The World's Greatest Paintings

What makes a masterpiece? Look at criteria for defining greatness in painting, including a work's uniqueness and the quality of its impact, both immediate and cumulative.

Your exploration begins with two composite masterworks of Italian painting. In the "Maestá" altarpiece by Duccio, grasp the elements of the painting's visual impact and spatial carrying power, its dramatic composition and imagery. In the Arena Chapel frescoes by Giotto, study the powerful depictions of devotion and grief in two narrative scenes.

Trace landmark religious imagery in 15th-century painting. Define Masaccio's narrative ability in two biblical fresco scenes from the Brancacci Chapel. Then discover Jan van Eyck's brilliant melding of realistic portraiture and sacred images in "Madonna of the Canon van der Paele," and the emotional intensity and compositional richness of Rogier van der Weyden's "Deposition of Christ."

You now encounter three major painters of the Italian Renaissance. In Piero della Francesca's "Resurrection," reflect on the fresco's commanding image of the risen Christ and its mathematical composition. Later, contemplate Andrea Mantegna's extraordinary innovations in "illusionistic" painting and the luminous mysteries of Botticelli's "Primavera."

You continue with three extraordinary evocations of religious devotion. In Bellini's "St. Francis in the Desert," witness the portrayal of the saint's passion for nature by means of divine light. Study the multilayered pictorial details enriching Geertgen's "Madonna with Musical Angels" and the spiritual import in Dürer's monumental "Self-Portrait."

Track the dramatic interaction of the human figures in Leonardo's iconic "Last Supper" and the composition's rich theological symbolism. Then define Raphael's embodiment of High Renaissance ideals in "Baldassare Castiglione," and the poetic eroticism of Correggio's illusionistic "Jupiter and Io."

In scenes from Michelangelo's stunning Sistine Chapel ceiling, study the compositional power of "The Creation of Adam" and the weighty emotion of the ominous "Prophet Jeremiah." Continuing with a highly contrasting masterwork of German art, penetrate the mystical evocation of suffering and ecstasy in Matthias Grünewald's "Isenheim Altarpiece."

You encounter the "Concert Champêtre" (1510-1511), worked on by both Giorgione and Titian, uncovering the enigmatic imagery of its Arcadian scene. Then study Titian's radiant portrayal of the Virgin Mary in the "Assumption" and the richly detailed execution of Holbein's portrait, "Charles de Solier."

Explore three contrasting 16th-century masterworks. In Bruegel's "Hunters in the Snow," investigate the artist's layering of descriptive scenes within a vast space. Conclude with the haunting details and symbolic compositions of El Greco's "Burial of Count Orgaz" and Caravaggio's "The Entombment."

Probe Hendrick Ter Brugghen's tender, understated evocation of the healing of St. Sebastian. Then learn about Rubens's ingenuity as a court painter in his operatic "Landing of Marie de Medici in Marseilles," and the masterful organization and roguish imagery of Jan Steen's "The way you hear it, is the way you sing it."

Explore three introspective works of genius. In "View of Delft," reflect on Vermeer's purpose in this becalmed, idealized rendering of his city. Also decode the ambiguous, philosophical composition of Velazquez's "Maids of Honor," and Rembrandt's richly costumed, stoic portrayal of himself in his "Self-Portrait" of 1658.

Study Hals's penetrating treatment of elderly women in a Haarlem group portrait. Then explore Rembrandt's expression of a couple's deep emotion through an intimate configuration of hands and fabric, and La Tour's evocation of mystical contemplation through a flame.

Define the measured grace and brilliant use of color, shape, and gesture in Poussin's "Eliezer and Rebecca." Study the elements of Lorrain's consummate mastery of the landscape, and the dreamlike qualities of Watteau's wistful fantasy, the "Embarkation for Cythera."

Three diverse works reveal 18th-century achievements in painting. In a small still life, ponder Chardin's delicate, intimate portrayal of game animals in death. Then discover Tiepolo's apotheosis of fresco painting in "Apollo and the Four Continents," and Gainsborough's ingenious melding of sitter and landscape in his portrait "Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan."

Portrayals of brutality open this lecture. Observe David's merging of idealized presentation and realism in the stark "Death of Marat," and Goya's bitter vision of military retaliation in "Third of May, 1808." Finally, study the Romantic evocation of nature in Friedrich's "Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon."

Compare the styles and originality of British landscape masters Constable and Turner, highlighting Constable's compositional technique and signature cloud-filled skies, plus Turner's bravura use of color and light. In Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People," examine the artist's allegorical fusing of symbol and reality in the heat of France's 1830 revolution.

French and American canvases reveal bold innovations in 19th-century painting. Contemplate the elements of Realism in Gustave Courbet's sprawling, slow-motion composition of a rural funeral, followed by Frederic Church's dynamically original depiction of Niagara Falls. Then study Monet's blaze of sunlight and color on a snowscape in "The Magpie."

In the ever-familiar image of Whistler's mother seated in profile, observe the superlative blending of abstract, formal composition with the intimate portrayal of a living woman. Follow with the pictorial riches and psychological ambiguities of Degas' "In a Café," and the virtuoso staging and color of Renoir's "Luncheon of the Boating Party."

In John Singer Sargent's elusive portrait of the daughters of a friend, ponder the unusual placement and psychological separation of the subjects. Then, explore the deliberate unreality of Manet's "Bar at the Folies-Bergère," and Seurat's suspended, Pointillist rendering of Parisians in "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte."

Uncover the structural geometry and unity of focus in Cézanne's "The Card Players," as they create the weighty, timeless concentration of the figures. Also witness the structure and balance of Van Gogh's sun-baked vista in "The Harvest," and Winslow Homer's dramatic merging of self with subject in "Fox Hunt."

Analyze Munch's pictorial composition of "The Scream," as its pulsating visual field embodies the figure's cry of psychic terror. In stunning contrast, study Matisse's lyrical, floating colors and figures in "The Joy of Life," then conclude with Egon Schiele's "The Family" and its bold evocation of his own hopes and fears.

Two milestones of 20th-century art: Learn about the creation and the architectural display of Monet's transcendent series of water-lilies, parsing his superlative brushwork reflecting sky, clouds, and sunlight on water. Then take apart the writhing, nightmarish images in Picasso's "Guernica," evincing his pained response to the atrocities of war.

In Magritte's "Time Transfixed," observe how the artist calmly dislocates our sense of temporal and physical reality. In the famous "Nighthawks," study Hopper's careful, deliberate design evoking the silent separateness of the figures. Finally, trace Gorky's inspired craft in bringing to life the joyful explosion of color in "The Plough and the Song."

Track Jackson Pollock's whole-body approach to putting paint on canvas, and tease out the layered color fields in his elemental force of nature, "Lavender Mist." Then contrast Hans Hofmann's mastery of geometry and color with his brutal, agonized creation, "to JFK." Conclude with reflections on the power of great art.