Bold, Colorful Paintings for the Staircase

Saturated, confident color for a wall that should wake the room up. The stairwell is the one place where paintings should not hang level with each other. Here are 29 paintings for the staircase, each with strong, saturated color, with works by Gilbert Stuart, Gustave Courbet and John Singleton Copley.

All 606 paintings for the staircase

Self-Portrait, Rembrandt van Rijn 16 × 20 in portrait print (41 × 51 cm), centered 58 in above the stair line. Drawn to scale on a 12 × 8 ft wall.

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29 bold, colorful paintings

Self-Portrait, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1660, oil on canvas

Rembrandt van Rijn Self-Portrait, 1660 The Met

Madame Roulin and Her Baby, Vincent van Gogh, 1888, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Madame Roulin and Her Baby, 1888 The Met

Dark portrait of older woman in black dress with lace collar, flowers.

Gustave Courbet Mère Grégoire, 1855, reworked 1857–59 Art Institute of Chicago

The Two Disciples at the Tomb, Henry Ossawa Tanner, c. 1906, oil on canvas

Henry Ossawa Tanner The Two Disciples at the Tomb, c. 1906 Art Institute of Chicago

Carmelita Requena, Thomas Eakins, 1869, oil on canvas

Thomas Eakins Carmelita Requena, 1869 The Met

Madame Frederic Breyer (Fanny Hélène Van Bruyssel, 1830–1894), Gustave Courbet, 1858, oil on canvas

Gustave Courbet Madame Frederic Breyer (Fanny Hélène Van Bruyssel, 1830–1894), 1858 The Met

Peter Paul Rubens Head of One of the Three Kings: Melchior, The Assyrian King, c. 1618 National Gallery of Art

The face of a young man with peachy-colored skin and dark hair fills this vertical painting. The man is lit from our left but is angled to slightly to our right, so his face is mostly in shadow.

Edgar Degas Self-Portrait with White Collar, c. 1857 National Gallery of Art

Joseph Gerrish, John Singleton Copley, 1770, oil on canvas

John Singleton Copley Joseph Gerrish, 1770 Art Institute of Chicago

Roland, William Merritt Chase, ca. 1902, oil on canvas

William Merritt Chase Roland, ca. 1902 The Met

Samuel Verplanck, John Singleton Copley, 1771, oil on canvas

John Singleton Copley Samuel Verplanck, 1771 The Met

This painting depicts the upper half of a woman's body. She is turned slightly to the left and faces us, with pale skin, soft, rosy cheeks, dark brown eyes, and a neutral expression.

Gilbert Stuart Ann Calvert Stuart Robinson (Mrs. William Robinson), c. 1804 National Gallery of Art

Shown from the chest up, an older man with pale, peachy skin, wearing a high-collared black coat and a cream-white, ruffled collar, is shown against a deep wine-red background in this vertical portrait painting.

Gilbert Stuart George Washington (Vaughan portrait), 1795 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows the upper body of a woman seated in a chair. She is wearing a white bonnet with ruffled edges, covering her wavy, light brown hair. Her facial features include fair skin, thin lips, a long nose, and a pointed chin.

Gilbert Stuart Sarah Homes Tappan (Mrs. Benjamin Tappan), 1814 National Gallery of Art

Portrait of a Woman, Corneille de Lyon, c. 1540, oil on wood

Corneille de Lyon Portrait of a Woman, c. 1540 Cleveland Museum of Art

Facing away from us against a cherry-red background, the head and shoulders of a light-skinned woman wearing strawberry red, with her copper-brown hair piled atop her head, fills this vertical painting.

Carolus-Duran Study of Lilia, 1887 National Gallery of Art

The image shows a woman's upper body. She is looking directly at the viewer with a calm expression. The woman has fair skin, dark brown hair styled away from her face, blue eyes, and delicate features.

William Jennys Mrs. Asa Benjamin, 1795 National Gallery of Art

Isabella of Bourbon, Wife of Philip IV of Spain, Diego Velázquez, c. 1632, oil on canvas

Diego Velázquez Isabella of Bourbon, Wife of Philip IV of Spain, c. 1632 Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of a Woman, Called the Marchesa Durazzo, Anthony van Dyck, probably ca. 1622–25, oil on canvas

Anthony van Dyck Portrait of a Woman, Called the Marchesa Durazzo, probably ca. 1622–25 The Met

Jacques-Louis Leblanc (1774–1846), Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1823, oil on canvas

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Jacques-Louis Leblanc (1774–1846), 1823 The Met

James Monroe, Gilbert Stuart, ca. 1820–22, oil on canvas

Gilbert Stuart James Monroe, ca. 1820–22 The Met

Elizabeth, Countess of Effingham, Benjamin West, c. 1797, oil on canvas

Benjamin West Elizabeth, Countess of Effingham, c. 1797 National Gallery of Art

Young Ladies of the Village, Gustave Courbet, 1851–52, oil on canvas

Gustave Courbet Young Ladies of the Village, 1851–52 The Met

Return from the Fields, Jean-François Millet, c. 1846–47, oil on fabric

Jean-François Millet Return from the Fields, c. 1846–47 Cleveland Museum of Art

Virgin and Child with Two Angels, Sandro Botticelli, 1485–95, tempera on panel

Sandro Botticelli Virgin and Child with Two Angels, 1485–95 Art Institute of Chicago

Hamlet and His Mother, Eugène Delacroix, 1849, oil on canvas

Eugène Delacroix Hamlet and His Mother, 1849 The Met

This is a painting of a woman reaching to pick a water lily from a pond. She is crouching atop a fallen log, leaning over to submerge her right hand in the water.

Eastman Johnson Gathering Lilies, 1865 National Gallery of Art

Roses in a Vase, Henri Fantin-Latour, 1878, oil on fabric

Henri Fantin-Latour Roses in a Vase, 1878 Cleveland Museum of Art

Carmencita, William Merritt Chase, 1890, oil on canvas

William Merritt Chase Carmencita, 1890 The Met

More for the staircase

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