Theme of Love: 26 Most Admired Paintings of Love in Art

by A Kladov

Here is a list of the top love paintings in art. The metaphor "love" has been used in many artistic mediums by Edouard Monet, Claude Monet, Renoir, Raja Ravi Varma, etc. Here are some of the most famous artists who used love as a central theme in their works.

Christ among Doctors by Albrecht Durer

Christ Among Doctors By Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Durer painted Christ among doctors in 1506, and it is thought that the painting was completed in only five days.

The Lictors bring to Brutus his sons' bodies by Jacques Louis David

The Lictors Bring To Brutus The Bodies Of His Sons By Jacques Louis David

The Lictors bring to Brutus his sons' bodies is a painting by Jacques Louis David from 1789. The original title was too long. It reads: Brutus sentenced sons to death for conspiring with Tarquinians, plotting against Roman freedom, and attempting a Tarquinian restorer. He also had his Lictors burn their bodies to be buried.

Oath of the Horatii (Jacques Louis David)

Oath Of The Horatii By Jacques Louis David

The Oath of the Horatti was painted by Jacques Louis David in 1784. This painting belongs to the Neoclassical style and is considered one of its best. This painting shows a father holding the swords that his son is carrying to war.

Andromache Mourning Hector (Jacques Louis David)

Andromache Mourning Hector By Jacques Louis David

Andromache Mourning Hector was painted by Jacques Louis David in 1783. Achilles murdered Andromache's husband, Hector. She is mourning his death as the child comforts his mother. This painting is on display at the Musee du Louvre in Paris.

The Death of Leonardo da Vinci, by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

The Death Of Leonardo Da Vinci By Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres painted The Death of Leonardo da Vinci in 1818. The French painter depicted the death of Leonardo da Vinci, the greatest artist in history. King Francis I of France held his head while receiving his last breath.

Frederic Bazille, Family Reunion

Family Reunion By Frederic Bazille

Frederic Bazille painted Family Reunion in 1867. If this painting were painted in black-and-white, it would look like a photograph. You can view it at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

Doni Tondo by Michelangelo Buonarroti

Doni Tondo By Michelangelo Buonarroti

Michelangelo Buonarroti produced the painting Doni Tondo between 1506-1507. The painting is also known as Doni Madonna or The Holy Family. Leonardo da Vinci's The Virgin and Child With St. Anne influenced the Doni Tondo.

The Lovers by Rene Magritte

The Lovers By Rene Magritte

Rene Magritte painted The Lovers in 1928 when she was 30. This painting shows two figures, one male and one female, locked in an embrace.

The Cradle, Berthe Morisot

The Cradle By Berthe Morisot

Berthe Morisot painted The Cradle in 1872. This painting was displayed at the Impressionist Exhibition in 1874, exactly two years after it was created. Berthe Morisot's most famous work is The Cradle. She was the first female to exhibit a painting.

Madonna and Child and Two Angels, by Filippo Lippi

Madonna And Child And Two Angels By Filippo Lippi

Filippo Lippi painted The Madonna with Child and Two Angels around 1465. It is considered one of the Renaissance's most famous masterpieces. You can view this painting at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

The Bolt by Jean Honore Fragonard

The Bolt By Jean Honore Fragonard

Jean Honore Fragonard painted The Bolt around 1778. This painting shows a young boy reaching for the bolt with his right hand to hold back his beloved. This painting is on display at the Louvre Museum.

Titian, Bacchus, and Ariadne

Bacchus And Ariadne By Titian

Titian painted Bacchus and Ariadne between 1522 and 1523. This painting is considered one of the most important masterpieces of Italian Renaissance art. It tells the story of Ariadne, the daughter of King Menos, who falls in love with the god Bacchus.

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

The Kiss By Gustav Klimt

Gustav Klimt painted The Kiss between 1907-1908. The Golden Period inspired this painting, which depicts two bodies wrapped in elaborate robes, embracing each other. The Osterreichische Galerie Belvedere Museum in the Belvedere Palace, Vienna, houses this painting.

