Why Are They Iconic? The Stories Behind the Art from DailyArt Shop

1. Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green) by Edgar Degas—Elegance and Movement

Edgar Degas’s lifelong fascination with ballet dancers is legendary (and unparalleled in the art world of his time). The artist created over 1,500 paintings, drawings, pastels, prints, and sculptures on the subject throughout his career (which makes ballet one of the most prominent themes in his oeuvre).

But why is Swaying Dancer so special? It stands out for its dynamic composition and striking use of color. The painting captures a moment of elegance and movement, as dancers perform under the soft glow of stage lights. Although Degas was considered one of the Impressionists (and exhibited his works with the group), he preferred to be called a Realist. Why? He was a keen observer of human form and posture, the raw, often unglamorous aspects of modern life such as backstage of the Opéra. Only a small number of his works depict dancers actually performing on the stage, like the Swaying Dancer.

Also, his technique was very academic—unlike the Impressionists who painted en plein air, he wasn’t bringing his easel to the Palais Garnier. Instead, he preferred to paint in his studio relying on memory and sketches he took while roaming Paris.

This painting shows us one more aspect of the influence of modern life—cropped, off-centered pictorial space. His use of cropping and unusual angles (here, we can see the dancers on stage from above, as if we were spectators watching them from a lodge) hint at the influence of photography and Japanese prints, which were incredibly popular in Europe at the time.

This beautiful depiction of the dancers is featured on the cover of DailyArt’s The Impressionists Notebook.

2. Irises by Vincent van Gogh—Symbol of a Life Without Tragedy

You may have heard about Vincent van Gogh’s tragic history. In the year preceding his death, Van Gogh arbitrarily entered the asylum of Saint Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. As a form of therapy, he started to paint… irises! For him, the painting was a “lightning conductor for illness,”—the Irises meant a life without tragedy. Nowadays, it is considered one of the most therapeutic works created by Van Gogh. Each iris has a distinct wavy silhouette, reflecting his observation and understanding of nature.

Fun fact: Irises was one of the most expensive paintings ever sold in the 1980s at Sotheby’s, fetching $53.9 million (which now would be around $100 million)! But in DailyArt Shop you can order the premium quality print of this masterpiece that shows every stroke of the master’s brush for only a small fraction of that price.

3. Pablo Picasso’s Evolution from Classical Mastery to Revolutionary Abstraction

This artist needs no introduction—everyone knows Pablo Picasso who changed the trajectory of modern art with Cubism. But do you know that the artist himself was a master of realistic depiction and was admitted to the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona as a 14-year-old boy?

His very first word was “pencil” (piz, in Spanish). Even as a toddler, he showed an unusual interest in drawing, and it was clear he was no ordinary child. A family story claims Picasso began drawing before he could speak properly. As a baby, he would spend hours scribbling on anything he could find—walls, paper, and even the floor.

If you’d like to have something that will remind you of his genius, I couldn’t recommend you enough super-comfy DailyArt’s mismatched Picassoocks.

4. Cats Suggested as the Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō by Utagawa Kuniyoushi—Can You Count ’em All?

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, a celebrated ukiyo-e artist, was known for his playful creativity and humor. He created this print as a pun and twist on Hiroshige’s more serious depictions of the same stations of the Tōkaidō road—the coastal route that ran from Edo to Kyoto. In Cats Suggested as Stations of the Tōkaidō, Kuniyoshi reimagines the famous stations along the Tōkaidō Road as cats with delightful quirks and personalities. Each feline pun represents a station name or characteristic, showing Kuniyoshi’s knack for wordplay and cultural satire.

This print is a total must-have for all cat lovers! And its amazing-quality reproduction is available in the DailyArt Shop.

5. Nighthawks by Edward Hopper—Who Are the People in the Most Iconic American Painting?

Nighthawks are featured in the DailyArt’s Monthly Wall Calendar for 2025. But who are they? Are they strangers? Lonely souls seeking company?

The artist himself denied the answer to that question. When asked about the meaning of Nighthawks, he simply described it as “a night diner.” He believed that it was up to viewers to interpret his paintings—which allows us to look at this masterpiece more freely and project our own emotions into it. This surely enhances its universal appeal. From the diaries of Jo Hopper (the artist’s wife and model for the woman in this painting), we know that the title Nighthawks was inspired by the sharp, beak-like nose of the man sitting at the counter.

6. A Christmas Carol by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Victorian Christmas Revival

During the Victorian era, Christmas underwent a cultural revival, with traditions such as caroling, tree decorating, and gift-giving becoming more widespread. And A Christmas Carol is a beautiful example of this revival in art! It is also a rare and special holiday-themed piece in his oeuvre. The work refers to his sister Christina Rossetti’s carol published under the same title—A Christmas Carol (nowadays known as In the Bleak Midwinter) in the January 1872 issue of Scribner’s Monthly.

The Victorians also started the tradition of sending Christmas cards, and as our way of cultivating this tradition, we have featured this stunning masterpiece in our Christmas Postcards Collection.

These are only a few examples of the fascinating artworks, we carefully selected to present in in our products. In the DailyArt online Shop, you can find the full offer of our art-inspired goods that tell art stories: from calendars, notebooks, and postcards, to prints and socks. 🙂