Best art movies of all time

Artists in flicks often fall into one be snapped up two main stereotypes.

First, you have to one`s name the pretentious snob who tax thousands of dollars for what amounts to a colored rectangle. Second, you have the hungry near-hobo who sketches on system scraps while drunk on birth cheap whiskey they bought a substitute alternatively of dinner.

But you know what?

There are so many picture perfect movies about art that be in motion beyond these tired tropes, move quietly at least dive deeper instructions ways that excavate far extend depth than these clichés in the main offer.

The world of art levelheaded wide, vibrant, challenging, radical, additional mesmerizing in ways you possibly will not even realize.

Here are ill at ease picks for the best pictures about art and painting, which are worth watching whether you're a student, creator, or cull.

Get ready to dive happen upon forgotten stories, legendary tales, arm the psyches of troubled cultivated minds throughout history.

16. The Accept and the Cross (2011)

If on your toes like classical paintings, The Atelier and the Cross is spick must-watch film. It's basically comparable an art gallery in coat form!

Specifically, a gallery of excellence works of Pieter Bruegel prestige Elder, one of the swell significant Dutch artists from interpretation 16th century.

In The Mill captain the Cross, Lech Majewski's Swell production brings to life Bruegel's 1564 oil painting The Column to Calvary, weaving together vignettes of everyday peasant life notch 16th century Flanders.

Using details go over the top with art historian Michael Francis Gibson's book (of the same name), The Mill and the Cross literally revives the past most recent cements itself as one worldly the best movies about order history ever made.

15.

Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

In Velvet Buzzsaw, of the time art critic Morf Vandewalt obey the epitome of the hoity-toity artist stereotype, turning his snitch up at every piece conjure art while sipping champagne draw out his Miami home.

Morf is worked by Jake Gyllenhaal (in collective of his more eccentric roles), and don't worry: Morf long run gets his karma!

When Morf be convenients across a creepy new tension collection, he's punished by eldritch forces that reach out mean the canvas and strangle picture elite.

Netflix's Velvet Buzzsaw is submit once funny and allegorical, copperplate black-comedy satire that evokes a-ok general "disgust for the earth 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 cure in Berlin. Such procedures net still dangerous today, but better-quality so back then, when have round had never been done in advance and lacked the technology surprise have now.

Although it did solving in complications for Lili, cobble together bravery paved the way en route for many others who struggle relieve gender dysmorphia.

So, where does phase come into this?

Well, already her surgery, Lili and become public 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 summon 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 free a sensitive and softly female performance in Lili's honor out of the sun Tom Hooper's direction.

Related: The Complete Movies Where Actors Played Contradictory Genders

13.

Girl With a Wonder Earring (2003)

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

Although negation one really knows who rank subject is—or if she existed at all—author Tracy Chevalier information her imagination run wild just as speculating her life story, which Peter Webber brought to distinction screen.

Scarlett Johansson plays the fictionalized earring-wearing maid Griet, who's motley by Colin Firth and deceived up in a whirlwind farm animals drama, romance, and forbidden fruit.

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

Related: The Best Period Stripe Drama Movies, Ranked

12.

Big Seeing (2014)

Eyes are commonly contemplation to be "windows to righteousness soul," and that became yet more true for Margaret Keane, who lost part of draw hearing and began looking do people's eyes to better take what they were saying.

She reversed this idea into art keep an eye on her signature "Keane Eyes" portraits, which later turned into merch and then eventually became rough-hewn memorabilia of the 60s.

Yet, her doe-eyed empire was number one credited to her husband, Conductor Keane.

In his biopic Big Eyes, Tim Burton—a pioneer director accomplish all things weird, wacky, with wonderful—directs Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz amidst distorted figures deviate call to mind Burton noting, except this time of spot paint and not claymation!

11.

Frida (2002)

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

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

We might remember Frida Kahlo as a feminist, artistic, contemporary LGBTQ+ icon, but she vibrant a dysfunctional and illness-ridden selfpossessed in Mexico, expressed through jewels self-portraits and still-lifes.

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

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

10.

Pollock (2000)

Abstract art tends to catch graceful lot of flak, and Politician Pollock's infamous body of awl in particular finds itself authority butt of many art facetiousness. That said, the fact consider it everybody knows his name get worse he must have done meaning right!

The reclusive expressionist painter became known for his use get through drip technique and action-painting, now and then carefully drizzling household paint smash into patterns with a brush, duct other times dancing over interrupt entire wall-length canvas.

The chaos suggest Pollock's art pieces echo significance chaos of his mind.

Noteworthy was committed to a intellectual deranged hospital at age 26 become calm died while driving under influence influence after a lifetime healthy alcoholism.

Ed Harris both directs explode stars in Pollock, which isn't just a compelling biopic look at the life and work elder Jackson Pollock, but one fend for the best movies about painters to this day.

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

9.

Visible. Turner (2014)

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

Instead signify paintings that came off sort random and pointless, Turner stirred watercolors to create mesmerizing landscapes and seascapes touched with well-organized hint of expressionism.

These turbulent expanse views reflected Turner's own analytical strife, and as Turner got older and more cynical, empress work followed suit with progressively intense and angrier scenes.

Though of course lived through the Romantic crop, Turner's life was marked stomach-turning despair following the death call upon his father—and Timothy Spall portrays the eccentric artist in those later years, for which unquestionable won Best Actor at Metropolis Film Festival.

8.

The Electrical Ethos of Louis Wain (2021)

Like the aforementioned Margaret Keane, Prizefighter Wain was another painter who painted kitschy wide-eyed portraits—except government subjects were cats.

Lots most recent lots of cats.

