Ok, you can pick 10 paintings past or contemporary -which???

They did work together for a short while in Paris, but I'm not sure when this painting was completed. I believe van Gogh wanted to create some sort of organization at that time. c.i.

qert

The Gleaners is by Millet. When you see my artwork you will understand my choices . There is so much great art out there, it is very hard to choose. I was also picking for what I want in my home, not in a museum or somthing like that.
Caravaggio beat a man to death with a tennis racquet, but I don't like his paintings any less. Gaugan spread venerial disease throughout Tahiti. I can't stand Freud's work though, total lecherous nutcase- it disturbs me.

Here's the gleaners. c.i.
http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/asc/projects/comm544/library/images/110.html

yes Millet.

You don't like Freud's work???? I think it is really powerful. I don't find it lecherous or sexual at all! i think he is too dispassionate about the flesh being human - the passion is for the form and weight and movement and muscle.

I find Ingres more lecherous - cold and clinical but lecherous.

link to Freud Webpage Title

The Gleanors kind of reminds me of van Gogh's Potato Eaters. c.i.

yes Millet and his generation were the influence that led to the Impressionist and Van Gogh - prior to this peasants weren't the subject of paintings, nor were they painted as truly - as weary, cold, hungry, ragged, whatever

Portal you mentioned Caravaggio and the murder - I went to school for a few years in Malta, where there is a wonderful Caravaggio in St John's Co cathedral in Valetta.

He painted it whilst on the run as a result of the murder - the catholic church were quite happy to give him sanctuary in return for a painting!

A Gaugan. c.i.

now Gauguin was a lecher!

I think Gaugan does a very good job of introducing the Polynesians to the rest of the world. c.i.

the thing that amazes me about Church's work is his ability to capture the instant in time with such fabulous detail and poecy. He did about 5 versions of Niagara sort of like Monets Ruen Cathedral http://www.corcoran.org/collection/highlights_main_results.asp?ID=51

I read an article on Freud in Art In America a while back. His relationship with his grandaughter seems eerie and less than pristine. Also, he's related to sigmund Freud. Creepy to the max.

I want to add to my list, having only one so far...but I am having trouble finding good links.

2) But, for what it is worth, there was an article in the NYTimes a bunch of years ago about Louis Remy Mignot, which I have saved a copy of all this time...but the pic is in black+ white..."Bal de Nuit, Paris" 1867 oil.
Fabulous, but it isn't in the nyt achives that I can find, as the article by Holland Carter was pre 1996. Layered night scene...

3) Then I have a favorite Turner, in a book in French of my business partner's (Turner, by Pierre Rouve)...the painting is in the Tate collection, but I can't find it online.. Marine avec cote lointaine, 1840. Lot going on there...

and another Turner, which I never saw before but really prize now that I have, "Petworth: Salle de Musique, 1835. Mystery and gesture.

4) Well, finally, maybe I can find the link for my probable first favorite, the one I would really want in my house. Back in a minute. (Woman in the coral dress). Will post these so not to lose them, back later.
Found it, it is by Thomas Eakins' The Actress The links look, frankly, terrible, in contrast to the painting in the New York Metropolitan Museum's Manet/Velasquez show this Spring. The painting is huge and delicious. It has apparently been recently restored; maybe that is why the images on the links are rather terrible. In the New York show, it was near the end of a long show of gathered masterpieces, no kidding, and competed stood its ground...a painting to my heart. I took other photos that day, buy you couldn't take them in that special exhibit.
http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/art.asp?aid=83&page=5
http://www.philamuseum.org/join-and-support/development/rest-cons.shtml

5) This one in the Santa Barbara museum...first time I saw paintings by any of the eight, or was it ten...George Bellows http://www.sbmuseart.org/collection/american/steamingStreets.html
My own photo is better than this link's, but it is at work... Ok, I like it because at least for me it isn't allegorical, it is just right in front of your face, there is a lot of movement, thrust of the horse, thrust of the man, thrust of the snow storm, slush below all....small painting with grit. Which is what that group was about.

6) back with a photo of a painting by Uccello. One of the first to fool around with perspective, Paolo Uccello provides a wide battle scene, with title I forget this minute; it involves horses and big jousting type spears, lots of movement or if not movement, thrust...within the painting, fairly early. Will try to link my own photo, which is intereresting in itself because of the woman in front of it, might be a while.

My top ten are not ranked. They're simply ten paintings I love.

Because I've based some of my work on it, I'd start with Antonello's St. Jerome.

Antonello da Messina? I have a small book on his paintings...one moment please...um, St. Jerome in his study??

1. A Willem DeKooning ("A Night in Havana" would do)

2. A Franz Kline

3. A Vasarely

4. A Caneletto

5. An Ensor

6. A Renoir

7. A Monet

8. A Titian portrait

9. A Jasper Johns

10. A Rauschenburg

wow LW what a wonderful variety!

from Renoir to de Kooning

I doubt I'll be able to come up with another favorite in a short time, knowing that we're limited to 10, but I've been noting the interest in Turner and thinking about him. There's de la Tour in the Kimbell in Fort Worth of card players which I may have to include. It's really hard...

Osso: "My" Antonello (I wish!!) is in the Nat. Gall. in London. Go to http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/a/antonell/ and scroll down a bit. One gets a terrific image by clicking on the thumbnail -- wish I had a huge monitor!