the figure of Gustav
style, sometimes closer to Fauvism and Expressionism. Klimt, who was also devoted to the industrial arts. His
His most important works are those from the series of nearly abstract landscapes also make him a forerunner
"Constellations", created in the early 40s of geometric abstraction
30. TOMMASO MASACCIO (1401-1428) – Masaccio was 38. EUGÈNE DELACROIX (1798-1863) – Eugène
one of the first old masters to use the laws of scientific Delacroix is the French romanticism painter "par
perspective in his works. One of the greatest innovative excellence" and one of the most important names in the
painters of the Early Renaissance European painting of the first half of the 19th century.
His famous “Liberty leading the People” also
31. MARC CHAGALL (1887-1985) – Artist of dreams and demonstrates the capacity of Painting to become the
fantasies, Chagall was for all his life an immigrant symbol of an era.
fascinated by the lights and colors of the places he
visited. Few names from the School of Paris of the early 39. PAOLO UCCELLO (1397-1475) – “Solitary, eccentric,
twentieth century have contributed so much -and with melancholic and poor”. Giorgio Vasari described with
such variety of ideas- to change modern Art as this man these four words one of the most audacious geniuses of
"impressed by the light," as he defined himself. the early Florentine Renaissance, Paolo Uccello.
40. WILLIAM BLAKE (1757-1827) – Revolutionary and 49. FRIDA KAHLO (1907-1954) – In recent years, Frida's
mystic, painter and poet, Blake is one of the most increasing fame seems to have obscured her
fascinating artists of any era. His watercolors, prints and importance in Latin American art. On September 17th,
temperas are filled with a wild imagination (almost 1925, Kahlo was almost killed in a terrible bus accident.
craziness), unique among the artists of his era She did not died, but the violent crash had terrible
sequels, breaking her spinal column, pelvis, and right
41. KAZIMIR MALEVICH (1878-1935) – Creator of leg.. After this accident, Kahlo's self-portraits can be
Suprematism, Malevich will forever be one of the most
considered as quiet but terrible moans
controversial figures of the history of art among the
general public, divided between those who consider 50. HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER (1497-1543) – After
him an essential renewal and those who consider that Dürer, Holbein is the greatest of the German painters of
his works based on polygons of pure colors do not his time. The fascinating portrait of "The Ambassadors"
deserve to be considered Art is still considered one of the most enigmatic paintings of
art history.
42. ANDREA MANTEGNA (1431-1506) – One of the
greatest exponents of the Quattrocento, interested in 51. EDGAR DEGAS (1834-1917) – Though Degas was not
the human figure, which he often represented under a "pure" impressionist painter, his works shared the
extreme perspectives ("The Dead Christ") ideals of that artistic movement. Degas paintings of
young dancers or ballerinas are icons of late 19th
43. JAN VERMEER (1632-1675) – Vermeer was the century painting.
leading figure of the Delft School, and for sure one of
the greatest landscape painters of all time. Works such 52. FRA ANGELICO (1387-1455) – One of the great
as "View of the Delft" are considered almost colorists from the early Renaissance. Initially trained as
"impressionist" due to the liveliness of his brushwork. an illuminator, he is the author of masterpieces such as
He was also a skilled portraitist "The Annunciation" in the Prado Museum.
44. EL GRECO (1541-1614) – One of the most original 53. GEORGES SEURAT (1859-1891) - Georges Seurat is
and fascinating artists of his era, with a very personal one of the most important post-impressionist painters,
technique that was admired, three centuries later, by and he is considered the creator of the "pointillism", a
the impressionist painters style of painting in which small distinct points of primary
colors create the impression of a wide selection of
45. CASPAR DAVID FRIEDRICH (1774-1840) – Leading
secondary and intermediate colors.
figure of German Romantic painting, Friedrich is still
identified as the painter of landscapes of loneliness and 54. JEAN-ANTOINE WATTEAU (1684-1721) – Watteau is
distress, with human figures facing the terrible today considered one of the pioneers of rococo.
magnificence of nature. Unfortunately, he died at the height of his powers, as it
is evidenced in the great portrait of "Gilles" painted in
46. WINSLOW HOMER (1836-1910) – The main figure of
the year of his death
American painting of his era, Homer was a breath of
fresh air for the American artistic scene, which was 55. SALVADOR DALÍ (1904-1989) – "I am Surrealism!"
