10 Artworks to Improve Your Mood

1. Frans Hals, Portrait of a Jester with a Lute

Frans Hals, the undisputed master of portraiture, loved to depict everyday people in everyday moments. In this painting, a young lute player is pinching the strings of his instrument whilst looking mischievously outside the canvas. Everything in this character—the smile, the bold clothes, the rosy cheeks, and the unruly hair—gives this painting an air of carefree happiness.

2. Giovanni Fattori, La Signora Martelli a Castiglioncello

Giovanni Fattori was one the leaders of the Macchiaioli, the Italian answer to French Impressionism. This artwork was painted at some point in or after 1876, when Fattori visited friend and art critic Diego Martelli in his villa in the Tuscan countryside. Here, Martelli’s wife is shown relaxing in the cooling shade, reclining in a chair with her feet up and—seemingly—nothing to worry about.

3. Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Vertumnus

In this peculiar painting, fruits and vegetables are put together to form the portrait of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. The title—Vertumnus—refers to the homonymous Roman god of seasonal change and plant growth. Though this might look like a satirical painting, Giuseppe Arcimboldo deeply respected Rudolf II, whose reign marked a heightened appreciation for art and culture. He used fruits and vegetables to depict the wealth, health, and harmony experienced under Rudolf II. Yet, this bizarre artwork never fails to raise a smile.

4. John Singer Sargent, La Carmencita

This majestic representation of a Spanish dancer is a controversial painting by John Singer Sargent, who was criticized for representing a common woman with the stature and grandeur of an aristocrat. Sargent paints her with pale makeup, to match the fashion at the time, and a luxurious glittering dress. Her pose is almost monumental, which again serves to convey a sense of pride and power that raises the spirit.

5. Georges Seurat, Bathers at Asnières

This painting by French artist Georges Seurat is a huge canvas. The subject, a quiet Parisian suburb with an array of people bathing in the river Seine, has an idyllic feel to it. The use of color and light, which covers the scene in a glimmering sheen, suggests a lazy summer afternoon, perfect for a bit of relaxation in peace and tranquillity.

6. A Pair of Pigs

This odd painting is an example of animal-themed British folk art. Paintings of large healthy farm animals such as this one were often commissioned by breeders to display the wealth of their livestock. Yet, with their out-of-proportion heads and aloof expressions, these pigs don’t seem to have a care in the world.

7. Henri Matisse, The Snail

Towards the end of his life, Henri Matisse grew increasingly frail and suffered badly from arthritis, which greatly limited his ability to paint. As a response to his deteriorating dexterity, he moved to paper collages such as this one. The result is a cheerful juxtaposition of colors, curling around a central piece—like a snail’s shell.

8. Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

Hailed as one of the masterpieces of German Romanticism, Caspar David Friedrich’s painting shows the figure of a man standing proud over a landscape covered in fog and mist. Though often associated with contemplation of the sublime that Romanticists so often pursued, this painting is also a powerful image of self-belief and determination. You can read more about this masterpiece here.

9. Georgia O’Keeffe, Above the Clouds I

This canvas is an aerial view over a speckled sky of clouds. It’s Georgia O’Keeffe’s first of a series of similar paintings, inspired by her travels and views out of an airplane window. Throughout the cycle, O’Keeffe experiments with colors, shapes, and sizes. In this artwork, the pale horizon and fuzzy clouds give a sense of peace, serenity, and bliss.

10. Cueva de las Manos

This artwork was painted by multiple people over a few millennia. It is a collection of handprints, stenciled on the walls of a Cueva de las Manos (Cave of the Hands) in Argentina. The earliest handprints date back to 7300 BCE and the latest to 700 CE. It’s a phenomenal example of human creativity and a tangible link to our shared past.