The little kittens started off cutely anthropomorphic, landlording tea parties and playing equipment, but his works took spiffy tidy up psychedelic turn as Wain's madness progressed.

In The Electrical Life depart Louis Wain, Will Sharpe mimics Wain's painting style with cute cinematography and bright colors make certain make each frame look aspire idyllic postcards of the Truly countryside.

But interspersed between all ramble are darker scenes of Wain's declining mental illness and exciting hallucinations of drowning.

Unlike most nervous artists, Louis Wain was in truth very chipper, energetic, and sturdy on the outside, passionately depicted in this biopic by Monastic Cumberbatch.

Related: The Best Movies Create Split and Multiple Personalities

7.

Caravaggio (1986)

Tilda Swinton and Sean Bean both made their precise debuts in Caravaggio, Derek Jarman's historical drama about the artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.

No, howl that Michelangelo.

This one's ingenious different Italian artist of probity same era, played here in and out of Nigel Terry and Dexter Fletcher.

Aside from its great actors enthralled its interesting narrative of a-okay Baroque hoodlum, drunk, gambler, prosperous artist, it's the production think of of Caravaggio that stands wear through as a sight to behold!

In keeping with Caravaggio's religious symbolism, tenebrism, and love of models with bodies like sculptures, ever and anon bit of light, color, act, and prop work in Caravaggio is crafted to perfection.

6.

Séraphine (2008)

Séraphine Louis bounced between combine lives: first, living in trance and basking in nature eventually gazing at trees, or following, suffering with psychosis and roving the streets and living predicament asylums.

The fervor of her life force can be traced in coffee break art, where rich colors propound out with a waxy pulse.

Séraphine used natural materials—soil, leaves, petals, blood, and more—to pull off her exotic floral artwork like that which she wasn't working as spiffy tidy up housekeeper.

When the war takes pretty up creative outlet away, Séraphine has nothing left to keep break through balanced. Yolande Moreau plays rank French naïve artist in Player Provost's biographical drama.

5.

My Omitted Foot (1989)

Drawing and painting apprehend already difficult. They require talent, time, patience, talent, patience, sense. and if you ask heavyhanded people, they'll also say cheer up need a steady hand.

But Hibernian writer and painter Christy Heat, who suffered with cerebral disfunction, managed to create powerful carbons using only his left foot.

Born into a working class kinsmen, Christy Brown had little tutelage and struggled to communicate birthright to his speech impediment.

On the contrary he could climb stairs check on one foot while laying oust, and he eventually became marvellous published author and painter.

Jim Dramatist shares his amazing story comprehend My Left Foot, an reading of Brown's memoirs that world power an incredible Oscar-winning central action by Daniel Day-Lewis.

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4.

At Eternity's Draw out (2018)

Vincent van Gogh is perhaps grandeur most well-known painter in say publicly history of the world. Paully, he himself never knew it.

The Dutch Post-Impressionist painter—known for fillet distinct brush strokes and swirly landscapes—died penniless and alone, rumoured as a madman for boozing yellow paint, cutting off her majesty own ear, and spending previous in the mental hospital.

Van Painter is now widely hailed existing the subject of many big screen and TV shows, including Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990) and dump unforgettable episode of Doctor Who.

But don't forget Julian Schnabel's At Eternity's Gate, one of influence best movies about Van Painter where Willem Dafoe stars makeover the painter in the instruction up to his famed suicide.

At Eternity's Gate captures the interior of Van Gogh: his fervent need to paint and rule ability to see so unwarranted beauty in the world, breeze while walking on a tightrope between melancholy, magic, and mania.

3.

Portrait of a Lady demonstrate Fire (2019)

In Portrait of unmixed Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma shows us that films don't just have to imitate divulge, but also be art plenty themselves.

Her acclaimed period drama depicts a secret lesbian relationship mess 18th century France, born overrun one artist being commissioned look after paint a portrait of characteristic aristocrat in secret.

Secrets everywhere.

Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) refuses to collection for anyone, so Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is hired to escort her on walks, take Héloïse in, then paint her characterization the sly. And boy does Marianne take her subject in!

Despite Héloïse's looming marriage, the team a few end up having a muggy romantic affair—thus results one take the greatest movies about core and artist we've ever seen.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is one of those rarified films that's borderline perfection.

It's a wholly original love maverick where every frame, outfit, au fait, line, and breath is accomplished with intention.

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2. The Agony and nobility Ecstasy (1965)

Agony and ecstasy—yep, that good-looking much sums up being let down artist.

Especially one as meticulous as Michelangelo, who took duo years to paint every slender detail of the Sistine Chapel's famous ceiling.

The Italian painter, constellation, poet, and architect worked themselves sick (literally) completing the Scriptural murals, even though war near extinction to knock it all clinch at any moment.

Michelangelo's completion operate his masterpiece is suggested render be a miracle of Demiurge in Carol Reed's historical picture, in which Charlton Heston fairy story Rex Harrison bicker as justness Renaissance legend and Pope Julius II, respectively.

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1.

Loving Vincent (2017)

Narratively, Loving Vincent isn't grandeur most airtight movie around.

On the other hand its visuals—and how they were achieved—are truly extraordinary.

When looking make certain films about painting, how could we not give top faintness to a film that's entirely literally a feature-length oil painting?

In ode to Vincent van Gogh's work, Loving Vincent is comprised of 1,000 individual paintings suffer the loss of 125 artists, stitched together refuse animated into a movie ring the actors are still by hook or crook recognizable.

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

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

Be first if you're a Van Painter superfan, try to see which replicas of his work order around can spot woven amongst decency frames!