Small Paintings for a Home Gym

Small paintings, made to be seen up close, that print well at home and fit the walls bigger works cannot. Dancers, horses at speed, rowers, boats under sail, breaking waves and storm skies all carry motion, and high contrast and saturated color hold their own against mirrors and equipment. Here are 26 paintings for a home gym, each under 50 cm (20 in) on its long side, with works by Winslow Homer, Eugène Boudin and Eugène Delacroix.

All 149 paintings for a home gym

King Anushirwan and the Owls, from the Khamsa of Nizami, Islamic 24½ × 40 in portrait print (62 × 102 cm), centered 58 in from the floor. Drawn to scale on a 12 × 8 ft wall.

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26 small paintings

King Anushirwan and the Owls, from the Khamsa of Nizami, Islamic, Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), c.1535, ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Islamic King Anushirwan and the Owls, from the Khamsa of Nizami, Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), c.1535 Art Institute of Chicago

The Young Emperor Akbar Arrests the Insolent Shah Abu’l-Maali, Page from a Manuscript of the Akbarnama, Basawan, Mughal dynasty (1526-1857), c. 1590-1595, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Basawan The Young Emperor Akbar Arrests the Insolent Shah Abu’l-Maali, Page from a Manuscript of the Akbarnama, Mughal dynasty (1526-1857), c. 1590-1595 Art Institute of Chicago

Watercolor of tiny people and horses, framed with gold flowers on navy background.

'Aliquli Jabbadar Royal Horse Inspection, Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), late 17th century Art Institute of Chicago

This is a painting of a red horse standing on a patch of tan ground, tethered by a rope to a tall brown post. The horse's reddish-brown coat is rich and glossy, with white highlights. It faces the left, with its ears pricked up.

Eugène Delacroix A Horse Hitched to a Post, c. 1820 National Gallery of Art

In the center of this painting, there is a horse-drawn cart turned away from us, facing the right. In the cart is a person wearing dark blue clothing and a dark hat, and next to them is a white-and-pink bundle that could be another person.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec The Trap, 1880 National Gallery of Art

The Chess Players, Thomas Eakins, 1876, oil on wood

Thomas Eakins The Chess Players, 1876 The Met

Boy Fishing, Eastman Johnson, 1860s, oil on canvas

Eastman Johnson Boy Fishing, 1860s Cleveland Museum of Art

This painting shows two people. A woman is seen from the knees up in the center, standing partially in front of the man next to her, her body facing the left and her head turned back towards us.

Jean-Louis Forain Behind the Scenes, c. 1880 National Gallery of Art

Arab Horseman Attacked by a Lion, Eugène Delacroix, 1849–50, oil on paperboard

Eugène Delacroix Arab Horseman Attacked by a Lion, 1849–50 Art Institute of Chicago

This painting shows a man standing upright, his body slightly turned to the right.

Francisco de Goya Charles IV of Spain as Huntsman, c. 1799/1800 National Gallery of Art

The Dancing Class, Edgar Degas, ca. 1870, oil on wood

Edgar Degas The Dancing Class, ca. 1870 The Met

This horizontal landscape is painted with broad, visible strokes in shades of laurel, fern, and pine green, dark yellow, and ash brown.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Landscape between Storms, 1874/1875 National Gallery of Art

Close to us, a young man and four boys sit or recline in a small sailboat that tips to our left on a choppy dark green sea fringed with white foam in this horizontal painting.

Winslow Homer The Flirt, 1874 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a rowing competition with a large crowd along the riverbank. Tall trees and distant, hazy hills are visible on the horizon. The sky above is a soft, muted gray-blue color.

Émile Lévy Rowing Scene: Crowds Watching from the River Banks, late 19th century National Gallery of Art

On the Beach at Trouville, Eugène Boudin, 1863, oil on wood

Eugène Boudin On the Beach at Trouville, 1863 The Met

Horsewoman, Théodore Géricault, 1820 or later, oil on canvas

Théodore Géricault Horsewoman, 1820 or later The Met

At the Circus: The Bareback Rider (Au Cirque: Écuyère), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1888, oil on vellum

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec At the Circus: The Bareback Rider (Au Cirque: Écuyère), 1888 Art Institute of Chicago

Sailboats line a grassy riverbank in this loosely painted horizontal landscape. Vivid blue water stretches before us to meet a verdant bank along the left third of the horizon, which comes less than halfway up the composition.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Regatta at Argenteuil, 1874 National Gallery of Art

White Mare, Winslow Homer, c. 1868, oil on panel

Winslow Homer White Mare, c. 1868 Cleveland Museum of Art

We find ourselves on an emerald-green, grassy racetrack as a dusty cluster of horses and their jockeys bear directly down on us in this loosely painted horizontal landscape.

Édouard Manet At the Races, c. 1875 National Gallery of Art

A woman holding a baby stands near a young boy who perches in the tipped-up end of a rowboat that has been pulled onto a sandy beach in this horizontal painting. All the people have light skin.

Winslow Homer Dad's Coming!, 1873 National Gallery of Art

This painting depicts a scene overlooking a calm body of water. A large sailing ship with two tall masts and a dark hull is anchored on the water, its sails tied up. On the left, there are two people in a small, dark rowboat.

Eugène Boudin Ship on the Touques, c. 1888/1895 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a harbor with sailing ships displaying countless colorful flags. The ships stretch across the painting horizontally, floating on clear, reflective water.

Eugène Boudin Yacht Basin at Trouville-Deauville, probably 1895/1896 National Gallery of Art

Copy after Delacroix's "Bark of Dante", Édouard Manet, ca. 1859, oil on canvas

Édouard Manet Copy after Delacroix's "Bark of Dante", ca. 1859 The Met

Alice Gerson in Prospect Park, William Merritt Chase, 1886, oil on panel

William Merritt Chase Alice Gerson in Prospect Park, 1886 The Met

Imaginary View with a Tomb by the Lagoon, Canaletto, early 1740s, oil on canvas

Canaletto Imaginary View with a Tomb by the Lagoon, early 1740s The Met

More for a home gym

Guides

Living Room 69 shared
Kids' Room 56 shared
Bathroom 47 shared
Guest Room 31 shared