Works of art that everyone knows often contain fascinating stories that are unknown.
Kazimir Malevich was the sixth artist who painted the black square, Shishkin co-authored his Morning in a Pine Forest, Dali had a serious psychosexual trauma, and Pablo Picasso survived after a bold response to the Gestapo. We admire the beauty of the greatest paintings, but the stories that happened before, during or after the painting of masterpieces often remain outside of our attention. And completely in vain. Sometimes such stories allow you to better understand the artist or simply marvel at the quirkiness of life and creativity.
Malevich's "Black Square" - one of the most famous and discussed works of art - is not such an innovation.
Artists have been experimenting with black all over since the 17th century. Robert Fludd, in 1617, was the first to paint a completely black work of art called "The Great Darkness", followed in 1843 by Bertal and his work "View of La Hougue (under the cover of night)". More than two hundred years later. And then almost without interruption - Gustave Dore's Twilight History of Russia in 1854, Paul Bielhold's Night Fight of Negroes in the Basement in 1882, and Alphonse Allais's "Battle of the Negroes in a Cave in the Dead Night" was completely plagiarized. And only in 1915, Kazimir Malevich presented his "Black Suprematist Square" to the public, which is how the picture is called in full. And it is his picture that is known to everyone, while others are known only to art historians. Malevich himself painted at least four versions of his "Black Suprematist Square", differing in pattern, texture and color, in the hope of finding absolute "weightlessness" and a flight of forms.
"Scream", Edvard Munch
As with Black Square, there are four versions of The Scream in the world. Two versions are painted in oil and two in pastel. There is an opinion that Munch, who suffered from manic-depressive psychosis, wrote it several times in an attempt to vent all the suffering that covered his soul. And it is possible that there would have been more strange men screaming from unbearable torment if the artist had not gone to the clinic. After a course of treatment, he never again tried to reproduce his "Scream", which became a cult.
"Guernica", Pablo Picasso
The huge fresco "Guernica", painted by Picasso in 1937, tells about the raid of the Luftwaffe volunteer unit on the city of Guernica, as a result of which the six thousandth city was completely destroyed. The picture was painted literally in a month - the first days of work on the picture, Picasso worked for 10-12 hours and already in the first sketches one could see the main idea. This is one of the best illustrations of the nightmare of fascism, as well as human cruelty and grief. Guernica presents scenes of death, violence, atrocities, suffering and helplessness, without specifying their immediate causes, but they are obvious. And the most interesting moment in connection with this picture occurred in 1940, when Picasso was called to the Gestapo in Paris. “Did you do this?” the fascists asked him. "No, you did it."
"The Great Masturbator" Salvador Dali
In a picture with a strange and impudent name even for our time, there is actually no challenge to society. The artist actually depicted his subconscious, confessed to the viewer. The canvas depicts his wife Gala, whom he passionately loved; locusts, which he was terrified of; a fragment of a man with cut knees, ants and other symbols of passion, fear and disgust. The origins of this picture (but primarily the origins of his strange disgust and at the same time craving for sex) lie in the fact that in childhood Salvador Dali looked through a book on venereal diseases, accidentally left by his father.
The historical canvas, which tells the viewer about a dramatic moment in the history of our country, was in fact inspired not so much by the fact of the murder of his son and heir by Tsar John Vasilyevich, but by the murder of Alexander II by terrorist revolutionaries, and - most unexpectedly - bullfighting in Spain. The artist wrote about what he saw: “Misfortunes, living death, murders and blood make up the force that attracts to itself ... And I, having probably become infected with this bloodiness, upon arrival home, immediately set to the bloody scene.”
"Morning in a pine forest", Ivan Shishkin
The masterpiece, familiar to every Soviet child from breathtakingly tasty and scarce sweets, belongs to the pen not only of Shishkin. Many artists who were friends with each other often resorted to "the help of a friend", and Ivan Ivanovich, who had been painting landscapes all his life, was afraid that touching bears would not turn out the way he needed. Therefore, Shishkin turned to a familiar animal painter Konstantin Savitsky. Savitsky painted perhaps the best bears in the history of Russian painting, and Tretyakov ordered his name to be washed off the canvas, since everything in the picture “beginning from the idea and ending with the execution, everything speaks of the manner of painting, of the creative method peculiar to Shishkin.”
