The Church at Auvers by Vincent van Gogh (1890), the first famous painting in the list by Cultural Tutor, was done by the painter during his visit to Auvers. Van Gogh spent his final months in this village just north of Paris because of the presence of Dr. Paul Ferdinand Gachet (of whom van Gogh also did a portrait), a physician specializing in melancholia.
The company of Dr. Gachet and his circle of acquaintances, many of whom were artists, helped only temporarily. Soon, feelings of loneliness and depression returned, and, tragically, van Gogh took his own life.
Interestingly, his brother, Theo, wanted to hold the funeral at the church in Auvers. But the priest said no. Van Gogh was a Protestant, and, what's more, he had taken his own life. Both brothers, however, rest not far away from the church depicted in the painting – in the town cemetery.
The Mont-Saint-Michel Island, depicted in the famous painting of the same name by James Webb in 1857, is a famous tourist destination. Its history dates back to the 8th century. Bishop Aubert apparently claimed Archangel Michael appeared to him and told him to build a church atop the island.
Then, after 966, the dukes of Normandy and French kings built a Benedictine abbey on the island. During the Middle Ages, they added monastic buildings to the ensemble, making it the center of attraction for great minds and pilgrims.
Today, the government tries to preserve the exceptional landscape of Mont-Saint-Michel. They moved car parks further inland, so tourists who want to get to the mount now have to either walk or take specially devised shuttle buses.
Frederic Edwin Church's magnificent painting El Khasné, Petra (1874) depicts the temple in the historical city of Petra, Jordan. Church was an American landscape painter, so this particular piece was different from his usual style: no panoramic views and little sense of depth.
The purpose of the Al Khazneh, or the Treasury of Petra, was unknown. Some archaeologists thought it was a temple, and others claimed it was used to store documents. However, in 1996, they uncovered a crypt. Archaeologist Suleiman Farajat found the remains of at least 11 individuals.
The house in American Gothic by Grant Wood (1930) is a very popular tourist attraction as well. The story goes that Grant sketched the house while on tour in a small Iowa town. Upon his return home to Cedar Rapids, he painted the iconic American Gothic. Today, there is a visitor center adjacent to the house, together with an exhibit gallery and a gift shop.
Italian painter Canaletto painted Piazza San Marco, Venice in the late 1720s. His paintings, in general, were very popular with British visitors. Just as tourists today take snapshots or buy postcards of the places they visit during their vacations, people in the 18th century would take home paintings of memorable destinations they visited. Canaletto's Piazza San Marco, Venice, was a popular example of that practice.
Sunrise on the Matterhorn by Albert Bierstadt (1880s) depicts the most famous mountain in the Swiss Alps. It's often even called "the jewel of Swiss Alps." The mountain is right on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Fun fact: there is no cable car that goes up. Experienced climbers, therefore, can climb the mountain themselves.
