Small Paintings for the Kitchen

Small paintings, made to be seen up close, that print well at home and fit the walls bigger works cannot. Kitchen walls are short, busy and often warm from the stove, so the right painting is small, bright and easy to live with. Here are 38 paintings for the kitchen, each under 50 cm (20 in) on its long side, with works by Édouard Vuillard, Édouard Manet and Henri Fantin-Latour.

All 143 paintings for the kitchen

Nocturne, John La Farge 16 × 20 in portrait print (41 × 51 cm), centered 49¼ in from the floor, 8 in above the console table. Drawn to scale on a 12 × 8 ft wall.

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38 small paintings

Nocturne, John La Farge, ca. 1885, watercolor, gouache, and charcoal on off-white wove paper adhered to wove paper

John La Farge Nocturne, ca. 1885 The Met

A bouquet of cut flowers in a clear glass vase nearly fills this vertical painting. The vase has straight sides and the rounded bottom is supported by short, round feet.

Édouard Manet Flowers in a Crystal Vase, c. 1882 National Gallery of Art

In this painting, a collection of large, ripe peaches sits on a light green plate with a white rim. The peaches are painted in shades of orange, yellow, and red, with some areas of dark red and black.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Peaches on a Plate, 1902/1905 National Gallery of Art

Four flowers and greenery create a loose bouquet in a clear glass in this vertical still life, which is painted with visible brushstrokes throughout. The glass has a tall, narrow, rounded bowl on a flaring foot like a drinking glass.

Berthe Morisot Peonies, c. 1869 National Gallery of Art

Three Pears and an Apple, Eastman Johnson, 1857, oil on board

Eastman Johnson Three Pears and an Apple, 1857 National Gallery of Art

We look down at the end of a narrow table at a white plate, pot, knife, and spoon set on the white tablecloth in this horizontal still life painting.

Henri Fantin-Latour Still Life with Mustard Pot, 1860 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a person seated at a table in a bright yellow chair, facing the right. The person has pale skin and gray hair, and they are wearing a loose-fitting light brown garment, similar to a long coat or dress.

Édouard Vuillard Breakfast, 1894 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a brown jug filled with pink roses and green leaves on a brown surface that looks like a suitcase on its side. To the right of the jug are some stacked books, which are a light green color.

Édouard Vuillard The Artist's Paint Box and Moss Roses, 1898 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a partial view of a dark wooden mantle. The mantle itself takes up the bottom right corner of the painting, and we see one side of it, but not the other.

Édouard Vuillard Vase of Flowers on a Mantelpiece, c. 1900 National Gallery of Art

In this painting, a wicker basket is filled with yellow pears and a few red cherries. The basket rests on a table, and more pears and cherries are scattered in front of it, casting shadows on the white tablecloth.

John F. Francis Basket of Pears and Crabapples, n.d. National Gallery of Art

Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms, Martin Johnson Heade, 1875, oil on canvas

Martin Johnson Heade Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms, 1875 The Met

Apples, Paul Cézanne, 1878–79, oil on canvas

Paul Cézanne Apples, 1878–79 The Met

Two green pears lit from the upper right sit on a pale blue tabletop or ledge against a dark background in this horizontal still life painting. The left pear sits upright against the other.

Édouard Manet Pears, 1880 National Gallery of Art

Peach Blossoms, Winslow Homer, 1878, oil on canvas

Winslow Homer Peach Blossoms, 1878 Art Institute of Chicago

Luncheon (Annette and Her Grandmother), Édouard Vuillard, 1899, oil on board

Édouard Vuillard Luncheon (Annette and Her Grandmother), 1899 Cleveland Museum of Art

Three whole, green pears against a caramel-brown background fill this horizontal still life painting. The painting was created with long, parallel, visible brushstrokes throughout, and a strip of unpainted canvas lines the top edge.

Paul Cézanne Three Pears, 1878/1879 National Gallery of Art

Still Life with Herrings, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, c. 1735, oil on canvas

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin Still Life with Herrings, c. 1735 Cleveland Museum of Art

This painting shows three apples on a flat, gray surface. Two of the apples in the center are large, while one to the left is much smaller. The apples are glossy, covered in uneven patches of bright red and light green.

William Rickarby Miller Study of Apples from Nature, 1863 National Gallery of Art

The painting features a large slice of yellow cake, a halved lemon, a glass of pale-yellow liquid with a slice of lemon and a straw in it, and a white plate filled with red raspberries.