In almost every significant work of art there is a mystery, a double bottom or a secret story that you want to uncover.
Music on the buttocks
Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1500-1510.
Fragment of a triptych
Disputes about the meanings and hidden meanings of the most famous work of the Dutch artist have not subsided since its appearance. On the right wing of the triptych called "Musical Hell" sinners are depicted who are tortured in the underworld with the help of musical instruments. One of them has notes imprinted on his buttocks. Oklahoma Christian University student Amelia Hamrick, who studied the painting, transposed the notation of the 16th century into a modern way and recorded "a song from the ass from hell, which is 500 years old."
Nude Mona Lisa
The famous "Gioconda" exists in two versions: the nude version is called "Monna Vanna", it was painted by the little-known artist Salai, who was a student and sitter of the great Leonardo da Vinci. Many art critics are sure that it was he who was the model for Leonardo's paintings "John the Baptist" and "Bacchus". There are also versions that dressed in a woman's dress, Salai served as the image of Mona Lisa herself.
Old Fisherman
In 1902, the Hungarian artist Tivadar Kostka Chontvari painted the painting "Old Fisherman". It would seem that there is nothing unusual in the picture, but Tivadar laid a subtext in it, which was never disclosed during the life of the artist.
Few people thought of putting a mirror in the middle of the picture. In each person there can be both God (the right shoulder of the Old Man is duplicated) and the Devil (the left shoulder of the old man is duplicated).
Was there a whale?
Hendrik van Antonissen "Scene on the Shore".
It seemed like an ordinary landscape. Boats, people on the shore and the desert sea. And only an X-ray study showed that people gathered on the shore for a reason - in the original, they examined the carcass of a whale washed ashore.
However, the artist decided that no one would want to look at a dead whale and repainted the painting.
Two "Breakfasts on the Grass"
Edouard Manet, Luncheon on the Grass, 1863.
Claude Monet, Breakfast on the Grass, 1865.
Artists Edouard Manet and Claude Monet are sometimes confused - after all, they were both French, lived at the same time and worked in the style of impressionism. Even the name of one of Manet's most famous paintings, "Breakfast on the Grass", Monet borrowed and wrote his "Breakfast on the Grass".
Twins at the Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1495-1498.
When Leonardo da Vinci wrote The Last Supper, he attached particular importance to two figures: Christ and Judas. He was looking for sitters for them for a very long time. Finally, he managed to find a model for the image of Christ among the young singers. Leonardo failed to find a sitter for Judas for three years. But one day he came across a drunkard lying in the gutter on the street. He was a young man who had been aged by heavy drinking. Leonardo invited him to a tavern, where he immediately began to write Judas from him. When the drunkard came to his senses, he told the artist that he had already posed for him once. It was a few years ago, when he sang in the church choir, Leonardo wrote Christ from him.
"Night Watch" or "Day Watch"?
Rembrandt, The Night Watch, 1642.
One of Rembrandt’s most famous paintings, “The Performance of the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenbürg,” hung in different halls for about two hundred years and was discovered by art historians only in the 19th century. Since the figures seemed to stand out against a dark background, it was called the Night Watch, and under this name it entered the treasury of world art.
And only during the restoration, carried out in 1947, it turned out that in the hall the picture had managed to become covered with a layer of soot, which distorted its color. After clearing the original painting, it was finally revealed that the scene presented by Rembrandt actually takes place during the day. The position of the shadow from the left hand of Captain Kok shows that the duration of the action is no more than 14 hours.
capsized boat
Henri Matisse, "The Boat", 1937.
In the New York Museum of Modern Art in 1961, Henri Matisse's painting "The Boat" was exhibited. Only after 47 days did someone notice that the painting was hanging upside down. The canvas depicts 10 purple lines and two blue sails on a white background. The artist painted two sails for a reason, the second sail is a reflection of the first one on the surface of the water.
In order not to be mistaken in how the picture should hang, you need to pay attention to the details. The larger sail should be at the top of the painting, and the peak of the sail of the painting should be directed to the upper right corner.
Deception in a self-portrait
Vincent van Gogh, Self Portrait with a Pipe, 1889.
There are legends that Van Gogh allegedly cut off his own ear. Now the most reliable version is that van Gogh's ear was damaged in a small scuffle with the participation of another artist, Paul Gauguin.