"stuck" in academic painting and the more romantic shouted Dalí when he was expelled from the surrealist
Hudson River School. Homer's loose and lively movement by André Breton. Although the quote sounds
brushstroke is almost impressionistic. presumptuous (which was not unusual in Dalí), the fact
is that Dalí's paintings are now the most famous images
47. MARCEL DUCHAMP (1887-1968) – One of the major of all the surrealist movement.
figures of Dadaism and a prototype of "total artist",
Duchamp is one of the most important and 56. MAX ERNST (1891-1976) – Halfway between
controversial figures of his era. His contribution to Surrealism and Dadaism appears Max Ernst, important
painting is just a small part of his huge contribution to in both movements. Ernst was a brave artistic explorer
the art world. thanks in part to the support of his wife and patron,
Peggy Guggenheim
48. GIORGIONE (1478-1510) - Like so many other
painters who died at young age, Giorgione (1477-1510) 57. TINTORETTO (1518-1594) - Tintoretto is the most
makes us wonder what place would his exquisite flamboyant of all Venetian masters (not the best, such
painting occupy in the history of Art if he had enjoyed a honour can only be reclaimed by Titian or Giorgione)
long existence, just like his direct artistic heir - Titian. and his remarkable oeuvre not only closed the Venetian
splendour till the apparition of Canaletto and his
contemporaries, but also makes him the last of the 67. ARSHILLE GORKY (1905-1948) – Armenian-born
Cinquecento masters. American painter, Gorky was a surrealist painter and
also one of the leaders of abstract expressionism. He
58. JASPER JOHNS (born 1930) – The last living legend
was called "the Ingres of the unconscious".
of the early Pop Art, although he has never considered
himself a "pop artist". His most famous works are the 68. HIERONYMUS BOSCH (1450-1516) – An extremely
series of "Flags" and "Targets". religious man, all works by Bosch are basically
moralizing, didactic. The artist sees in the society of his
59. SANDRO BOTTICELLI (1445-1510) – "If Botticelli time the triumph of sin, the depravation, and all the
were alive now he would be working for Vogue", said things that have caused the fall of the human being
actor Peter Ustinov. As well as Raphael, Botticelli had from its angelical character; and he wants to warn his
been equally loved or hated in different eras, but his contemporaries about the terrible consequences of his
use of color is one of the most fascinating among all old
impure acts.
masters.
69. PIETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER (1528-1569) - Many
60. DAVID HOCKNEY (born 1937) - David Hockney is
scholars and art critics claim to have found important
one of the living myths of the Pop Art. Born in Great similarities between the works by Hyeronimus Bosch
Britain, he moved to California, where he immediately and those by Brueghel, but the truth is that the
felt identified with the light, the culture and the urban differences between both of them are abysmal.
landscape of the 'Golden State' Whereas Bosch's fantasies are born of a deep deception
61. UMBERTO BOCCIONI (1882-1916) – The maximum and preoccupation for the human being, with a clearly
figure of Italian Futurism, fascinated by the world of the moralizing message; works by Bruegel are full of irony,
machine, and the movement as a symbol of and even filled with a love for the rural life, which
contemporary times. seems to anticipate the Dutch landscape paintings from
the next century.
62. JOACHIM PATINIR (1480-1524) – Much less
technically gifted than other Flemish painters like 70. SIMONE MARTINI (1284-1344) – One of the great
Memling or van der Weyden, his contribution to the painters of the Trecento, he was a step further and
history of art is vital for the incorporation of landscape helped to expand its progress, which culminated in the
as a major element in the painting. "International Style".
63. DUCCIO DA BUONINSEGNA (c.1255/60 – 1318/19) 71. Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900) - Church
– While in Florence Giotto di Bondone was changing the represents the culmination of the Hudson River School:
history of painting, Duccio of Buoninsegna provided a he had Cole's love for the landscape, Asher Brown
breath of fresh air to the important Sienese School. Durand's romantic lyricism, and Albert Bierstadt's
grandiloquence, but he was braver and technically more
64. ROGER VAN DER WEYDEN (1399-1464) – After Van gifted than anyone of them. Church is without any
Eyck, the leading exponent of Flemish painting in the doubt one of the greatest landscape painters of all time,
fifteenth century; a master of perspective and perhaps only surpassed by Turner and some
composition. impressionists and postimpressionists like Monet or
Cézanne.
65. JOHN CONSTABLE (1776-1837) – John Constable
(1776-1837) is, along with Turner, the great figure of 72. EDWARD HOPPER (1882-1967) – Hopper is widely
English romanticism. But unlike his contemporary, he known as the painter of urban loneliness. His most
never left England, and he devoted all his time to famous work, the fabulous "Nighthawks" (1942) has
represent the life and landscapes of his beloved become the symbol of the solitude of the contemporary
England. metropolis, and it is one of the icons of the 20th century
Art.
66. JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID (1748-1825) – David is the
summit of neoclassicism, a grandiloquent artist whose 73. LUCIO FONTANA (1899-1968) – Father of the
compositions seem to reflect his own hectic and "White Manifesto", in which he stated that "Matter,
revolutionary life. colour and sound in motion are the phenomena whose
simultaneous development makes up the new art". His
“Concepts Spatiales” are already icons of the art of the
second half of the twentieth century.
74. FRANZ MARC (1880-1916) – After Kandinsky, the 83. AMEDEO MODIGLIANI (1884-1920) – One of the
great figure of the Expressionist group "The Blue Rider" most original portraitists of the history of painting,
and one of the most important expressionist painters considered as a "cursed" painter because of his wild life
ever. He died at the height of his artistic powers, when and early death.
his use of color was even anticipating the later
abstraction. 84. GEORGES DE LA TOUR (1593-1652) – The influence
of Caravaggio is evident in De la Tour, whose use of light
75. PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR (1841-1919) – One of the and shadows is unique among the painters of the
key figures of Impressionism, he soon left the Baroque era.
movement to pursue a more personal, academic
painting. 85. GENTILESCHI, ARTEMISIA (1597-1654) – One of the
most gifted artists of the early baroque era, she was the
76. JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER (1834-1903) – Along first female painter to become a member of the
with Winslow Homer, the great figure of American Academia di Arte del Disegno in Florence.
painting of his time. Whistler was an excellent
86. JEAN FRANÇOIS MILLET (1814-1875) – One of the
portraitist, which is shown in the fabulous portrait of his
mother, considered one of the great masterpieces of main figures of the Barbizon School, author of one of
American painting of all time. the most emotive paintings of the 19th century: The
"Angelus".
77. THEODORE GÉRICAULT (1791-1824) – Key figure in
romanticism, revolutionary in his life and works despite 87. FRANCISCO DE ZURBARÁN (1598-1664) – The
his bourgeois origins. In his masterpiece, "The raft of closest to Caravaggio of all Spanish Baroque painters,
the Medusa", Gericault creates a painting that we can his latest works show a mastery of chiaroscuro without
define as "politically incorrect", as it depicts the parallel among any other painter of his time.
miseries of a large group of castaways abandoned after 88. CIMABUE (c.1240-1302) – Although in some of his
the shipwreck of a French naval frigate. works Cimabue already represented a visible evolution
78. WILLIAM HOGARTH (1697-1764) – A list of the great of the rigid Byzantine art, his greatest contribution to
portrait painters of all time should never miss the name painting was to discover a young talented artist named
of William Hogarth, whose studies and sketches could Giotto (see number 2), who changed forever the
even qualify as "pre-impressionist". Western painting.
79. CAMILLE COROT (1796-1875) – One of the great 89. JAMES ENSOR (1860-1949) – Violent painter whose
figures of French realism in the 19th century and strong, almost "unfinished" works make him a precursor
certainly one of the major influences for the of Expressionism
impressionist painters like Monet or Renoir, thanks to 90. RENÉ MAGRITTE (1898-1967) – One of the leading
his love for "plen-air" painting, emphasizing the use of figures of surrealism, his apparently simple works are
light. the result of a complex reflection about reality and the
80. GEORGES BRAQUE (1882-1963) – Along with world of dreams
Picasso and Juan Gris, the main figure of Cubism, the 91. EL LISSITZKY (1890-1941) – One of the main
most important of the avant-gardes of the 20th century exponents of Russian avant-garde painting. Influenced
Art by Malevich, he also excelled in graphic design.
81. HANS MEMLING (1435-1494) – Perhaps the most 92. EGON SCHIELE (1890-1918) – Another "died too
complete and "well-balanced" of all fifteenth century young" artist, his strong and ruthless portraits
Flemish painters, although he was not as innovative as influenced the works of later artists, like Lucian freud or
Van Eyck or van der Weyden. Francis Bacon.
82. GERHARD RICHTER (born 1932) – One of the most 93. DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI (1828-1882) – Perhaps
important artists of recent decades, Richter is known the key figure in the pre-Raphaelite movement, Rossetti
either for his fierce and colorful abstractions or his left the poetry to focus on classic painting with a style
serene landscapes and scenes with candles. that influenced the symbolism.
