I would like to start off by posting an image of one of my favorite paintings of all times. Nighthawks by Edward Hopper It is a classic example of American art.
My favorite painting is The Hallucinogenic Toreador, by Salvador Dali. Colorful, lots of motion, very complex, and of course the hidden toreador. Back in college we would trip on this painting all the time.
I don't know if I could pick a single favorite. I definitely have a special fondness for The Scream. In fact, we're buddies. Here he is visiting my backyard: Also, almost anything by van Gogh; Wheatfield With Crows in particular. Norman Rockwell's The Problem We All Live With. Liberty Leads The People by Delacroix. American Gothic by Wood, of course. And I do like Nighthawks (I love how TCM turned it into a promo).
This is one of my favorite works of art, too. At the risk of being pedantic... it's a woodblock print, not a painting. Hate the original painting. Love your version!
What a great thread! I do love Van Gogh, my favorites are probably Irises: and this self-portrait; I skipped work to go to the Met one day last month, and stared at it for a good half hour. It makes me all teary for some reason, but in a good way: I love impressionism, and Le gare saint Lazare has always been an especial favorite: A small print of Vermeer's Milkmaid hung in the kitchen when I was a kid, and I've always been comforted by her domesticity, and by how some things remain the same throughout centuries: I also love Lautrec. There is an illustrator's quality to his portraits, and he captures character and moments so beautifully. There's a sort of fragile look about the lines he uses that I think reminds one of how fragile the people he painted were... And, though not of a tradition or style that I typically dig, I love Charles William Mitchell's Hypatia. This picture was in a kid's book of women scientists my mother bought me when I was little, and I thought Hypatia was awesome. Because she was:
I tend to like the works of modern painters the most. I quite like the works of Harold Hitchcock (1914-2009) though I can't say I can choose a favourite from his work. Here is an example Crossing a Ford by Harold Hitchcock.
Since thestrangequark opened the gates for more than one picture, here we are. Claude Monet, House of Parliament series (works better when seen in its totality) Annibale Carracci, The Beaneater Piet Mondrian, Composition with yellow, blue and red Kazimir Malevič, Red Square Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, The Fourth Estate
^You can't expect me to choose just one! I love that last one. It actually reminds me a lot of Chris Van Allsburg's illustrations in a way. There is a weight and soilid-ness to the people, almost as if they were made of clay.
The so-called Skagensmalere are part of a Danish golden age of painting, as you can see the paintings are vibrant with sunlight and colour: P. S. Krøyer: Summer-afternoon on Skagen Beach. P. S. Krøyer: Hip-Hip Hurra (From left and around the table: Martha Johansen, Viggo Johansen, Chr. Krohg, P.S. Krøyer, Degn Brøndum, Michael Ancher, Oscar Björck, Thorvald Niss, Helene Christensen, Anna Ancher and her daughter Helga Ancher.) Anna Ancher: Sunshine in the blue parlor (Her daughter: Helga Ancher). I also like American 'pretty paintings'. You'll know these two... (Quite a different take on the all-american diner than in the OP )
Slightly off topic, but... there's a fascinating article in today's NYT about a newly discovered Van Gogh. Trekkiedane, the lighting in those Skagensmalere is amazing. I think the top one has just made it onto my favorites list! I'm not crazy about Rockwell in general, but I've always liked The Runaway. Love the colors. And love how the kid probably feels "special today" with all the kindly attention from the cop and the guy behind the counter.
Oh my God tsq, you have such awesome taste in art. Some really good ones have already been mentioned, and I'm having trouble thinking of new ones...so I'll go with one by a less known artist, my grandfather, Bo Erland Alfredsson. I've always been rather fond of this piece by him:
I really wish I had some more pics of them, I think he may have sold some of the older ones that I really liked.