Image via Complex Original
Love is a many splendored thing, until it's not...in which case it just plain sucks. Whether we fall out of love, experience unrequited love, or lose the love of our life, heartbreak is a pretty universal feeling for most people. I personally love a little heartache.
Not necessarily when I'm really in the midst of it, and definitely not before I've moved on, but I do believe that there's something to be said for what a little heart-wrenching despair can do for the creative mind. I'm not alone in this sentiment. Whether reeling from the discovery of an unfaithful husband, like Frida Kahlo, or capturing the death of a beloved wife on canvas, like Claude Monet, many artists have experienced their greatest strokes of genius after love has been lost.
Alone for Valentine's Day this year? This just might be your chance to make something great out of it all. In the meantime, get inspired and check out these 25 Incredible Artworks Inspired by Heartbreak.
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The Meeting on the Turret Stairs
The Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Sir Frederic William Burton, 1864
Medium: Watercolor
The Meeting on the Turret Stairs was inspired by the doomed love story of Hellelil, a Danish princess, and Hildebrand, one of her 12 personal guards. Her father orders his 7 sons to kill him, and after many battles, both fall fate to death.
Romeo and Juliet: The Tomb Scene
Romeo and Juliet: The Tomb Scene by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1790
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Joseph Wright's depiction of the fateful deaths of Romeo and Juliet at the tomb are displayed at the Royal Gallery in London, the painting captures the moment when Juliet kneels beside what she believes is Romeo's dead body and draws his dagger.
Pyramus and Thisbe
Pyramus and Thisbe by Gregorio Pagani, 1530
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Based on Ovid's story of forbidden love in Metamorphoses, Pagani's Pyramus and Thisbe portrays the star-crossed duo who communicated to each other through cracks in the walls due to family rivalry.
The Broken Heart
The Broken Heart by Maria Pizzuti, 1997
Medium: Bronze
As part of a list of memorials to the Great Famine in Ireland, Maria Pizzuti's fountain in the shape of a broken heart in Limerick has been described as a symbol of those who fled to America and beyond in the time of strife.
Love, Love Will Tear Us Apart Again
Love, Love Will Tear Us Apart Again by Victoria Lucas and Richard William Wheater, 2011
Medium: Neon
Part of a year-long exhibition by the art house "Neon Workshops", "Love, Love Will Tear Us Apart Again" was one part of monthly sequence of neon roof installations of famous love song quotes by Lucas and Wheater.
Pietà
Pietà by Michaelangelo, 1498–1499
Medium: Marble
Michaelangelo's Pietà depicts a solemn Mary mourning the loss of her son, Jesus, after his crucifixion. Commissioned in honor of a cardinal's funeral monument, the work in marble remains of the most famous sculptures in Vatican City.
Gravestone
Gravestone by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1987
Medium: Acrylic and Crayon on Canvas
Heartache can defy time and type of relationship, and this is most evident with the effect of Andy Warhol's death on his friend Jean-Michel Basquiat. Though their relationship was deteriorating at the time, friends say that Basquiat was inconsolable when hearing that Warhol had died, and his work Gravestone was in homage to his dear friend.
A Piece of Me
A Piece of Me by Valérie Oka, 2011
Medium: Mixed Media
Oka's installation A Piece of Me was featured in an exhibition that closed last month at the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Lagos. The project, titled "The Progress of Love," featured collaborations and connections at three different art institutions to highlight the experiences of love, from start to loss.
Love's Melancholy
Love's Melancholy by Constant Mayer, 1866
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Constant Mayer's Love's Melancholyfeatures a woman in a simple black dress with downcast eyes, an image of many women during the time who lost their husbands during the Civil War. /p>
The Death of Procris (or A Satyr Mourning Over a Nymph)
The Death of Procris (or A Satyr Mourning Over a Nymph) by Piero di Cosimo, c. 1495
Medium: Oil on Poplar
The Death of Procris, sometimes referred to as A Satyr Mourning Over a Nymph or A Mythological Subject, is a 15th century adaptation of a story in Ovid's Metamorphases. Piero di Cosimo's cautionary tale depicts the newlywed Procris, who has been killed by her jealous husband.
THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE BECOME GHOSTS INSIDE OF YOU AND LIKE THIS YOU KEEP THEM ALIVE
THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE BECOME GHOSTS INSIDE OF YOU AND LIKE THIS YOU KEEP THEM ALIVE by Rob Montgomery, 2010
Medium: Installation
Sometimes heartache moves us to create things that lift us up rather than reflect on sadness. When discussing the death of loved ones and the creation of this piece, Montgomery noted that it is "made from recycled sunligh—the sculpture recycles sunlight to illuminate itself, as a metaphor for what we do when we remember someone we love."
