There is a saying in the Louvre called the 'Mona Lisa Group'.
This saying comes from the phenomenon where about 25 percent of visitors to the Louvre simply look at the Mona Lisa and leave.
Additionally, according to a survey conducted by CNN in 2019 on the world's most famous artwork, a whopping 85.3 percent chose the Mona Lisa.
It is said that France currently earns trillions of won annually from the Mona Lisa alone, so it can be said that this work is truly the most famous work of art in history.

---From "The most beautiful smile in the world, "Mona Lisa"

This work, which had been beautifully decorating the dining room of the San Giorgio Maggiore Monastery in Venice for over 200 years, began to face numerous trials.
In 1797, Napoleon's army invaded Italy and plundered numerous works of art for the Louvre Museum's collection.
They were immediately captivated by this work, but because of its weight and size, weighing 1.5 tons, they were hesitant to take it back to France.
In the end, after much thought, they commit the atrocity of cutting the work in half and rolling up the canvas.
---From "The Wedding Feast at Cana," the largest painting in the Louvre

It's a wonderful portrait, but in fact, this scene was completely manipulated.
The Saint-Bernard Pass is a steep mountain range with an elevation of over 2,400 meters, and can only be safely crossed by mules, not Arabian racehorses.
Also, this was a snowy place with an average temperature close to freezing even in May when Napoleon passed through, so Napoleon must have wrapped himself in a thick overcoat and shivered from the cold as he passed through the pass with difficulty.
The scene David drew was, in fact, absolutely impossible to achieve.
---From "Praise the Living Hero"

Through this series, Rubens deifies the very life of Marie de Medici, leaving behind one of the most splendid biographical works in history.
He even confessed in a letter to an acquaintance that he had “poured out all my abilities and succeeded in completely distorting and deceiving the historical truth.”
And he may have hoped that the relationship between Marie and the hat would continue peacefully, as he expressed in his work.
But this wind did not last long.
---From “Marie’s Political Achievements and Conflict with Her Son, Louis XIII”

Art critic Louis Leroy said of Monet's work, "Impression, Sunrise.
It is a truly impressive painting.
“What a free painting! What a painting so easily drawn! The quality of the seascape in the painting is worse than that of wallpaper!” he mockingly disparaged the work and dubbed the exhibition “an exhibition of the Impressionists.”
This is how the word 'Impressionism' was first coined by Louis Leroy, and here the word "impressive" was an ironic expression meaning 'impressive because it is so poorly drawn, so absurd, or so ridiculous.'
Although it was initially a term close to a curse, from the third exhibition in 1877 onwards, he began to use the term 'Impressionism' himself, and Impressionism began to establish itself as a new mainstream in the art world.
---From "Impressionism, the Flame of Art That Never Goes Out"

Millet's words, "Even if everything in the world changes, the life of a farmer remains unchanged yesterday, today, and forever," seem to speak not so much of sanctifying labor as of the sorrows and joys of farmers, which remain unchanged no matter how much the world changes.
Some argue that Millet painted the painting in the hopes that a revolution would break out in the countryside, citing the colors of the hoods of the two women on the left and the sleeves of the woman in the center as resembling the French tricolor, a symbol of revolution.
Perhaps for this reason, after its publication, the work was criticized as a severely leftist painting that incited social chaos and conflict.
---From "The Gleaners," which has various interpretations

When the work was exhibited at the Salon, critics criticized it, saying, “This work is worth less than the stones those laborers break.”
However, Courbet wrote to a friend, “I do not want to paint to please anyone or to make easy money.
“I will never, even for a single moment, deviate from my principles and do anything that goes against my conscience,” he says, stating that this is the only truth and the true picture of the world he lives in.
---From "The Funeral at Ornans," the prelude to realism

Could it be that Manet didn't anticipate this outcome? Of course not.
Edouard Manet was born into a prominent bourgeois family, lived an aristocratic life, and received art education from the best academic painter of his time.
In other words, he was a person who knew exactly how to draw in a way that people would like and that would lead to his success.
But why on earth? Why did Manet paint such a controversial picture, knowing it would be controversial?
---From "Luncheon on the Grass," which marked the beginning of modern art

Those who did not understand the meaning and attempt of the work mostly commented, “It would be better to quit being a painter and become a train driver” or “Is Monet color-blind? Why did he use such ridiculous colors?”
But only Émile Zola gave the following praise:
“In Monet’s works, I can hear the sound of the train’s whistle, and the sight of the steam pouring out from the train slowly engulfing the huge train station seems to unfold before my eyes.
“His paintings contain our present, not the past.”
---From "The Hunter of Light, Claude Monet"

The lovely subjects and warm, bright colors in his works, which never change, are Renoir's unchanging characteristics.
So, when I introduce him to people when I visit the Musée d'Orsay, I tell them, "If you invest just 30 minutes to look closely at Renoir's works and become familiar with them, you will have the mysterious ability to distinguish Renoir's works in any museum in the world."
---From "Renoir, Who Singed Only Joy and Happiness"

Monet's various water lily series can be seen in art galleries around the world, but the most outstanding work is, of course, the large-scale water lily painting displayed at the Orangerie Museum.
This work is considered the greatest masterpiece of Monet's life, and it is said that it was the work he traded his later years for, as he devoted everything he had, both mentally and physically, to completing it.

---「From Monet's greatest masterpiece, "Water Lilies"」

Rodin did not want to falsely portray their figures as divine, heroic figures that transcend even death.
These were not heroes from myths who knew no fear, but ordinary people who felt the same emotions as we do, who were afraid of death, trembled, shed tears, and wanted to run away immediately.
So, what I wanted to say was that their choices and actions are greater and more valuable.

---From "The Burghers of Calais," a symbol of noblesse oblige