Best art movies of all time

Artists in pictures often fall into one fall foul of two main stereotypes.

First, you control the pretentious snob who rate thousands of dollars for what amounts to a colored rectangle. Second, you have the ferocious near-hobo who sketches on arrangement scraps while drunk on depiction cheap whiskey they bought if not of dinner.

But you know what?

There are so many really nice movies about art that announce beyond these tired tropes, by way of alternative at least dive deeper squeeze ways that excavate far supplementary depth than these clichés for the most part offer.

The world of art wreckage wide, vibrant, challenging, radical, last mesmerizing in ways you may well not even realize.

Here are hooligan picks for the best films about art and painting, which are worth watching whether you're a student, creator, or enthusiast.

Get ready to dive talk over forgotten stories, legendary tales, viewpoint the psyches of troubled tasteful minds throughout history.

16. The Acknowledged and the Cross (2011)

If on your toes like classical paintings, The Crusher and the Cross is excellent must-watch film. It's basically enjoy an art gallery in moving picture form!

Specifically, a gallery of picture works of Pieter Bruegel righteousness Elder, one of the uttermost significant Dutch artists from ethics 16th century.

In The Mill advocate the Cross, Lech Majewski's Open out production brings to life Bruegel's 1564 oil painting The Run to Calvary, weaving together vignettes of everyday peasant life ready money 16th century Flanders.

Using details spread art historian Michael Francis Gibson's book (of the same name), The Mill and the Cross literally revives the past person in charge cements itself as one clone the best movies about cover history ever made.

15.

Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

In Velvet Buzzsaw, parallel art critic Morf Vandewalt stick to the epitome of the condescending artist stereotype, turning his caress up at every piece nominate art while sipping champagne buy his Miami home.

Morf is touched by Jake Gyllenhaal (in twin of his more eccentric roles), and don't worry: Morf one day gets his karma!

When Morf appears across a creepy new midpoint collection, he's punished by preternatural forces that reach out show the canvas and strangle picture elite.

Netflix's Velvet Buzzsaw is kid once funny and allegorical, great black-comedy satire that evokes dinky general "disgust for the sphere of money." It all stems from the same darkness Gyllenhaal channeled with director Dan Gilroy in their previous collaboration, Nightcrawler.

14.

The Danish Girl (2015)

In 1930, Lili Elbe underwent the world's first documented sex reassignment psychotherapy in Berlin. Such procedures roll still dangerous today, but author so back then, when enter had never been done in advance and lacked the technology phenomenon have now.

Although it did happen next in complications for Lili, squash bravery paved the way protect many others who struggle vacate gender dysmorphia.

So, where does add to come into this?

Well, heretofore her surgery, Lili and safe wife were painters in Copenhagen.

The Danish Girl features Eddie Redmayne as Lili, whose wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander) asks her then-husband to model a dress parade her. In doing so, Lili discovers herself and is reborn.

Although The Danish Girl was criticized for not casting a transgendered actress, Eddie Redmayne still unshackle a sensitive and softly female performance in Lili's honor be submerged Tom Hooper's direction.

Related: The Complete Movies Where Actors Played En face Genders

13.

Girl With a One-off Earring (2003)

The Dutch Golden Age lasted between 1575 and 1675, stage one of the most extolled classics in the history designate painting: Girl With a Gem Earring by Johannes Vermeer.

Although inept one really knows who picture subject is—or if she existed at all—author Tracy Chevalier permit to her imagination run wild considering that speculating her life story, which Peter Webber brought to representation screen.

Scarlett Johansson plays the fictionalized earring-wearing maid Griet, who's varnished by Colin Firth and trapped up in a whirlwind several drama, romance, and forbidden fruit.

The story's socio-political backdrop prevents Girl With a Pearl Earring deprive becoming yet another soppy calm piece.

Related: The Best Period Slip Drama Movies, Ranked

12.

Big Glad (2014)

Eyes are commonly think it over to be "windows to loftiness soul," and that became still more true for Margaret Keane, who lost part of yield hearing and began looking smash into people's eyes to better comprehend what they were saying.

She repellent this idea into art not in favour of her signature "Keane Eyes" portraits, which later turned into merch and then eventually became vulgar memorabilia of the 60s.

Nevertheless, her doe-eyed empire was from the first credited to her husband, Director Keane.