94. FRANS HALS (c.1580-1666) – One of the most 2. José Joya (1931-1995)- A Filipino pioneer of
important portraitists ever, his lively brushwork Abstract expressionism, multi-media painter José
influenced early impressionism. Joya uses bold and vibrant colours with a variety of
painting techniques, layering, loose impasto strokes
95. CLAUDE LORRAIN (1600-1682) – His works were a and controlled drips. His harmonious colours are
vital influence on many landscape painters for many influenced by Philippine landscapes and tropical
wildlife. His mastery lies in gestural paintings, where
centuries, both in Europe (Corot, Courbet) and in
the paint is applied spontaneously on canvas,
America (Hudson River School). sometimes directly out of the tube or through the
use of broad strokes with brushes. Joya influenced
96. ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1977) – Along with Andy
younger artists to explore other mediums such as
Warhol, he was the most famous figure of the American pottery and printmaking while he served as the
Pop-Art. His works are often related to the style of the Dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of
comics, though Lichtenstein rejected that idea. the Philippines. In 1964, Joya represented the
country in the Venice Biennial, showcasing the
97. GEORGIA O'KEEFE (1887-1986) – A leading figure in advancement of modern art in the Philippines. His
the 20th century American Art, O'Keefe single-handedly most notable painting from 1958, called Granadean
redefined the Western American painting. Arabesque, is a large scale yellow hued mural that
features clusters of sand and impasto. It can be
98. GUSTAVE MOREAU (1826-1898) – One of the key viewed at the Ateneo Art Gallery in Manila.
figures of symbolism, introverted and mysterious in life,
but very free and colorful in his works.
99. GIORGIO DE CHIRICO (1888-1978) – Considered the 3. Pacita Abad (1946-2004) - Born on the northern
father of metaphysical painting and a major influence island of Batanes, the internationally revered artist
first obtained a degree in Political Science at the
on the Surrealist movement.
University of the Philippines. Her staunch activism
100. FERNAND LÉGER (1881-1955) – At first a cubist, against the Marcos regime in the 1970s, led her to
move to San Francisco to initially study law – but
Leger was increasingly attracted to the world of
she found her true calling with art. Her paintings
machinery and movement, creating works such as "The consist of vibrant colors and a constant change of
Discs" (1918). patterns and materials. Earlier work dealt with
socio-political depictions of people, indigenous
101. JEAN-AUGUSTE-DOMINIQUE INGRES (1780-1867) masks, tropical flowers, and underwater scenes.
– Ingres was the most prominent disciple of the most Pacita created a unique technique called ‘trapunto’,
famous neo-classicist painter, Jacques Louis David, so he where she stitches and stuffs her vibrant canvases
should not be considered an innovator. He was, with a wide range of materials such as cloth, metal,
however, a master of classic portrait. beads, buttons, shells, glass and ceramics, to give
her work a three-dimensional look. Her many
travels across the globe with her husband have
served as an inspiration for the techniques and
materials used in her art. Pacita has participated in
Ten Legendary Filipino Masters over 60 exhibitions across the United States, Latin
America, and Europe. She is noted to have worked
1. Fernando Amorsolo (1892-1972)- Labelled the on more than 5,000 pieces of art – her masterwork
country’s first National Artist in 1972 by then being Alkaff Bridge, Singapore, a 55-meter bridge
President Marcos, Fernando Amorsolo is often covered in over 2,000 colourful circles. It was
known as the ‘Grand Old Man of Philippine Art’. The completed a few months before she passed away
Spanish-trained realist developed a backlighting from lung cancer in 2004.
technique, where his colorful depictions of local
people reflect the radiance of the Philippine sun.
The figures and illuminated landscapes magically
glow on the canvas. Despite his deteriorating health 4. Ang Kiukok (1935-2005) - Born to Chinese
and failing eyesight, he remained prolific until the
immigrants, Ang Kiukok is the pioneer of Philippine
end, producing up to 10 paintings a month until his
death at the age of 80. Amorsolo’s creativity defines modern figurative expressionism. Rewarded as the
the nation’s culture and heritage to this day. The country’s National Artist in 2001, he was one of the
Vargas Museum – found inside the campus of his most successful commercial figures on the local art
alma mater, the University of the Philippines, scene from the 1960s until his death from cancer in
displays a notable selection of his work. 2005. Like Amorsolo, his paintings are popular at
auctions and have received exceptionally high bids
at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. He is known for his which was published in 1988. A country inn and café
distinct cubist and surrealist portrayals of the in Sagada is named after him and is worth the visit
crucifixion of Christ and mother and child. However, to see copies of his prints and purchase souvenirs
created in Masferré’s honor.
