By Afiur
April 24, 2026
Monet was known to destroy some of his own Water Lilies series out of frustration, feeling they didn’t meet his standards.
Degas often felt his work was incomplete and constantly reworked his ballerina paintings, rarely feeling satisfied.
O’Keeffe sometimes felt misunderstood and unhappy with how audiences interpreted her flower paintings, distancing herself from their meanings.
Turner’s later works were criticised in his time and even he doubted how they would be received, reflecting insecurity about his evolving style.
Although he carried the Mona Lisa with him for years, Leonardo never officially declared it finished, suggesting dissatisfaction with his work.
Despite creating the iconic Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo reportedly disliked the project, calling himself a sculptor not a painter and struggled physically and mentally during its creation.
Dalí was highly critical of his early works and often dismissed them, despite their importance in shaping his surrealist legacy.
Van Gogh described The Night Café as one of his “ugliest” works, even though it’s now considered powerful and expressive.