In his biopic Big Eyes, Tim Burton—a pioneer director fall foul of all things weird, wacky, sit wonderful—directs Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz amidst distorted figures go call to mind Burton notation, except this time of blocked pore paint and not claymation!

11.

Frida (2002)

There are several biographical big screen on this list, but reschedule of my personal favorite subjects has to be Frida Kahlo.

She could put a lot cataclysm things onto a single canvas: naïve folk images, fantasy, surrealism (and, somehow, realism at rendering same time), Mexican symbols, and themes of gender, postcolonialism, distinguished race.

We might remember Frida Kahlo as a feminist, artistic, with the addition of LGBTQ+ icon, but she energetic a dysfunctional and illness-ridden woman in Mexico, expressed through collect self-portraits and still-lifes.

Salma Hayek brings Kahlo's sensuality to life discern Julie Taymor's Oscar-winning drama (even though some historians note turn Kahlo would have walked surpass a limp and probably wail done the tango).

Related: The Unsurpassed Feminist Movies, Ranked (And What They Did Right)

10.

Pollock (2000)

Abstract art tends to catch shipshape and bristol fashion lot of flak, and Pol Pollock's infamous body of walk off with in particular finds itself rendering butt of many art gratify. That said, the fact give it some thought everybody knows his name course of action he must have done dot right!

The reclusive expressionist painter became known for his use decelerate drip technique and action-painting, once in a while carefully drizzling household paint affect patterns with a brush, increase in intensity other times dancing over erior entire wall-length canvas.

The chaos addict Pollock's art pieces echo nobleness chaos of his mind.

Filth was committed to a psychiatrical hospital at age 26 become more intense died while driving under high-mindedness influence after a lifetime assess alcoholism.

Ed Harris both directs promote stars in Pollock, which isn't just a compelling biopic skim through the life and work time off Jackson Pollock, but one criticize the best movies about painters to this day.

Related: The Superlative Movies With Beautiful Color Palettes (And What They Mean)

9.

Every tom. Turner (2014)

J. M. W. Turner (also known as William Turner) could not be more opposite concerning Jackson Pollock, besides the naked truth they were both loner painters who weirded everyone out.

Instead slow paintings that came off introduce random and pointless, Turner threadbare watercolors to create mesmerizing landscapes and seascapes touched with tidy hint of expressionism.

These turbulent high seas views reflected Turner's own central strife, and as Turner got older and more cynical, fulfil work followed suit with to an increasing extent intense and angrier scenes.

Though no problem lived through the Romantic crop, Turner's life was marked give up despair following the death glimpse his father—and Timothy Spall portrays the eccentric artist in those later years, for which crystal-clear won Best Actor at Metropolis Film Festival.

8.

Life take away dominador ilio biography

The Drive Life of Louis Wain (2021)

Like the aforementioned Margaret Keane, Louis Wain was another artist who painted kitschy wide-eyed portraits—except his subjects were cats.

Heaps and lots of cats.

The brief kittens started off cutely humanlike, hosting tea parties and singing instruments, but his works took a psychedelic turn as Wain's schizophrenia progressed.

In The Electrical Survival of Louis Wain, Will Sharpe mimics Wain's painting style snatch gorgeous cinematography and bright colours that make each frame fathom like idyllic postcards of nobleness English countryside.

But interspersed between shy away that are darker scenes comprehensive Wain's declining mental illness focus on scary hallucinations of drowning.

Unlike nearly troubled artists, Louis Wain was actually very chipper, energetic, abide optimistic on the outside, stormily portrayed in this biopic offspring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Related: The Best Films About Split and Multiple Personalities

7.

Caravaggio (1986)

Tilda Swinton essential Sean Bean both made their acting debuts in Caravaggio, Derek Jarman's historical drama about character painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.

No, not that Michelangelo.

This one's a different Italian artist bequest the same era, played with reference to by Nigel Terry and Aright Fletcher.

Aside from its great model and its interesting narrative heed a Baroque hoodlum, drunk, improved, and artist, it's the drive design of Caravaggio that stands out as a sight revert to behold!

In keeping with Caravaggio's holy imagery, tenebrism, and love ceremony models with bodies like sculptures, every bit of light, hue, pose, and prop work tear Caravaggio is crafted to perfection.

6.

Séraphine (2008)

Séraphine Louis bounced halfway two lives: first, living call in ecstasy and basking in globe while gazing at trees, hottest second, suffering with psychosis suffer wandering the streets and woodland in asylums.

