There is perhaps nothing more stressful than shopping for a gift for a close friend or cherished loved one in your life. You might be racking your brain for weeks trying to think of the perfect gift and coming up with nothing. 

Well, allow us to ease your burdens. How about giving someone the wonderful gift of a painting? Think about it. There is perhaps no more excellent or more thought-filled gift than the gift of art. It is a unique and heartfelt gift, but it is also guaranteed to brighten up their lives and fill their surroundings with more beauty.

Or, if they are artistically inclined themselves, then perhaps a paint-by-numbers painting is their gift. Paint-by-numbers is an uncolored painting listed with different numbers for you to color and paint yourself and is a tremendous gift for anyone who enjoys painting as a hobby in their own life.

Starry Night – Vincent Van Gogh

If you want to paint your life creatively you can think of a beautifully clear night’s sky. Van Gogh’s painting “Starry Night” has been hailed as perhaps the warmest and most romantic painting ever created and would make a perfect gift for the wall of any lover of art.

From its beautiful vibrant colors to its abstract star-filled sky overlooking a sleeping village below just before sunrise, Van Gogh’s masterpiece with its bright moon and flowing sky works as a beautiful representation of the colorful and flowy feelings often associated with love.

Not only would it add an air of beauty and love into your life, but Van Gogh’s starry night would also put a smile on your face and fill you with a romantic feeling anytime you were to view it.

Bal Du Moulin De La Galette – Pierre-Auguste Renoir

If you are looking for a painting with a bit more actual romance, then Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “Bal du Moulin de la Galette” might be the perfect one for you. With its colorful palette, cheerful mood, and playful couples, this is a gift that says, “I love you.”

It romantically depicts a scene of high spirits and festivity at an outdoor dance hall on a warm weekend evening. It’s a feeling of fun, and dreamy flickering lights give off an emotion of warm memories spent together and would be a more excellent gift for the long-term love in your life.

The happy faces of the portraits painted within will no doubt invoke happy memories and bring a warm smile to the gift receiver’s face. Its excellent use of lighting and sheer vibrancy will get back the feeling of embracing your loved one any time you gaze upon it.

The Kiss – Various Painters

The kiss is a prevalent theme within the art that has been reproduced repeatedly throughout history. The kiss symbol is perhaps the most powerful and iconic image of love and life known to humanity.

To name just a few, numerous artists such as Francesco Hayez, Gustav Klimt, Frederic Leighton, René Magritte, Sir Thomas Francis Dicksee, and William-Adolphe Bouguereau have all painted a version of the kiss, and anyone would be an excellent gift for the love of your life.

If the special person you wish to gift is a lover of portraits, then there is no more perfect portrait than that of the kiss. Or, instead of buying a painting, you could just be inspired by the painting of the kiss and print and frame a photograph of you and your lover kissing. This would also be a great gift and heartfelt as it gets. 

Water Lily Pond – Claude Monet

If the closest one you wish to give is a lover of nature, then a painting by Claude Monet is the one for them. There is nothing more beautiful or romantic than nature itself, and there is no better painter at depicting this beauty than Monet.

Monet’s “Water Lily Pond” collection paintings are breathtakingly beautiful to look at, but they also represent much deeper emotions. Water has also represented life, and the water lilies drifting along the water is a beautifully romantic symbol of human beings, safety, and love.

The level of detail and color in Monet’s art has given people feelings of overwhelming emotion. For this reason, it just might be the perfect gift to steal the show at your next loved one’s birthday party.

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog – Casper David Friedrich

Finally, and perhaps a slightly unconventional choice, is Casper David Friedrich’s powerful painting entitled Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog. It depicts a stunning scene of an explorer standing on a mountain top, looking out at a vast expanse, and invokes feelings of adventure and inspiration.

Friedrich was known for his romantic painting style as this particular piece is considered one of the most masterful of the genre. It fills the viewer with romantic feelings such as hope, awe, wonder, curiosity, and a sense of adventure.

If the loved one you are shopping for is adventurous, ambitious, or romantic, this one is the perfect painting. It would show just how well you know them and their personality as a gift. It will also represent the adventures you have shared and the many more to come.

The Bottom Line

So, there you have it- five unique and original gift ideas that will undoubtedly impact the receiver, not just when they receive it but also for years to come. Don’t forget that these paintings also go in a paint-by-numbers format for an alternative gift idea. And remember, a painting is not just for Christmas; a painting is for life.