The self-portrait is interesting because it reflects reality in a distorted form: the artist is depicted with a bandaged right ear, because he used a mirror when working. In fact, the left ear was damaged.
alien bears
Ivan Shishkin, "Morning in the Pine Forest", 1889.
The famous painting belongs not only to the brush of Shishkin. Many artists who were friends with each other often resorted to "the help of a friend", and Ivan Ivanovich, who had been painting landscapes all his life, was afraid that touching bears would not turn out the way he needed. Therefore, Shishkin turned to a familiar animal painter Konstantin Savitsky.
Savitsky painted perhaps the best bears in the history of Russian painting, and Tretyakov ordered his name to be washed off the canvas, since everything in the picture “beginning from the idea and ending with the execution, everything speaks of the manner of painting, of the creative method peculiar to Shishkin.”
Innocent story "Gothic"
Grant Wood, "American Gothic", 1930.
Grant Wood's work is considered one of the strangest and most depressing in the history of American painting. The picture with a gloomy father and daughter is overflowing with details that indicate the severity, puritanism and retrogradeness of the people depicted.
In fact, the artist did not intend to depict any horrors: during a trip to Iowa, he noticed a small house in the Gothic style and decided to depict those people who, in his opinion, would be ideally suited as inhabitants. Grant's sister and his dentist are immortalized in the form of characters that the people of Iowa were so offended by.
Revenge of Salvador Dali
The painting "Figure at the Window" was painted in 1925, when Dali was 21 years old. Then Gala had not yet entered the life of the artist, and his sister Ana Maria was his muse. The relationship between brother and sister deteriorated when he wrote on one of the paintings "sometimes I spit on a portrait of my own mother, and it gives me pleasure." Ana Maria could not forgive such shocking.
In her 1949 book Salvador Dali Through the Eyes of a Sister, she writes about her brother without any praise. The book infuriated El Salvador. For another ten years after that, he angrily remembered her at every opportunity. And so, in 1954, the picture "A young virgin indulging in Sodomy sin with the help of the horns of her own chastity" appears. The pose of the woman, her curls, the landscape outside the window and the color scheme of the painting clearly echo the Figure at the Window. There is a version that this is how Dali took revenge on his sister for her book.
Two-faced Danae
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Danae, 1636-1647.
Many secrets of one of the most famous paintings by Rembrandt were revealed only in the 60s of the twentieth century, when the canvas was illuminated with X-rays. For example, the shooting showed that in the early version, the face of the princess, who entered into a love affair with Zeus, looked like the face of Saskia, the wife of the painter, who died in 1642. In the final version of the painting, it began to resemble the face of Gertier Dirks, Rembrandt's mistress, with whom the artist lived after the death of his wife.
Van Gogh's yellow bedroom
Vincent van Gogh, "Bedroom in Arles", 1888 - 1889.
In May 1888, Van Gogh acquired a small workshop in Arles, in the south of France, where he fled from the Parisian artists and critics who did not understand him. In one of the four rooms, Vincent sets up a bedroom. In October, everything is ready, and he decides to paint Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles. For the artist, the color, the comfort of the room was very important: everything had to suggest thoughts of relaxation. At the same time, the picture is sustained in disturbing yellow tones.
Researchers of Van Gogh's creativity explain this by the fact that the artist took foxglove, a remedy for epilepsy, which causes serious changes in the patient's perception of color: the whole surrounding reality is painted in green-yellow tones.
Toothless perfection
Leonardo da Vinci, "Portrait of Mrs. Lisa del Giocondo", 1503 - 1519.
The generally accepted opinion is that Mona Lisa is perfection and her smile is beautiful in its mysteriousness. However, the American art critic (and part-time dentist) Joseph Borkowski believes that, judging by the expression on her face, the heroine has lost a lot of her teeth. While examining enlarged photographs of the masterpiece, Borkowski also found scars around her mouth. “She smiles so much precisely because of what happened to her,” the expert believes. “Her facial expression is typical of people who have lost their front teeth.”
Major on face control
Pavel Fedotov, Major's Matchmaking, 1848.