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Take Care of Yourself
Take Care of Yourself by Sophie Calle, 2007
Medium: Mixed Mediums
Sophie Calle's exhibition Take Care of Yourself debuted at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007. The installation, which consisted of a mass of video, photographs, and written text, was influenced by a single letter received from a lover leaving her. Of the body of work, Calle said "I received an email telling me it was over. I didn't know how to respond. It was almost as if it hadn't been meant for me. It ended with the words, "Take care of yourself." And so I did.
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A Few Small Nips (Passionately in Love)
A Few Small Nips (Passionately in Love) by Frida Kahlo, 1935
Medium: Oil on Canvas
After learning of the affair between her husband, Diego Rivera, and her sister Cristina, Frida Kahlo painted this portrait of another woman bearing the pain of heartbreak. She was inspired by a newspaper report about an unfaithful woman murdered in an act of jealousy, where the murderer had defended his actions before the judge by saying, "But it was just a few small nips!"
The Statue of Giulietta
The Statue of Giulietta by Nereo Costantini, 1972
Medium: Bronze
Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's House) in Verona is not actually the Capulet's house from Shakespeare's famous play "Romeo and Juliet." However, that doesn't stop thousands of tourists from visiting annually to see Juliet's balcony and rub the right breast of Nereo Costantini's bronze statue of Juliet for better luck in love than the ill-fated pair.
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Tristram and Iseult
Tristram and Iseult by Edward Burne-Jones, 1872
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Abandoned in the 19th century, Burne-Jones' portrait of ill-fated lovers was revisited and correctly re-identified by art scholars centuries later. It's believed that the love triangle depicted in this painting may have reflected the emotional turmoil over the artist's own love triangle at the time with a Greek model and his wife.
Albert Memorial
Albert Memorial by Sir George Gilbert Scott, 1872
Medium: Stone and Bronze
The Albert Memorial, located in Kensington Gardens in London, was commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1872 in memoriam of her husband Albert, who died of typhoid in 1861. The work in several types of stone consists of a Gothic revival style canopy with an ornate bronze statue of Albert underneath.
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal by Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, 1632–1653
Medium: Architecture
Completed in 1653, the Taj Mahal was commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, in Agra, India. Constructed in white marble, the mausoleum has made its way into the seven great wonders of the modern world and inspired its own architectural style.
Oh Christ I just wanted you / to Fuck me / and Then / I Became Greedy, I wanted / You to Love me
Oh Christ I just wanted you / to Fuck me / and Then / I Became Greedy, I wanted / You to Love me by Tracey Emin, 2009
Medium: Neon
Emin's work in neon was part of a 2009 exhibition at the White Cube called Those Who Suffer Love. The exhibit highlighted the trials and tribulations of being ensconced in a relationship with love and loss itself.
Girl with the Pearl Earring
Girl with the Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, 1665
Medium: Oil on Canvas
The history and story behind Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring is greatly disputed. Some say that the painting is a portrait of his daughter, Marie, who was about 12 or 13 years old at the time. However, others say that the look of longing in the model's eyes and the sensual positioning of her lips suggests otherwise.
Camille on Her Deathbed
Camille on Her Deathbed by Claude Monet, 1879
Medium: Oil on Canvas
In 1879, Claude Monet's wife and frequent model died from illness at 32 years old. He painted a portrait of her at her deathbed, and later wrote to a friend saying "finding myself at the deathbed of a loved one, I was surprised by the colors that death brought to her immobile face."
Beethoven Frieze
Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt, 1902
Medium: Gold, Graphite, Casein paint
In 1902, Klimt was commissioned to paint a frieze at the Vienna Secession House in celebration of the composer's life. The painting was said to highlight the tempestuous marriage of beauty and the arts with man's longing for companionship and love.
Love Lost
Love Lost by Damien Hirst, 1999
Mediums: Glass, Painted Steel, Silicon, Water, Aquarium System, Live Fresh Water, Fish, Gravel, Gynecologist's Chair, Stainless Steel Table, Computer Keyboard and Monitor, Stool, Mug, Watch, and Pewter Rings
Damien Hirst's Love Lost consists of a large fish tank containing a gynecologist's office and live fish. Many critics suggest that Hirst's use of fish are a commentary on relationships with women and sex.
The Two Fridas
The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo, 1939
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Not long after her divorce from Diego Rivera, Frida painted The Two Fridas, a self-portrait of two different personalities. In later diary entries, Kahlo admitted that the painting depicted the different emotions surrounding her separation as her marriage fell apart.
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent Van Gogh, 1889
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Vincent Van Gogh was known for his tormented life, plagued with mental illness and an early death. He's also known for cutting off his own ear. While the real story is greatly debated, legend has it that he did it as an attempt to keep a friend that he was hopelessly infatuated with.
Ophelia
Ophelia by John Everett Millais, 1851–1852
Medium: Oil on Canvas
A famous depiction of Shakespeare's lovelorn maiden, Millais' Ophelia portrays the young woman with hands outstretched before her poetic drowning.