37 Facts about art that will blow your mind

We’ve put together 37 facts about art that are truly incredible.

Art is one of the most important parts of human civilization. It has existed for as long as humans have, and just like we don’t know how to live without food or shelter, we cannot survive without art in our lives. Art is something that makes us feel good about ourselves and the world around us.

Without it, there would never be a Mona Lisa painting or an iconic song by Michael Jackson. Because art is such an important part of society, learning facts about it can provide you with valuable knowledge that can help you appreciate things more fully in your everyday life.

Heres are 37 facts about art that will blow your mind!

1. The word “art” comes from the Latin word “ars,” which means skill, craft or technique
2. Leonardo da Vinci is considered to be one of the most famous artists in history
3. Michelangelo’s David statue was originally commissioned as a symbol of Florence after defeating Pisa in 1504
4. Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon has been called “the world’s most important painting.” It was created in 1907 and is currently housed at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City
5. Pablo Picasso painted Guernica during his stay with Francoist Spain and Nazi Germany, 1937-1938, for a World Peace Congress held in Paris on July 16th, 1937 to commemorate the end of WWI
6. Art is one of humanity’s oldest and most universal forms of expression
7. In ancient times, art was often used to tell stories about gods and goddesses
8. Artists usually create art for a living but there are many other reasons people might make art, such as just for fun or to express their feelings
9. There are many different types of artists: sculptors, painters, musicians, actors/actresses etc…
10. You can also be an artist by making crafts like pottery or jewelry!

11. Leonardo da Vinci was a polymath who excelled in painting, sculpting, architecture and science
12. Cubism is an art movement that originated in 1907 with Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso’s first exhibition of paintings at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris
13. Picasso painted over 20,000 works of art during his lifetime
14. The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous pieces of artwork ever created by human beings
15. Michelangelo Buonarroti was born on March 6th 1475 to a stonecutter father and a mother who died soon after childbirth
16. Van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime – “The Red Vineyard” (1888) for 400 Francs to Anna Boch (the sister-in-law of Émile Bernard) when he was 27 years old
17. Vincent van Gogh committed suicide on July 27 1890 by shooting himself in the chest with a revolver two days after he had been discharged from hospital following treatment for what now seems like bipolar disorder or depression
18. Leonardo da Vinci invented the scissors
19. Pablo Picasso was a skilled painter, sculptor, printmaker and ceramicist
20. Vincent van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime
21. The Mona Lisa is actually smiling at you!
22. Michelangelo’s David is missing its left arm because it was damaged in a battle with Napoleon’s troops in 1798

23. Art is the only major human endeavor that can be shared across all cultures, languages, and generations
24. There are over 10 million paintings in existence today
25. Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has been stolen four times since 1911
26. Pablo Picasso was a prolific artist who created more than 20,000 pieces of art during his lifetime
27. Michelangelo’s David is an iconic sculpture that stands at 17 feet tall and weighs 13 tons
28. Art is a universal language
29. Mona Lisa’s smile has been argued about for centuries
30. Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, inventor, scientist, mathematician, musician and architect
31. Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome with scenes from Genesis on it to show God’s power over man
32. Van Gogh cut off his ear in 1888 after he had a mental breakdown due to depression and loneliness
33. Pablo Picasso created Cubism which involved painting objects as if they were seen from different angles at one time or broken into fragments
34. Artists have been painting for over 40,000 years
35. Leonardo da Vinci was the first person to use a vanishing point in his art
36. Van Gogh never sold a single painting during his lifetime and only had one piece accepted at the Salon de Paris exhibition in 1887
37. Vincent van Gogh cut off part of his ear lobe during a fight with fellow artist Paul Gauguin while they were living together in Arles, France (1888)