Mood: Mysterious

Most artworks contain an element of mystery. As written by Cennino Cennini in his 15th-century artist's guide The Craftsman's Handbook, the concept of mystery can be defined as “the art of eliciting unseen things hidden in the shadow of natural ones, and serving to demonstrate as real the things that are not." This mystery, by suggesting that there is something more behind the surface, draws us into a work and makes us want to know more. 

Artworks that privilege the mysterious are far from new. The Dutch painter Hieronymous Bosch produced disturbing and dream-like works in the 15th and 16th centuries, such as his famous work The Garden of Earthly Delights. This triptych uses strange, imagined imagery to illustrate humanity's descent into Hell where humans are punished for their sins. 

The mysterious has been explored by artists throughout art history, still being used frequently by artists today. At Artsper, we have curated a selection of works in different mediums that are inspired by the unseen, the imagined, and the unexplained. In the photographic works of Dina Goldstein, the viewer is confronted with cinematic scenes that conjure strange narratives and dream-like worlds. Approaching the concept of mystery from a different perspective, French artist François Cognet paints somber and distorted portraits that evoke a dark side of the human psyche. Discover our whole selection of mysterious artworks today!

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Painting, Field of view, Leo Labelle

Leo Labelle

Painting - 33 x 22.9 x 0 cm Painting - 13 x 9 x 0.01 inch

$1,120

Sculpture, Les Pensées, Nina Khemchyan

Nina Khemchyan

Sculpture - 35 x 35 x 35 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 13.8 x 13.8 inch

$9,142 $8,228

Painting, Boat, Avtandil Modebadze

Avtandil Modebadze

Painting - 35 x 45 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch

$1,097

Fine Art Drawings, Emprise, Min Kyoung Lee

Min Kyoung Lee

Fine Art Drawings - 57 x 47 x 2.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 22.4 x 18.5 x 1 inch

$549

Painting, We Need You!, tizlu

tizlu

Painting - 160 x 80 x 5 cm Painting - 63 x 31.5 x 2 inch

$8,289

Painting, A thought, Galya Popova

Galya Popova

Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$2,011

Painting, Trou normand, AKET

AKET

Painting - 89 x 116 x 3 cm Painting - 35 x 45.7 x 1.2 inch

$12,189

Painting, Magellan, Gaëlle Wagner

Gaëlle Wagner

Painting - 60 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,585

Painting, Calm day, Galya Popova

Galya Popova

Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$3,657

Painting, Molten gold, Pol Ledent

Pol Ledent

Painting - 70 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,341

Painting, Eveil, Matthieu Delfini

Matthieu Delfini

Painting - 100 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch

$3,291

Painting, Abstract-3127, Ludoroy

Ludoroy

Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$792

Painting, Sanza Player, Angu Walters

Angu Walters

Painting - 100 x 80 x 0.1 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0 inch

$2,200

Painting, Zéphyr, Hugo Leboeuf

Hugo Leboeuf

Painting - 120 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

$1,585

Painting, L'inconnue, Emily Starck

Emily Starck

Painting - 66 x 66 x 2 cm Painting - 26 x 26 x 0.8 inch

$1,219

Painting, Monde rouge, Âme Sauvage

Âme Sauvage

Painting - 40 x 50 x 2.4 cm Painting - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.9 inch

$427

Painting, La Psynthe, Sabine Louriac

Sabine Louriac

Painting - 100 x 81 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 1.2 inch

$2,804

Painting, Autumm leaves, Vanessa Onuk

Vanessa Onuk

Painting - 100 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch

$2,925 $2,048

Painting, L'envol, Sandra Quintin

Sandra Quintin

Painting - 60 x 30 x 1 cm Painting - 23.6 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

$731

Painting, Lucid dream, Emily Starck

Emily Starck

Painting - 110 x 96 x 3 cm Painting - 43.3 x 37.8 x 1.2 inch

$3,169

Painting, Bleu rouge, Safia Wosth

Safia Wosth

Painting - 50 x 61 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 24 x 0.8 inch

$609

Painting, Gulps of Air, Albena Petkova

Albena Petkova

Painting - 80 x 115 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 45.3 x 1.2 inch

$4,053 $3,648

Painting, Curtain call, Ian Stone

Ian Stone

Painting - 31 x 23 x 3 cm Painting - 12.2 x 9.1 x 1.2 inch

$1,134

Painting, Perpétuel, Vanessa Onuk

Vanessa Onuk

Painting - 120 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

$3,169 $2,218

Fine Art Drawings, Curva 3, J/Y Delaunay-Israël

J/Y Delaunay-Israël

Fine Art Drawings - 108 x 158 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 42.5 x 62.2 x 0.4 inch

$2,535

Painting, Reverie, Joyce Fournier

Joyce Fournier

Painting - 71.1 x 121.9 x 3.8 cm Painting - 28 x 48 x 1.5 inch

$1,250 $988

Fine Art Drawings, Dessein 22, J/Y Delaunay-Israël

J/Y Delaunay-Israël

Fine Art Drawings - 108 x 188 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 42.5 x 74 x 0.4 inch

$2,474

Painting, Abstract-3126, Ludoroy

Ludoroy

Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$792

Painting, Ocean, Mea Ambrozo

Mea Ambrozo

Painting - 120 x 120 x 4 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.6 inch

$6,095

Painting, Soft City, Maud Merouze

Maud Merouze

Painting - 92 x 73 x 2.7 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 1.1 inch

$1,585

Painting, Nocturne, Alex Claude

Alex Claude

Painting - 40 x 40 x 1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

$488

Painting, Immersion 3, Oksana Mas

Oksana Mas

Painting - 160 x 140 x 5 cm Painting - 63 x 55.1 x 2 inch

$28,036

Painting, Dove, Nadezda Stupina

Nadezda Stupina

Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$1,950

Sculpture, Itzamná, Erik Ebeling

Erik Ebeling

Sculpture - 53 x 23 x 23 cm Sculpture - 20.9 x 9.1 x 9.1 inch

$3,200

Painting, Fantomes, Sylvie Cappe

Sylvie Cappe

Painting - 65 x 92 x 1.5 cm Painting - 25.6 x 36.2 x 0.6 inch

$1,121

Painting, Le Château, Alex Claude

Alex Claude

Painting - 60 x 80 x 1.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.6 inch

$1,219

Photography, ContemplatlO, Louis Blanc

Louis Blanc

Photography - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch

$1,219

Painting, The Visit, Niki Singleton

Niki Singleton

Painting - 127 x 74.6 x 3 cm Painting - 50 x 29.4 x 1.2 inch

$8,496

Painting, Blues, Ayoka Zahir

Ayoka Zahir

Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.01 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$183

Painting, Cold Shoulder, Dylan Cram

Dylan Cram

Painting - 46 x 61 x 4 cm Painting - 18.1 x 24 x 1.6 inch

$2,011

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