What Makes A Painter Be Remembered As Truly Great?

Few artists over the centuries managed to achieve fame both during their lifetime, and in the wake of their death, in the way that Leonardo Da Vinci did. All too often, artists were viewed with scepticism or simply disliked for their style of work when they were alive, finding fame only when their work came to be appreciated by more forward thinking, modern minds, years after their passing.

Artists who achieved fame both during, and after, their lifetime

Talented at painting and drawing, Da Vinci was also a highly skilled mathematician, inventor and scientist; apprenticed to a great painter at the time, he was often commissioned to paint nobility and clergymen, with his success later attributed to this. Having painted the Mona Lisa – now one of the most famous paintings in the world – and with 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown having launched the artist into the annuls of popular culture, he is undeniably one of the top painters of all time, and remembered as being one of the true greats of the art world.

One other artist who became famous while he was still alive is Michaelangelo, who is perhaps best known for his painting of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling; a work which took him four years to complete it. in fact, so popular was Michaelangelo during his lifetime that while he was still alive, two biographies were scribed about him.

Artists who struggled to be appreciated when alive

But there were plenty of artists who struggled during their lifetime, both in their personal and working lives, and who only gained fame once they had died. Vincent Van Gogh, for example, became famous only after his death, when exhibitions to commemorate him were held in places like Paris, The Hague and Brussels. Later, when an art critic wrote an article about him, praising his artistic vision, and when the artists’ letters were subsequently published at the beginning of the 20^th century, his work started to become an inspiration for other artists, and of course today, he is considered as being one of the world’s greatest painters by many.

Monet was another artist who was deeply underappreciated during his lifetime, with people not understanding his style of painting, and many simply not liking the type of non-traditional paintings he produced.

Of the great artists in history, Picasso is another name we are all familiar with, and who is undeniably more popular now, than when he was alive. Although he gained fame slowly throughout his life, and was able to start turning a profit from his work not long into his career when a well-known art collector became interested in him, it wasn’t until some years after is death that he came to be viewed as such a trailblazer in the arts.

Modern artists still alive today

Arguably one of the most famous artists still alive and working today, street artist Banksy has managed to gain fame and notoriety without ever having to reveal his identity. Beginning his art career in the 1990’s, Banksy used graffiti to illustrate anti-capitalist and anti-establishment messages. With his work often found in public spaces, they, and the artist, quickly gained a lot of attention, and when combined with the fact that nobody knew who ‘he’ was, his work began to fetch huge prices at auctions.

With disputes commonly occurring as to who owns a piece of his artwork when it appears on a property, he has undoubtedly become one of the most famous artists of all time.

But what makes an artist become famous?

Whether their rise to fame is slow and understated, takes place while they’re still alive, or happens only after they’ve died, it’s safe to say that truly great artists who are still remembered today, tend to be innovators with great imaginations.

While there is no magic formula for becoming a great painter, and fame is never guaranteed, it seems that if you’re willing to break some boundaries and explore ideas not always popular at the time, fame may well await you.