The public, who first saw the painting "Major's Matchmaking", laughed heartily: the artist Fedotov filled it with ironic details that were understandable to viewers of that time. For example, the major is clearly not familiar with the rules of noble etiquette: he appeared without the proper bouquets for the bride and her mother. And the bride herself was discharged by her merchant parents into an evening ball gown, although it was daytime (all the lamps in the room were extinguished). The girl obviously tried on a low-cut dress for the first time, is embarrassed and tries to run away to her room.
Why Freedom is naked
Ferdinand Victor Eugene Delacroix, Liberty at the Barricades, 1830.
According to the art historian Etienne Julie, Delacroix painted the face of a woman from the famous Parisian revolutionary - the laundress Anna-Charlotte, who went to the barricades after the death of her brother at the hands of royal soldiers and killed nine guardsmen. The artist depicted her bare-chested. According to his plan, this is a symbol of fearlessness and selflessness, as well as the triumph of democracy: naked breasts show that Svoboda, like a commoner, does not wear a corset.
non-square square
Kazimir Malevich, Black Suprematist Square, 1915.
In fact, the "Black Square" is not at all black and not at all square: none of the sides of the quadrangle is parallel to any of its other sides, and none of the sides of the square frame that frames the picture. And the dark color is the result of mixing various colors, among which there was no black. It is believed that this was not the negligence of the author, but a principled position, the desire to create a dynamic, mobile form.
Specialists of the Tretyakov Gallery have discovered the author's inscription on a famous painting by Malevich. The inscription reads: "Battle of the Negroes in a dark cave." This phrase refers to the name of the playful painting by the French journalist, writer and artist Alphonse Allais “Battle of the Negroes in a Dark Cave in the Dead of Night”, which was an absolutely black rectangle.
Melodrama of the Austrian Mona Lisa
Gustav Klimt, "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer", 1907.
One of Klimt's most significant paintings depicts the wife of the Austrian sugar magnate Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. All Vienna discussed the stormy romance between Adele and the famous artist. The wounded husband wanted to take revenge on his lovers, but chose a very unusual way: he decided to order a portrait of Adele from Klimt and force him to make hundreds of sketches until the artist starts to turn away from her.
Bloch-Bauer wanted the work to last several years, and the model could see how Klimt's feelings fade away. He made a generous offer to the artist, which he could not refuse, and everything turned out according to the scenario of the deceived husband: the work was completed in 4 years, the lovers had long cooled off towards each other. Adele Bloch-Bauer never found out that her husband was aware of her relationship with Klimt.
The painting that brought Gauguin back to life
Paul Gauguin, "Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?", 1897-1898.
Gauguin's most famous canvas has one feature: it is "read" not from left to right, but from right to left, like Kabbalistic texts that the artist was interested in. It is in this order that the allegory of the spiritual and physical life of a person unfolds: from the birth of the soul (a sleeping child in the lower right corner) to the inevitability of the hour of death (a bird with a lizard in its claws in the lower left corner).
The painting was painted by Gauguin in Tahiti, where the artist fled from civilization several times. But this time life on the island did not work out: total poverty led him to depression. Having finished the canvas, which was to become his spiritual testament, Gauguin took a box of arsenic and went to the mountains to die. However, he did not calculate the dose, and the suicide failed. The next morning, he staggered to his hut and fell asleep, and when he woke up, he felt a forgotten thirst for life. And in 1898, his affairs went uphill, and a brighter period began in his work.
112 proverbs in one picture
Pieter Brueghel the Elder, "Netherlands Proverbs", 1559
Pieter Brueghel the Elder depicted a land inhabited by literal images of the Dutch proverbs of those days. There are approximately 112 recognizable idioms in the painted picture. Some of them are still used today, such as "swim against the current", "bang your head against the wall", "armed to the teeth" and "big fish eats small ones".
Other proverbs reflect human stupidity.
Subjectivity of art
Paul Gauguin, Breton village under the snow, 1894
Gauguin's painting "Breton Village in the Snow" was sold after the death of the author for only seven francs and, moreover, under the name "Niagara Falls". The auctioneer accidentally hung the painting upside down after seeing a waterfall in it.
hidden picture
Pablo Picasso, The Blue Room, 1901
In 2008, infrared showed that another image was hidden under the "Blue Room" - a portrait of a man dressed in a suit with a butterfly and resting his head on his hand. “As soon as Picasso had a new idea, he took up the brush and embodied it. But he did not have the opportunity to buy a new canvas every time the muse visited him, ”art historian Patricia Favero explains the possible reason for this.
