What's the greatest piece of art ever created?

[Pogle]

Hmm I remember being moved to tears in front of a Cezanne once and I always been a big fan of Picasso, as one of my lectures said at art college It took him 60 years to learn how to paint like a child . I love Van Gogh too, but my very favorite has to be Chagal
I saw an exhibition of his in London when I was still an art student (aeons ago) and I was blown away by it, the colours, the vibrancy, the movement, the love it was wonderful.

[Gibbon]

Hmm I remember being moved to tears in front of a Cezanne once

Which painting was that, I've been doing a bit of Cezanne and whilst I can appreciate what he was trying to do, I haven't felt moved or touched by any of his work, although the 'house ofthe hanged man' does have a mechanoloy feel to it.

[MrMark]

I think the painting that had the greatest effect on me was "The triumph of Death" by Bruegel the elder. I was fairly young when I saw it for the first time, and it effectively taught me (as life was to do so later) that everyone you know and love will be hurtling towards death. Probably not a good idea for anyone who suffers from depression.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Triumph_of_Death
I mentioned Carmen in my opening post, and for me it's an astounding piece of art. What amazes me is that its opening run was a disaster, and indeed Bizet died broken from a heart attack, never knowing that his work would become such a success.
Carmen on Wiki

[DS23]

gustave courbet - l'origine du monde

nsfw

[mudskipper]

Did anyone visit the 'Sacred made Real' exhibition at the National Gallery? Amazingly lifelike 17C Spanish devotional sculptures and painitings - I'm not a religious person, but you can see how people can really believe they see these things move. Wasn't convinced by the breastfeeding monk though!