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Crystal Palace - Joseph Paxton
Paxton's magnificent building was made of cast-iron and plate class and was built for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Because it was made entirely out of glass no interior lighting was required. The building was moved to South London but was destoryed by fire in 1936. -
Ride of the Valkyries - Richard Wagner
Listen Here Ride of the Valkyries is part of Wagner's epic opera Der Ring des Nibelungen. It is most recongnized as a instrumental peice of about three minutes, and has appeared many times in popular culture. -
The Two Ways of Life - Oscar Rejlander
A montage of thirty-two photographs showing the results of chosing virtue or vice. The partial nudity was considered indecent by many critics. -
Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Perhaps one of the greatest novels of the 19th Century, Les Misérables follows the story of Jean Valjean an ex-con convicted for stealing bread for his family. -
The Luncheon on the Grass - Édouard Manet
This oil on canvas shocked viewers by depicting nude women eating with fully clothed men on a large canvas. -
The Birth of Venus - Alexander Cabanel
Cabanel's semi-historical nude was purchased by Napoleon III. The painting's defining feature is Venus's eyes which upon close inspection are open. -
In the Hall of the Mountain King - Edvard Grieg
Listen Here Originally written for the Norwegian play Peer Gynt, this orchestral peice has become an iconic theme. -
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
Perhaps the greates work of world literature, War and Peace is Tolstoy's finest work. War and Peace is the 7th longest novel ever written. -
Palais Garnier - Charles Garnier
Origially called the Salle des Capucines, it is also known simply as the Paris Opera. This famous opera house was the setting for Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera in 1910. -
The Apparition - Gustave Monreau
The Apparition depicts the classic femme fatale Salome visited by the bloody head of John the Baptist. -
Moulin de la Galette - Pierre-Auguste Renoir
One of impressonism's best works, it offers itself as a snapshot of real life. It is the sixth most expensive painting ever sold. -
Symphony No. 4 - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Listen Here First performed in Febuary of 1878, Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony opened to unfavorable response. Despite this, it remains his most popular symphony. -
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère - Édouard Manet
This painting was the last major work of Manet. The suject of the painting is looking into a mirror and Manet has been criticized because it contains several impossiblities. -
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grande Jatte - Georges Seurat
Taking over two years to paint, this work is Seurat's most famous painting. It is the quintessential example of Pointillism. -
The Statue of Liberty - Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from the people of France. It has become an icon for freedom and a welcoming signal for immigrants. -
The Eiffel Tower - Gustave Eiffel
The Eiffel Tower was built for the enterance arch to the World's Fair. It has since become one of the most iconic and recognizable structures in the world. -
The Starry Night - Vincent van Gogh
This painting depicts the view from Saint-Rémy-de-Provence sanatorium. There have been many different interpretations of the painting. -
Wainwright Building - Louis Sullivan
The ten-story building was one of the first skyscrapers in world. It served as a template for other taller buildings. -
The Scream - Edvard Munch
The Scream has been called a Mona Lisa for modern art. A verson of The Scream sold for $120 million in 2012. -
Salt Lake Temple - Truman O. Angell
The largest LDS temple took exactly fourty years to build. A sandstone foundation of the temple was buried during the Utah War and later had to be replaced with granite. -
Still Life with Basket of Apples - Paul Cézanne
Known for its unbalanced parts, the painting shows two viewpoints creating a bridge between impressionism and cubism. . -
Symphony No. 1 - Gustav Mahler
Listen Here Mahler introduced the German lied in his first symphany. Most famous is his use of Frère Jacques in a minor key. -
Finlandia - Jean Sibelius
Listen Here Composed as a protest against censorship of the Russian Empire. The musice was later adapted for the Christian hymn Be Still, My Soul.