Inaccessible Moroccan women
Zinaida Serebryakova, Naked, 1928
One day, Zinaida Serebryakova received a tempting offer - to go on a creative journey to portray the naked figures of oriental maidens. But it turned out that it was simply impossible to find models in those places. An interpreter for Zinaida came to the rescue - he brought his sisters and his bride to her. No one before and after that was able to capture the closed oriental women naked.
Spontaneous insight
Valentin Serov, "Portrait of Nicholas II in a jacket", 1900
For a long time Serov could not paint a portrait of the king. When the artist completely gave up, he apologized to Nikolai. Nikolai was a little upset, sat down at the table, stretching out his hands in front of him ... And then it dawned on the artist - here he is! A simple military man in an officer's jacket with clear and sad eyes. This portrait is considered the best depiction of the last emperor.
Again deuce
© Fedor Reshetnikov
The famous painting "Again deuce" is just the second part of the artistic trilogy.
The first part is "Arrived for the holidays." Obviously a well-to-do family, winter holidays, a joyful excellent student.
The second part is "Again the deuce." A poor family from the outskirts of the working class, the height of the school year, a dull stunner who again grabbed a deuce. In the upper left corner you can see the picture "Arrived for the holidays."
The third part is "Re-examination". Rural house, summer, everyone is walking, one malicious ignoramus who failed the annual exam is forced to sit within four walls and cramming. In the upper left corner you can see the picture "Again deuce".
How masterpieces are born
Joseph Turner, Rain, Steam and Speed, 1844
In 1842, Mrs. Simon traveled by train in England. Suddenly, a heavy downpour began. The elderly gentleman sitting across from her got up, opened the window, stuck his head out, and stared like that for about ten minutes. Unable to contain her curiosity, the woman also opened the window and looked ahead. A year later, she discovered the painting “Rain, Steam and Speed” at an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts and was able to recognize in it the very episode on the train.
Anatomy lesson from Michelangelo
Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam, 1511
A couple of American neuroanatomy experts believe that Michelangelo actually left some anatomical illustrations in one of his most famous works. They believe that a huge brain is depicted on the right side of the picture. Surprisingly, even complex components such as the cerebellum, optic nerves, and pituitary gland can be found. And the catchy green ribbon perfectly matches the location of the vertebral artery.
The Last Supper by Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh, Café Terrace at Night, 1888
Researcher Jared Baxter believes that Van Gogh's Café Terrace at Night contains a dedication to Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. In the center of the picture is a waiter with long hair and in a white tunic, reminiscent of the clothes of Christ, and around him exactly 12 cafe visitors. Baxter also draws attention to the cross, located directly behind the back of the waiter in white.
Dali's image of memory
Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931
It is no secret that the thoughts that visited Dali during the creation of his masterpieces were always in the form of very realistic images, which the artist then transferred to the canvas. So, according to the author himself, the painting “The Persistence of Memory” was painted as a result of associations that arose at the sight of processed cheese.
What is Munch shouting about
Edvard Munch, "The Scream", 1893.
Munch spoke about the idea of one of the most mysterious paintings in world painting: "I was walking along the path with two friends - the sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood red, I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence - I looked at blood and flames over the bluish-black fjord and the city - my friends went on, and I stood, trembling with excitement, feeling the endless scream piercing nature. But what kind of sunset could scare the artist so?
There is a version that the idea of "Scream" was born by Munch in 1883, when there were several strongest eruptions of the Krakatoa volcano - so powerful that they changed the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere by one degree. A copious amount of dust and ash spread across the globe, reaching even as far as Norway. For several evenings in a row, the sunsets looked as if the apocalypse was about to come - one of them became a source of inspiration for the artist.
Writer among the people
Alexander Ivanov, "The Appearance of Christ to the People", 1837-1857.
Dozens of sitters posed for Alexander Ivanov for his main picture. One of them is known no less than the artist himself. In the background, among travelers and Roman horsemen who have not yet heard the sermon of John the Baptist, one can notice a character in a brown tunic. His Ivanov wrote with Nikolai Gogol. The writer closely communicated with the artist in Italy, in particular on religious issues, and gave him advice in the process of painting. Gogol believed that Ivanov "had long since died for the whole world, except for his work."