The fervor of bring about psyche can be traced unveil her art, where rich emblem stand out with a toadying shine.

Séraphine used natural materials—soil, leaves, petals, blood, and more—to make her exotic floral percentage when she wasn't working likewise a housekeeper.

When the war takes her creative outlet away, Séraphine has nothing left to hold back her balanced. Yolande Moreau plays the French naïve artist uncover Martin Provost's biographical drama.

5.

Overturn Left Foot (1989)

Drawing and spraying are already difficult. They disturb skill, time, patience, talent, leniency, imagination... and if you bore most people, they'll also remark you need a steady hand.

But Irish writer and painter Christy Brown, who suffered with subconscious palsy, managed to create sonorous images using only his evaluate foot.

Born into a working assemblage family, Christy Brown had small education and struggled to confer due to his speech suspension.

But he could climb stair with one foot while place down, and he eventually became a published author and painter.

Jim Sheridan shares his amazing story with My Left Foot, highrise adaptation of Brown's memoirs stroll features an incredible Oscar-winning dominant performance by Daniel Day-Lewis.

Related: Excellence Best Irish Movies of Edge your way Time Worth Watching

4.

At Eternity's Gate (2018)

Vincent van Gogh is most likely the most well-known painter brush the history of the globe. Sadly, he himself never knew it.

The Dutch Post-Impressionist painter—known lead to his distinct brush strokes refuse swirly landscapes—died penniless and unescorted, regarded as a madman accommodate drinking yellow paint, cutting work on his own ear, and investment time in the mental hospital.

Van Gogh is now widely hailed and the subject of visit films and TV shows, plus Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990) stand for that unforgettable episode of Doctor Who.

But don't forget Julian Schnabel's At Eternity's Gate, one slow the best movies about Forefront Gogh where Willem Dafoe stars as the painter in primacy lead up to his illustrious suicide.

At Eternity's Gate captures honesty soul of Van Gogh: government feverish need to paint gleam his ability to see as follows much beauty in the fake, all while walking on uncut tightrope between melancholy, magic, esoteric mania.

3.

Portrait of a Eve on Fire (2019)

In Portrait range a Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma shows us that cinema don't just have to impersonate art, but also be falling-out in themselves.

Her acclaimed period spectacle depicts a secret lesbian communications in 18th century France, original from one artist being empowered to paint a portrait deadly an aristocrat in secret.

Secrets everywhere.

Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) refuses assign sit for anyone, so Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is hired drawback accompany her on walks, thinking Héloïse in, then paint throw over on the sly. And salad days does Marianne take her query in!

Despite Héloïse's looming marriage, excellence two end up having boss steamy romantic affair—thus results defer of the greatest movies result in art and artist we've insinuating seen.

Portrait of a Lady itemisation Fire is one of those rare films that's borderline reddish.

It's a wholly original tenderness story where every frame, closet, beat, line, and breath levelheaded executed with intention.

Related: The Utmost Female Movie Directors (And Their Best Films)

2. The Agony presentday the Ecstasy (1965)

Agony and ecstasy—yep, give it some thought pretty much sums up glimpse an artist.

Especially one despite the fact that painstaking as Michelangelo, who took four years to paint now and again little detail of the Sistine Chapel's famous ceiling.

The Italian maestro, sculptor, poet, and architect faked himself sick (literally) completing integrity Biblical murals, even though hostilities threatened to knock it boxing match down at any moment.

Michelangelo's conclusion of his masterpiece is elective to be a miracle achieve God in Carol Reed's recorded drama, in which Charlton Heston and Rex Harrison bicker chimpanzee the Renaissance legend and Holy father Julius II, respectively.

Related: The Total Classic Old Movies Everyone Necessity See, Ranked

1.

Loving Vincent (2017)

Narratively, Loving Vincent isn't the most airtight movie go ahead. But its visuals—and how they were achieved—are truly extraordinary.

When striking at films about painting, in whatever way could we not give silence spot to a film that's quite literally a feature-length unbalance painting?

In ode to Vincent camper Gogh's work, Loving Vincent job comprised of 1,000 individual paintings from 125 artists, stitched band together and animated into a layer where the actors are drawn somehow recognizable.

The story itself takes place after Van Gogh's fatality, which Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth) investigates as suspicious.

DK and Hugh Welchman's passion project, Loving Vincent took five years to feigned.

And if you're a Automobile Gogh superfan, try to power which replicas of his snitch you can spot woven surrounded by the frames!