Paintings by subject

Browse by what a painting shows. A painting can appear under more than one subject.

Landscapes 488 paintings Open country, hills and fields: the paintings that give a wall distance and air.
Seascapes 90 paintings Open water, breaking waves and long coastlines, painted by artists who loved the sea.
Rivers & Lakes 202 paintings Still water and slow rivers, reflections and riverbanks for a calm wall.
Mountains 57 paintings Peaks, passes and valleys, from the Alps to the American West.
Forests & Trees 243 paintings Woods, groves and single great trees, from oak forests to cypress rows.
Gardens 62 paintings Flowerbeds, parks, orchards and terraces: the painted garden in every season.
Flowers 107 paintings Bouquets, single blooms and whole fields of color, from Dutch still lifes to Impressionist gardens.
Fruit 75 paintings Apples, pears, grapes and peaches, painted to look good enough to eat.
Food & Drink 61 paintings Bread, wine, oysters and laid tables: painting's long love affair with a good meal.
Still Life 114 paintings Arranged objects, flowers and food: the quiet genre that rewards a close look.
Animals 128 paintings Cattle in the meadow, deer in the woods and lions in the studio.
Birds 45 paintings Swans, herons, parrots and hens, from Dutch barnyards to American marshes.
Horses 75 paintings Racehorses, work horses and riders, painted by artists who studied them for years.
Dogs 71 paintings Hounds, spaniels and faithful companions at their owners' feet.
Cats 12 paintings Cats and kittens, curled up, at play or eyeing the dinner table.
Cityscapes 166 paintings Streets, squares, bridges and skylines, from Canaletto's Venice to Impressionist Paris.
Architecture 140 paintings Churches, palaces, ruins and towers: buildings as the main subject.
Interiors 92 paintings Rooms, windows and studios, often with someone quietly at home in them.
Portraits 542 paintings Faces that have held a gaze for centuries, from Renaissance panels to Gilded Age society.
Women 623 paintings Women as painters saw them, at work, at rest and at home.
Men 562 paintings Men in portraits and scenes of work, leisure and thought.
Children 270 paintings Children at play, at school and in the arms of their parents.
Groups & Gatherings 118 paintings Parties, dances, fairs and crowds: painting at its most sociable.
Self-Portraits 22 paintings Artists looking hard at themselves, from Rembrandt to van Gogh.
Mythology 42 paintings Gods, nymphs and heroes from the classical myths painters returned to for centuries.
Religion 220 paintings Madonnas, saints and Bible stories, the subjects that filled churches for a thousand years.
History 46 paintings Kings, emperors, allegories and great events, painted to be remembered.
Music & Dance 85 paintings Musicians, dancers and singers, from Dutch lute players to Degas's ballet.
Reading & Writing 45 paintings Letters, books and libraries: painted moments of quiet concentration.
Work & Labor 104 paintings Farmers, laundresses, fishermen and weavers: everyday work, painted with respect.
Leisure & Sport 102 paintings Picnics, boating, skating and the races: the pleasures of a free afternoon.
Boats & Harbors 136 paintings Sailboats, fishing fleets and busy ports, with the light of the water around them.
Beaches 47 paintings Sand, dunes and shoreline days, from Normandy resorts to New England coves.
Winter & Snow 29 paintings Snowy villages, frozen rivers and skaters in the low winter light.
Night 42 paintings Moonlight, lamplight and dusk: the quiet hours, painted.
Skies & Weather 196 paintings Clouds, storms, sunsets and rainbows: paintings where the sky is the subject.
Villages 82 paintings Cottages, mills and village lanes, the small places painters went to escape the city.

Also in the collection

These subjects have too few paintings here for a page of their own; you will find them on the artists’ pages.

Abstract (5)
Geometric (9)