Michelangelo's gout
Raphael Santi, The School of Athens, 1511.
Creating the famous fresco "The School of Athens", Raphael immortalized his friends and acquaintances in the images of ancient Greek philosophers. One of them was Michelangelo Buonarroti "in the role" of Heraclitus. For several centuries, the fresco kept the secrets of Michelangelo's personal life, and modern researchers have suggested that the artist's strangely angular knee indicates that he has a joint disease.
This is quite likely, given the peculiarities of the lifestyle and working conditions of Renaissance artists and Michelangelo's chronic workaholism.
Mirror of the Arnolfinis
Jan van Eyck, "Portrait of the Arnolfinis", 1434
In the mirror behind the Arnolfinis, you can see the reflection of two more people in the room. Most likely, these are witnesses present at the conclusion of the contract. One of them is van Eyck, as evidenced by the Latin inscription placed, contrary to tradition, above the mirror in the center of the composition: "Jan van Eyck was here." This is how the contracts were usually sealed.
How a flaw turned into a talent
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Self-portrait at the age of 63, 1669.
The researcher Margaret Livingston studied all Rembrandt's self-portraits and found that the artist suffered from strabismus: in the images his eyes look in different directions, which is not observed in the portraits of other people by the master. The disease led to the fact that the artist could better perceive reality in two dimensions than people with normal vision. This phenomenon is called "stereo blindness" - the inability to see the world in 3D. But since the painter has to work with a two-dimensional image, it was precisely this shortcoming of Rembrandt that could be one of the explanations for his phenomenal talent.
Sinless Venus
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1482-1486.
Before the advent of The Birth of Venus, the image of a naked female body in painting symbolized only the idea of original sin. Sandro Botticelli was the first European painter not to find anything sinful in him. Moreover, art historians are sure that the pagan goddess of love symbolizes the Christian image on the fresco: her appearance is an allegory of the rebirth of the soul that has undergone the rite of baptism.
Lute player or lute player?
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, The Lute Player, 1596.
For a long time, the painting was exhibited in the Hermitage under the title "Lute Player". Only at the beginning of the 20th century, art historians agreed that the canvas still depicts a young man (probably, Caravaggio was posed by his friend artist Mario Minniti): on the notes in front of the musician, a recording of the bass part of the madrigal by Jacob Arcadelt “You know that I love you” is visible . A woman could hardly make such a choice - it's just hard for the throat. In addition, the lute, like the violin at the very edge of the picture, was considered a male instrument in the era of Caravaggio.
Bill Stoneham "Hands Resist Him"
1972
This work, of course, cannot be ranked among the masterpieces of world art, but the fact that it is strange is a fact.
Around the picture with a boy, a doll and palms pressed against the glass, there are legends. From "because of this picture they die" to "the children in it are alive." The picture looks really creepy, which gives rise to a lot of fears and conjectures in people with a weak psyche.
The artist assured that the picture depicts himself at the age of five, that the door is a representation of the dividing line between the real world and the world of dreams, and the doll is a guide that can lead the boy through this world. The hands represent alternative lives or possibilities.
The painting gained notoriety in February 2000 when it was listed for sale on eBay with a backstory that said the painting was "haunted". "Hands Resist Him" was bought for $1,025 by Kim Smith, who was then inundated with letters with creepy stories and demands to burn the painting.
On December 3, 1961, a landmark event took place at the New York Museum of Modern Art - Matisse's painting "The Boat", which hung upside down for 46 days, was properly hung. It is worth saying that this is not a single amusing case associated with the paintings of great artists.
Pablo Picasso painted one of his famous portraits in less than 5 minutes
Once, one of Pablo Picasso's acquaintances, looking at his new works, sincerely said to the artist: “I'm sorry, but I can't understand this. Those things just don't exist." To which Picasso retorted: “You don’t understand Chinese either. But it still exists." However, Picasso was not understood by many. Once he invited the Russian writer Ehrenburg, his good friend, to paint his portrait. He happily agreed, but did not have time to sit in an armchair to pose, as the artist announced that everything was ready.Ehrenburg expressed surprise at the speed of execution of the work, after all, less than 5 minutes had passed, to which Picasso replied: “I have known you for 40 years. And all these 40 years I learned to paint portraits in 5 minutes.
