Favorite piece of art
“What's a piece of art you could think about forever?”
30 answers from 27 people · Updated Sep 25, 2026
About the thirtieth time I caught myself standing in front of this painting at the Cleveland Museum of Art, admiring the knife-groove marks in the butter and the bug-chewed radish leaves, I had an low-key epiphany: I realized that I have been trying to pull all of its specific colors into my life—into the rugs and walls and objects in my house, into the clothes in my closet. Having that particular penny drop makes choosing things to buy or bring into the domestic orbit a little easier now, because an incredible painter figured out a color plan for me four hundred years ago.
493
hashtag girl power. After studying this piece for 10 years, I stumbled into it by perfect accident on my way out of the Uffizi in Florence this January. Rembrandt is my favorite artist, but Gentileschi painted my favorite work
31
The first painting that moved me to tears IRL. Learnt about its history at art school. Saw it in the Reina Sofia in Madrid. Was moved by the scale, the composition, the nod to past masters, the fact it boarded safely in NY until Spain was restored, and the sheer the pinch me moment of standing in front of it. Still gives me chills.
10
Mark Rothko No. 61 “Rust & Blue”
This is my most favorite painting of all time. I recommend because it is calming to me, but also gives me a sense of melancholy.
1
catherine murphy, bathroom sink, 1994
I stumbled across this painting and fell in love. The colors and softness of the hair remind me of a renaissance Madonna, but the light on the water betrays a modern photographic sense. Insane that she painted this. “Created over a span of two years, Bathroom Sink(1994) is based on a tableau the artist meticulously arranged in her home bathroom. Catherine Murphy went to extraordinary lengths to leave the scene of cut locks of hair undisturbed, including building a second bathroom, so that this one could be exclusively dedicated to painting.”
71
Trompe l'Oeil (Jean-Étienne Liotard)
Jean-Étienne Liotard's trompe l'oeil painting is a surprising little gem in a small hallway at The Frick. Not sure if I love it or the feeling of the random discovery more...
2
George Inness, 1889.
stumbled upon this $350 painting at a thrift store in San Diego. Watched a woman buy and haul it away from me. Still haunts me to this day. The one that got away :,(
Tom Wesselmann, Steel Drawing/Reclining Nude Edition (Steel Drawing Edition/Amy Reclining)
I have been a huge fan of Tom Wesselmann ever since I saw this piece in the Chazen art museum in Madison. Wesselmann’s ability to create something so painterly yet so solid in steel is incredible. Definitely recommend checking out his other works as well!!!
visit her at the art institute
Resting (Antonio Mancini, 1882–I 1892) - on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. I always make sure to go see her if I’m visiting new exhibits. I wrote a little more in my substack here about her.
8
Resting (2011) by Henry Taylor
HENRY TAYLOR Resting, 2011) Acrylic and collage on canvas 64 x 77 3/4 inches
11
2 Foos and a Double Rainbow (2019) by Michael Alvarez
MICHAEL ALVAREZ 2 Foos and a Double Rainbow, 2019 Oil, Spray Paint, Graphite and Collage on Panel 28 x 22 in
2
it's pulling me apart, this time (2023) Qualaesha Wood
It’s Pulling Me Apart, This Time (2023), Qualaesha Wood, woven jacquard and glass seed beads, 147.3 cm x 208.3 cm. Wrote about Quaelaesha Wood extensively for my undergrad thesis alongside Faith Ringgold. I so admire how she is taking up the Black feminist tradition of quilting for the 21st century and she's also just hilarious. Hope to keep writing and thinking about her in grad school!
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