he is acclaimed for his series of Fishermen at Sea,
8. Agnes Arellano (1949-present)- Born to a family of
which connects both energy, faith and the struggle prominent male architects, sculptress Agnes
of fishermen under a vibrant crimson sun labouring Arellano is best known for her surrealist and
together to bring in the haul for the day. His notable expressionist work in plaster, bronze and cold-cast
works are represented in the Cultural Center of the marble. Her sculptures highlight the female body
Philippines, the National Historical Museum of and draw from themes surrounding sexuality,
Taipei and the National Museum in Singapore. religion, and mysticism. Borrowing from the term of
poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, Agnes attributes her
5. Benedicto Cabrera (1942-present)- Fondly known work to ‘inscapes’, that assert an internal unity
as ‘BenCab’ in the Philippines, Cabrera is the best- among various elements in her installations and
selling commercial painter of his generation and a sculptures. Drawing from the tragic death of her
prominent head of the local contemporary art parents and sister from a house fire in 1981, her
scene. He studied under José Joya at the University work explores themes of creation and destruction,
of the Philippines and received his degree in Fine and the cycles of life from birth to death.
Arts in 1963. His fruitful career has spanned five 9. Roberto Chabet (1937-2013)- Born Roberto
decades, where his paintings, etchings, sketches, Rodriguez, he used his mother’s maiden name
and prints have been exhibited across Asia, Europe, Chabet when he began his career in art. He was a
and the US. He currently resides in the chilly mentor to many students at the University of the
northern hill station of Baguio, where he Philippines, where he taught for over 30 years, and
established his own four-level BenCab Museum on is acknowledged as the father of conceptual art in
Asin Road that features an eclectic selection of the Philippines. Chabet initially studied architecture
indigenous artifacts, personal works, and an but his conceptual art installations, collages, and
overwhelming collection of paintings from sculptures in the 1960s and 70s made him a
contemporary Filipino artists. rebellious figure on the local art scene. He was the
6. Kidlat Tahimik (1942-present)- A close friend of founding museum director of the Cultural Center of
BenCab and Baguio native is critically acclaimed the Philippines from 1967-1970, where he
director Kidlat Tahimik. Known as the father of established the 13 Artists Awards that highlight the
Philippine independent film, the government achievements of young artists whose works show a
recently conferred upon him the Order of National contemporary view of art-making and thinking.
Artist for Film in October 2018. Born Eric de Guia, 10. Napoleon Abueva (1930-2018)- Noted as the Father
Kidlat Tahimik means ‘silent lightning’ in Tagalog. of Modern Filipino sculpture, Abueva attended the
Before entering cinema, Kidlat studied at the University of the Philippines with Joya and was
prestigious University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton mentored by noted sculptor Guillermo Tolentino, at
School, earning a Masters in Business the College of Fine Arts. Born in Bohol, he is also the
Administration. His work is associated with Third youngest National Artist awardee appointed by
Cinema, a film movement that denounces neo- then President Marcos, at the age of 46. His
colonialism and the capitalist system. His films have expertise was seen in a wide array of materials such
been prominent at film festivals across America, as hard wood, abode, steel, cement, marble, and
Europe, and Asia. bronze. Abueva is adept in traditional
7. Eduardo Masferré (1909-1995)- Further north of representation and modern abstract forms of
Baguio, in the mountainous province of Sagada, sculpture. A trip around the University of the
Eduardo Masferré was born to a Filipino mother Philippines will show you a number of his works,
and Spanish soldier. He is regarded as the Father of such as the University Gateway and Nine Muses
Philippine photography. He documented with great near the old faculty centre. He was also responsible
detail the everyday lives of indigenous people of the for the relief marble sculptures seen in the war
Cordilleras. The self-taught photographer processed memorial cross in Mt. Samat, Bataan. It is the
his own film in a makeshift darkroom and managed second highest cross in the world and the tallest in
to even produce prints without electricity. His Asia. Under the commission of the Philippine
photographs capture the culture of the people in his government, Abueva collaborated with designer
community and serve as a documentation of their Lorenzo del Castillo to create a shrine that
customary practices and rituals. Masferré’s commemorates the thousands of Filipino and
photographs have found their way into exhibitions American soldiers who lost their lives during the
around the world. The Smithsonian Institution Japanese-led Bataan Death March in 1942. Make
carries at least 120 prints of his works for the sure to walk up the flight of stairs inside the cross to
National Museum of Natural History in Washington reach the top, and experience the fabulous views of
D.C. He is remembered for his book on the People Bataan.
of the Philippine Cordillera Photographs 1934-1956,
