1. Masaccio, The Holy Trinity, 1467-27

Today, we take for granted an artist’s ability to render objects realistically in space.   Painters, however, did not have an accurate method to display perspective until the early Renaissance when Italian architect Brunelleschi invented the idea of linear perspective.  Masaccio’s Holy Trinity is thought to be the earliest painting to apply these theories, which can be seen in the lines of the barrel vault the artist has used. 

2. Georges Seurat, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884-86

French post-impressionist painter Georges Seurat invented the painting style known as 'pointillism.'  His new painting technique involved using little dots of color, small enough for the eye to blend with surrounding dots, to form the figures and landscape in his paintings.  Seurat's most famous work, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, took him over two years to paint and was the culmination of over sixty studies. 

3. Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907

Perhaps Picasso’s most famous work, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, played a huge role in the creation of cubism, and modern art in general.  The painting was revolutionary in the way in which Picasso painted the female figures in a flattened, angular manner.  The work also conveys Picasso’s interest in African artwork, as two of the women have facial features that directly reference African masks.  

4. Yves Klein, Living Paintbrush, 1958

Avante-garde artist Yves Klein is perhaps best known for his Living Paintbrush works.  In creating these paintings, Klein never actually made direct contact with the canvas, or the paint.  He instructed models to cover their bodies in blue paint, and then where to lay on the canvas to create the desired effect.  The paintings are also performance pieces, as he created them before an audience. 

5. Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Cans, 1962