A bit strange that Robert McCall hasn't come up yet. Sure, his murals are perfectly suited for the cover of fantasy-novels, but he's also painted a great number of old-fashioned paintings of modern motifs, the kind that's always accompanied by the words: Artist's impression of... I think my favourite McCall-painting is the 1969; Apollo 8 Coming Home. But I also like Handshake in Space from 1974. Here's the artist's own page - and here's another collection of some of his art (16 pages worth of it!).
Easy. The interior and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. If art had a song the walls of that building would resonate with the most beautiful harmonies ever heard by human ears. I've never been a Catholic but I've always been an artist, and have been fascinated by the frescoes and other pieces of art inside the Sistine Chapel since the John Paul II-era restorations began while I was a teenager in junior high (circa 1988). Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. Works by artists such as Van Gogh, DaVinci and Giotto would also rank very high on my personal "Best" list. Vincent's works were an integral part of my childhood due to both of my parents adoring his work and owning several relatively cheap prints that we displayed when I was a kid.
the reckless sleeper by rene magritte http://0.tqn.com/d/arthistory/1/0/x/7/1/06-Rene-Magritte-Reckless-Sleeper-1928.jpg
Istvan Sandorfi's paintings are intriguing. http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0c4ciePjj1qe31lco1_1280.jpg http://www.emptykingdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/peinture_siamoise.jpg
Ugh! Hate the blocks at work, so many pictures on here (and other threads) are just Red Xs!!! Here is one that I own (of course not the original...I wish!)
If it's anything this thread has taught me is that the next time I'm in NY I need to get my ass to The Met.
Google Images can be pretty helpful in tracking some things down. I use it quite a bit. Scott Mutter was a photographer, not a painter, and the more customary name for the cutesy "surrational image" label is photomontage.
Here's another of my favorites: "Soldiers Playing at Cards" by Fernand Leger We saw this painting at an exhibit in Seattle. It was quite striking.
I don't think the painting that hangs in my room is available online... but I have an oil painting by Larry Vorhees showing deer drinking at a stream right before a waterfall. It used to hang at my grandfather's house and when he moved, I asked for that painting. It was the soothing imagery that drew me to that painting. It's a favorite of mine. I also rather like the artwork of Charles Summey.
I went to an exhibition many moons ago at RA in London of American landscape painters (can only remember names Church, Cole and Wimslow(?) Homer). I thought some of them were stunning and as good as anything by Turner or Constable. But they don't seem very fashionable, and I'd be the first to admit it wasn't one of those must-see/hot ticket exhibitions. (You can be guaranteed anything impressionist will sell out)
TSQ did a piece for me for my aunt and uncle, I took a picture of it, but the camera fried before I could upload it
I'm not very familiar with Church, but his Wikipedia entry has some really nice examples. Ditto Cole. Winslow Homer is probably one of the best-known names, notable at least as much for seascapes as landscape painting.
I know this is suppose to be paintings but of all the Wooster prints I own, this is without a doubt my favorite. This is Wooster Scott's Victorian Kaleidoscope.