Do You Know Who Painted These Famous Artworks?

Even if you’re not an art fan, you’ve probably seen this painting in countless reproductions. It's even been made into an emoji on your phone! But who painted the iconic Great Wave?

Perhaps the greatest artist of the Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock school, Hokusai's 1830/1832 series of prints, Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, includes this powerful depiction of waves dwarfing the mountain and threatening fishing ships.

This is another image, or collection of images, you’re likely to have seen numerous times over the years. Reproduced on everything from t-shirts and socks to mouse mats, these colourful squares have become an icon of 20th century design. But who came up with the original concept?

Born in the Netherlands in 1872, Piet Mondrian was a painter and art theoretician. Often considered one of the most important artistic figures of the last century, Mondrian moved from figurative painting into abstract art, eventually reducing his palette to purely geometric designs. 

Done in 1909, this portrait is an early example of how Cubist artists treated the human form, incorporating multiple viewpoints and a fragmented style to reflect the fractured, increasingly mechanized, and politically divided 20th Century. But who painted this portrait?

It's Pablo Picasso, of course! Along with Georges Braque, he was the most prominent Cubist artist, and in these earlier works took inspiration from Iberian and African sculpture. Picasso painted in various styles throughout his career, but his Cubist works are maybe his best known. 

Painted in 1533, The Ambassadors is one of the most famous works of the Tudor period. The incredibly intricate image shows two men standing next to a number of beautifully painted symbolic objects. The most famous of these objects is a distorted skull that can only be seen properly from a certain perspective. 

Hans Holbein was a German-born artist who spent most of his life in England. His paintings are very precise and true to life. As a result, he’s often called the first Realist. Like The Ambassadors, many of Holbein’s paintings contain hidden meanings and symbols, making them fascinating to study as well as great to look at. 

American Gothic is another very famous portrait and one of the best-known US works of the 20th century. Painted in 1930, it shows a farmer holding a fork, standing beside his daughter. The image has been widely copied, reproduced and parodied, appearing on TV, in films and on countless merchandise. So who painted it?

Born in 1891, Grant Wood is best known for his works depicting the American Midwest. His paintings, though apparently showing everyday characters, are always a little unsettling. This is probably why they’ve captured the imaginations of fans of Americana for generations.