Most Unusual Artwork on Canvas

The Famous Artist Quarreling with His Neighbors Edvard Munch

Norwegian artist Edvard Munch was best known for his anxiety-provoking paintings. Munch has a neighbor Axel Gunnerud who adopted a dog named Rolle. The dog grew to love his owner and he became the only human Rolle would tolerate. The dog was aggressive and attacked mailmen and neighbors including the painter. During this time Munch made some drawings of Rolle and it resulted in this painting.

The Screaming Monkey-Cat Abraham Mignon

German still life artist from the 17th century Abraham Mignon was best known for painting flowers and fruit. Not being skilled in painting cats the artist came up with this artwork, It depicts a flower arrangement losing its balance and water is pouring out of the vase. In the bottom left corner of the canvas, a creature can be seen but it is not really known if it was meant to be a cat or a monkey of sorts. The cat’s paw is on a mouse trap and a rat can be seen inside the cage.

The White Cat Pierre Bonnard

French artist Pierre Bonnard was a post-Impressionist painter. In this artwork, the cat is depicted with his back arched. The painting resembles a Japanese print in Nabis fashion. The painted cat looks like a caricature with terribly long legs.

The Horrifying Cat Lady Georg von Rosen (picture above)

Swedish artist Georg von Rosen enjoyed painting cats and women and was known for his historical paintings and landscapes. During his travels, the painter was particularly interested in The Sphinx in Egypt. It appears it inspired him to create this artwork. The painting depicts a half-cat/half-woman creature. To me it looks like a woman’s head on the body of a leopard.

The Magical Songs and Chicken Feet Arnold Böcklin

Swiss symbolist artist Arnold Bocklin often created artworks with Northern European myths and legends. In his paintings, you can see sirens, half-women, and half-birds. In this painting, he depicts a seductive siren and another figure and both are seen with chicken feet.

Night Michelangelo

Well-known Italian artist Michelangelo created realistic sculptures. He was known to depict female figures with no given interest to the female body structure. A theory suggests that his depiction of deformed breasts was intentional. This particular sculpture Night presented in the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence shows deformed and out-of-proportion breasts attached to a male torso.

Leda and the Swan Paul Cezanne

French post-Impressionist artist Paul Cezanne was one of the most influential modern painters. In this artwork, he takes on a mythological subject showing one of the many affairs of the Greek legend Zeus. Zeus turned himself into a swan to seduce Leda, the wife of the Spartan King Tyndarens,

The Garden of Earthly Delights Hieronymus Bosch

Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch created the bizarre and disturbing triptych known as The Garden of Earthly Delights. It was commissioned by the Count of Nassau Engelbert for the Coudenberg Palace. This artwork visualizes Biblical creation and the fate of humanity inflicted by their tragic flaws.

The Ugly Dutchess Quentin Matsys

Flemish Renaissance artist Quentin Matsys created a most unusual and different kind of painting. Talk about an old and ugly woman or might it be a man? The painting depicts a woman dressed as an elderly temptress holding a rosebud in her right hand. The low bodice of her gown reveals a wrinkled chest and she’s wearing a heart-shaped headdress that is similar to devilish horns.

Medusa Caravaggio

Italian artist Caravaggio created the severed head of the gorgon Medusa. The legend has it that Medusa was a beautiful woman with live snakes for hair and the ability to turn people to stone at first sight. In this case, the painter used a young male model to paint Medusa on a shield.