The world has seen thousands of artists and millions of great pieces of art, but we chose just a handful of pieces of art from some of greatest masters of painting to show a little of how they were inspired by color… or perhaps, how they inspire us with color.

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Painted between 1503 and 1506 in Florence, Italy. It is painted using the sfumato method, a term coined by Leonardo referring to a painting technique in which translucent layers of paint are applied so subtly that there is no perceptible transition. Her enigmatic smile has been both evocative and cause of speculation as to whom she might be.

Three Musicians by Pablo Picasso

Painted in the summer of 1921 in a great constrast to his monumental sculptures that year. The seemingly cut-out paper painting evokes a bohemian period in life that was enjoyed even by Picasso, who is the diamond-covered figure in the centre.

Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí

Painted in 1931, the surrealistic painting has also been popularly known as Soft Watches, Droopy Watches, or Melting Clocks, and the theme of the painting was later revisited by Dali in 1954 with ‘The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory.

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

Painted in 1889 and embodies an inner, subjective expression of van Gogh’s response to nature. In thick sweeping brushstrokes, a flamelike cypress unites the churning sky and the quiet village below. The village was partly invented, and the church spire evokes van Gogh’s native land, the Netherlands.

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli

The Birth of Venus depicts the goddess Venus, having emerged from the sea as a full grown woman, arriving at the sea-shore. It is suggested that the painting may have been created in 1483 for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco. The inspirations Botticelli used where of second century art and history.

Harmony in Red by Henri Matisse

One of Mattise’s most unusual color creations, with a history just as fascinating and complex. Created in 1908, the piece originally started out as Harmony in Green, and then Harmony in Blue. The predominantly blue canvas was then painted over in the bold red seen now.

La Promenade by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

La Promenade depicts a young man helping a woman up a sloping path into the wood. In doing so, he backs into the trees and bushes and becomes a “green man.” He gestures into the trees; she looks away, as if wondering whether she really wants to surrender to the trees and his green embrace, to be tumbled and cradled beneath the dress the trees, soiling her radiant white dress.

The article By Colour Lovers.

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