The Legacy of the Unfinished: Famous Artworks That Will Forever Remain Incomplete

Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, Charles Dickens, Gaudi and many more... We have compiled this list of famous unfinished works of art for you.There are many unfinished paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, whose every painting is carefully studied and who put codes in places we would never guess. This painting of St. Jerome's retreat in the desert is one of Leonardo's unfinished works. If Leonardo da Vinci had finished this painting, how do you think it would have looked? For those who would like to see this version, the work is in the Vatican Museum.The Adoration of the Magi is an early and unfinished work by Leonardo. In this painting, the artist depicts Mary with Jesus in her arms, and people are admiring and bowing down to her, marveling at the appearance and holiness of the baby.Franz Schubert could not finish this work, which he worked on with all his heart in the last periods of his life. For this reason, this symphony in B minor is more commonly known as the Unfinished Symphony rather than the 8th Symphony. The artist, who started this work when he was only 25 years old, did not share it with anyone because he was not comfortable with it. However, even though Schubert could not present the work, he shared the symphony with people before his death at the age of 31.The Love of The Last Tycoon is the unfinished novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, best known for his famous novel The Great Gatsby. Although the work was not published by the famous author, Fitzgerald's publisher published it in this form after his death.The unfinished David-Apollo sculpture by Michelangelo, one of the famous artists of the Renaissance, who makes you feel as if the sculptures will come to life because of every detail in his works. It was first started as David by the artist and then interpreted as Apollo by art historians. For this reason, the name of the sculpture is referred to as David-Apollo in art history.This unfinished painting by Gilbert Stuart is one of about 100 works by the artist depicting US President George Washington. This painting, which you can also see on the US dollar, was started on the order of George Washington's wife; however, it was not completed.Before his death in 1918, Gustav Klimpt was working on another painting along with The Bride. Unfortunately, due to a stroke, he was unable to finish both paintings.Another painting that Gustav Klimt worked on before his death was the Portrait of Johanna Staude. Although this painting of Klimpt, which we know more with his painting 'The Kiss', is known as unfinished, it is also very beautiful in this form.This work by the famous composer Mozart is considered Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's masterpiece, even though it was never completed by the artist. This composition, could not be completed due to the artist's severe illness. After his death, the composition was completed by Mozart's students, as the money for the composition ordered by Konstanze was paid in advance.This work by Rembrandt, an artist known for the play of light and shadow in his paintings, was inspired by the engraving of the legendary king Pygmalion. As we understand from the artist's sketches, this work, which was planned with great care and a systematic approach, couldn't be completed.Gaudi's famous 'Unfinished Church' is never meant to be finished. Known as the longest architectural project in history, Sagrada Familia has been under construction since 1882. Whenever you visit the unfinished church, which is still being worked on in Gaudi's memory, it is likely to be under construction.This novel, written by Charles Dickens, consists entirely of mysterious scenes and the work becomes different as you read it. This almost completed work is known as an incomplete book because of the novel's lack of an ending. Charles Dickens died before he could write who committed the murder at the end of the novel and the murder, like the title of the novel, remains a mystery.Although this painting by the French Impressionist painter Claude Monet appears to be complete, in the artist's eyes it is unfinished. Throughout his life, Monet reworked and reworked because of the feeling of incompleteness in his works and constantly played with light and shadow. This painting is one of them.This work, which was started but never completed by the Italian painter Michelangelo, is based on the meetings of Mary, Jesus and Jesus' cousin John the Baptist. In this painting, which was made using common characters in medieval paintings, the angels in the background remained only as sketches.The famous poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who constantly used a narcotic drug, saw a 300-line poem in his dream one day after taking this drug. As soon as he woke up, the poet wrote the first 54 lines of the poem and had an unexpected guest. The poet, who could not remember the poem after the effect of the drug wore off, never completed this work.Elizabeth Shoumatoff was a Russian-American painter who painted portraits of famous politicians during her lifetime. The artist began her portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt with great excitement. However, while the portrait was being painted, the chair in which Roosevelt was sitting broke and the president died. This painting, partially completed in watercolor, was left behind.