Paintings and artwork are not like any other items. There are many criteria by which a painting can be ranked. The ultimate ranking, however, is in the eye of the beholder. Paintings can be rated by popularity, price, technique, etc. Some paintings don't have a price, but their value is great. These are the top five paintings in the world.

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (1506)- This painting was made famous because of the many speculations that surrounded it. It is oil on poplar, and it is currently owned by the French government. The Mona Lisa is displayed in the Louvre in Paris. Lisa del Giocondo is the sitter for the painting. Leonardo didn't finish the painting until right before his death. If the Mona Lisa was for sale, its value would be over $700 million.

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Street in Venice.Cityscape.Acrylic Painting on Canvas.

"Street in Venice"
11"x14", 3/4" deep
28cm x 35cm
Acrylic on Canvas
$180.00

French Window.Cityscape Art.Acrylic Painting on Canvas.

"French Window"
SOLD
12"x16",1½" deep
30cm x 40cm
Acrylic on Canvas
Commission similar painting for
$250.00

French Window.Cityscape.Acrylic Painting on Canvas.

"French Window"
11"x14", 3/4" deep
28cm x 35cm
Acrylic on Canvas
$150.00

"French Window"
11"x14", 3/4" deep
28cm x 35cm
Acrylic on Canvas
$80.00

Green Dragon.Abstract.Acrylic Painting on Canvas.

"Dragon"
8"x10", 3/4" deep
20cm x 25cm
Acrylic on Canvas
$60.00

Cityscape Paintings

Van Gogh's The Potato Eaters(1885) - This is one of Van Gogh's most recognized works. It is an oil on canvas. The painting is created with an earth palette, which is completely different than his later bright works. The Potato Eaters is an escape from the Romantic art influences. The painting was inspired by Van Gogh's stay in Belgium, where he became interested in sketching local people. According to the artist, he wanted people to understand the simple life - growing your own food and working hard.

Claude Monet's Impression, Sunrise (1872) - The painting is oil on canvas, and it represents La Harve harbor in France. This piece of art work is where the Impressionist movement got their name. Impression, Sunrise was first displayed in an art show in 1974. A hostile critic made a bad review of the exhibition in the newspaper, calling the artists "Impressionists." Despite the bad review, the exhibition was a great success. An interesting thing about the painting is that it was measured with a photometer. It turned out that the sun and the sky had equal brightness.

Landscape Paintings

Pablo Picasso's Dora Maar au Chat (1941) - Dora was Picasso's lover. The painting represents her with a tiny kitty on the shoulder. This is one of the ten paintings in the world that have sold for the most money. The painting was bought anonymously and the owner is not known to the general public. Dora Maar was created with an incredible attention to detail and a very colorful palette.

Marine Paintings

Salvador Dali's Persistence of Memory (1931) - The painting is oil on canvas and it is located in the New York City Museum of Modern Art. There is a lot of talk about this surrealist painting. Every critic has his or her own opinion. Some consider the melting pocket watches to symbolize how irrelevant time is compared to nature. In 1954 Dali completed a second version of this famous painting. This second painting is considered to represent the new "digital" age that the world was moving towards.

The world is filled with art. Oil paintings are just a small part of it. Although these five paintings are some of the most popular worldwide, there are many others that are equally as beautiful and appreciated.