John Frederick Peto Still Life with Cake, Lemon, Strawberries, and Glass, 1890 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows three large peaches on a round white plate. The peaches are in shades of red, pink, and light yellow, and they cast dark shadows on the plate. The plate rests on a brown surface which fills the background of the image.

Henri Fantin-Latour Three Peaches on a Plate, 1868 National Gallery of Art

A plate of oysters, a halved lemon, an oyster fork and shells, and a dish of salt are arranged on a wooden tabletop in front of a gray wall in this horizontal still life painting.

Édouard Manet Oysters, 1862 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows two large pears on a white tablecloth. The pear on the left is a pinkish color and sits directly on the cloth. The pear on the right is yellow, and it rests on a white plate next to a small knife.

Sanford Robinson Gifford Two Pears on a Tabletop, c. 1866 National Gallery of Art

A young woman, holding a knife and vegetable in her lap and wearing a clay-brown jacket over a long, poppy-red skirt, sits on a wooden ladderback chair angled to our right in the center of this vertical painting.

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin The Kitchen Maid, 1738 National Gallery of Art

A blue and white bowl overflowing with grapes, two loose bunches of grapes, and a vivid pink carnation lie on a white tablecloth against a dark brown background in this still life painting.

Henri Fantin-Latour Still Life with Grapes and a Carnation, c. 1880 National Gallery of Art

Variations in Violet and Grey—Market Place, Dieppe, James McNeill Whistler, 1885, gouache and watercolor on off-white wove paper, mounted on academy board

James McNeill Whistler Variations in Violet and Grey—Market Place, Dieppe, 1885 The Met

Market Place, John Singer Sargent, 1890s, watercolor, gouache, and graphite on white wove paper

John Singer Sargent Market Place, 1890s The Met

We look down onto a landscape where several laundry lines have been draped mostly with white sheets or cloth to dry in a flat, grassy yard in front of a rustic house and a distant town in this horizontal painting.

Berthe Morisot Hanging the Laundry out to Dry, 1875 National Gallery of Art

Woman on Rose Divan, Henri Matisse, 1921, oil on canvas

Henri Matisse Woman on Rose Divan, 1921 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting in tones of gray and brown, with some green and blue, of a woman digging with a garden tool before a structure with a thatched roof that descends almost to the ground. Above her the sky is gray and blue, a haze of clouds.

Vincent van Gogh A Peasant Woman Digging in Front of Her Cottage, c. 1885 Art Institute of Chicago

This painting shows a person bent over, working the land outdoors. The person is in the center of the painting, surrounded by green grass and dark trees. The sky is not visible. In the bottom left corner, there is a section of brown earth.

Georges Seurat Man with a Hoe, c. 1882 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a person in an agricultural setting. The background is made of horizontal bands of browns and greens, painted in short, overlapping strokes.

Georges Seurat Peasant with a Hoe, c. 1882 National Gallery of Art

A Fisherman, Eastman Johnson, 1865, brown inks on tan-color sized canvas

Eastman Johnson A Fisherman, 1865 The Met

This painting shows a tranquil river scene with a distant horizon on the left showing rolling landscapes, trees, and small brown buildings across calm water.

Charles-François Daubigny Washerwomen at the Oise River near Valmondois, 1865 National Gallery of Art

The painting features a sandy shore and a calm sea with sailing boats in the distance. At the bottom of the painting, people sit on the sand by the water.

Eugène Boudin Washerwoman near Trouville, c. 1872/1876 National Gallery of Art

Young Woman in White Holding a Bouquet, Alfred Stevens, c. 1865/1875, oil on wood

Alfred Stevens Young Woman in White Holding a Bouquet, c. 1865/1875 National Gallery of Art

Woman Ironing, Édouard Vuillard, 1892, oil on board

Édouard Vuillard Woman Ironing, 1892 Cleveland Museum of Art

The Laundress, Honoré Daumier, 186[3?], oil on oak

Honoré Daumier The Laundress, 186[3?] The Met

Auvers (Washerwomen), Charles-François Daubigny, 1861, oil on wood

Charles-François Daubigny Auvers (Washerwomen), 1861 National Gallery of Art

More for the kitchen

Guides

Dining Room 132 shared
Apartment & Dorm 47 shared
Guest Room 43 shared
Laundry Room 36 shared

More for the kitchen

Guides

Rooms that share paintings