Hope II by Gustav Klimt - The subject of Pregnancy Art

Edouard Manet's Father Lathuille

With Father Lathuille by Édouard Manet

Edouard manet painted With Father, Lathuille in 1879. This painting depicts a famous father, Lathuille cabaret, and then a Batignolles restaurant. The Museum of Fine Arts of Tournai houses this painting.

The Fisherman and the Syren, by Frederic Leighton

The Fisherman And The Syren By Frederic Leighton

Frederic Leighton painted The Fisherman and Syren in 1857. The painting depicts two figures - a male fisherman and a female Syren - in an embrace. The Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery in Bristol, UK, is where you can view this painting.

Sohni Mahiwal by Sobha Singh

Sohni Mahiwal By Sobha Singh

Sobha Sing's painting Sohni Mahiwal was created in 2013. It is considered one of four tragic romances in Punjab, India. Sohni is a heroine who marries a man unhappily, and every night, she swims in the river to her beloved Mahiwal.

William Adolphe Bouguereau, Cupid and Psyche: Children

Cupid And Psyche As Children By William Adolphe Bouguereau

William Adolphe Bouguereau painted Cupid and Psyche As Children in 1890. The artist portrays Greek mythological characters Cupid, Psyche, and their children, sharing a kiss and embrace. The painting is in a private collection.

The Jewish Bride by Rembrandt

The Jewish Bride By Rembrandt

Rembrandt painted The Jewish Bride in 1667. The Dutch artist shows a Jewish father giving a necklace to his daughter at her wedding in this painting. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is where you can see this painting.

Ron Mueck, Spooning Couple

Spooning Couple By Ron Mueck

Ron Mueck produced Spooning Couple between 2005 and 2007. The sculpture shows a woman and a man lying together, both semi-naked. The FLAG Art Foundation in New York has this sculpture on display.

Mother and Child on a Boat by Edmund Charles Tarbell

Mother And Child In A Boat By Edmund Charles Tarbell

Edmund Charles Tarbell painted Mother and Child on a Boat in 1892. The artist depicted his wife Emeline and daughter Josephine in this painting, which is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.

Honeysuckle Bower by Peter Paul Rubens

Honeysuckle Bower By Peter Paul Rubens

Honeysuckle Bower was painted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1609. The models are Rubens's self-portrait and that of his first wife, Isabella Brant. The painting is on display at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.

The Palm Grove of Radha and Krishna, the Lovers

The Lovers Radha And Krishna In A Palm Grove

A painting called The Lovers Radha & Krishna in Palm Grove was produced between 1690 and 1730. The painting depicts both romance and bhakti, with Krishna the Lord and Radha the Bhakt entwined in the dark forest. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has this painting.

Marc Chagall's The Birthday

The Birthday By Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall painted The Birthday in 1915. This painting shows Chagall's first wife, Bella Rosenfeld, and Chagall is floating above her kissing. This painting is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.

Raja Ravi Varma, There Comes Papa

There Comes Papa By Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma produced the painting There Comes Papa in 1893. Mahaprabha, the daughter of the artist, and shown with her daughter in this painting is Mahaprabha Varma. This painting is located at Kowdiar Palace in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.

Suzuki Harunobu, Lovers Under an Umbrella in the Snow

Lovers Under An Umbrella In The Snow By Suzuki Harunobu

Suzuki Harunobu painted Lovers Under an Umbrella In the Snow between 1764 and 1772. The painting shows lovers walking in the snow, but it could also be a path towards a love-suicide. This painting measures 26.6 x 19 8 cm.

The Resurrection: Reunion of Families, by Stanley Spencer

The Resurrection Reunion Of Families By Stanley Spencer

Stanley Spencer painted The Resurrection: Reunion Of Families in 1945. This painting was a reproduction of a handmade oil painting on canvas.