Ilya Repin helped sell a painting he didn't paint
One lady purchased on the market for only 10 rubles a completely mediocre painting, on which the signature “I. Repin” proudly flaunted. When a connoisseur of painting showed this work to Ilya Efimovich, he laughed and added “This is not Repin” and put his autograph. After some time, an enterprising lady sold a painting by an unknown artist signed by a great master for 100 rubles.The bears in the famous painting by Shishkin were painted by another artist
Among artists there is an unspoken law - professional mutual assistance. After all, each of them has not only favorite stories and strengths, but also weaknesses, so why not help each other. So, it is known for certain that for the painting “Pushkin on the Seashore” by Aivazovsky, the figure of the great poet was painted by Repin, and for the painting by Levitan “Autumn Day. Sokolniki, a lady in black was painted by Nikolai Chekhov. The landscape painter Shishkin, who could draw every blade of grass and needles in his paintings, did not succeed in creating bears when creating the painting “Morning in a Pine Forest”. Therefore, Savitsky painted bears for the famous Shishkin canvas.A piece of fiberboard, over which paint was simply poured, became one of the most expensive paintings
The most expensive painting in the world in 2006 was Jackson Polock's Number 5, 1948. At one of the auctions, the painting went for $140 million. It may seem funny, but the artist did not particularly “bother” with the creation of this picture: he simply poured paint over a piece of fiberboard, spread out on the floor.The date of creation of his painting Rubens encrypted by the stars
Art critics and scientists for a long time could not establish the date of creation of one of the most famous paintings by Rubens - the painting "The Feast of the Gods on Olympus." The riddle was resolved only after astronomers took a closer look at the picture. It turned out that the characters in the picture were located in exactly the same order as the planets were located in the sky in 1602.The Chupa-Chups logo was drawn by the world-famous surrealist
In 1961, Enrique Bernata, the owner of the Chupa Chups company, asked the artist Salvador Dali to come up with an image for a candy wrapper. Gave the request fulfilled. Today, this image, albeit in a slightly modified form, is recognizable on the company's lollipops.It is worth noting that in 1967 in Italy, with the blessing of the Pope, a unique version of the Bible with illustrations by Salvador Dali was released.
The most expensive painting Flour brings misfortune
Munch's painting "The Scream" was sold at auction for $120 million and is today the most expensive painting by this artist. They say that Munch, whose life path is a series of tragedies, put so much grief into it that the picture absorbed negative energy and takes revenge on the offenders.One of the employees of the Munch Museum somehow accidentally dropped the painting, after which he began to suffer from terrible headaches that led this man to suicide. Another employee of the museum, who was unable to hold the painting, got into a terrible car accident just a few days later. And a visitor to the museum, who allowed himself to touch the painting, burned alive in a fire after some time. However, it is possible that these are just coincidences.
Malevich's "Black Square" has an "elder brother"
The “Black Square”, which is perhaps the most famous painting by Kazimir Malevich, is a canvas 79.5 * 79.5 centimeters, on which a black square is depicted on a white background. Malevich painted his painting in 1915. And back in 1893, 20 years before Malevich, Alphonse Allais, a French humorist, drew his “black square”. True, Alle's painting was called "The Battle of Negroes in a Deep Cave on a Dark Night."The Last Supper. Leonardo da Vinci.
Once on the street, the artist saw a drunkard who unsuccessfully tried to get out of the cesspool. Da Vinci took him to one of the drinking establishments, sat him down and began to draw. What was the surprise of the artist when, having opened up, the drunkard admitted that several years ago he had already posed for him. It turned out that this is the same singer.
On December 3, 1961, a landmark event took place at the New York Museum of Modern Art - Matisse's painting "The Boat", which hung upside down for 46 days, was properly hung. It is worth saying that this is not a single amusing case associated with the paintings of great artists.
Pablo Picasso painted one of his famous portraits in less than 5 minutes
Once, one of Pablo Picasso's acquaintances, looking at his new works, sincerely said to the artist: “I'm sorry, but I can't understand this. Those things just don't exist." To which Picasso retorted: “You don’t understand Chinese either. But it still exists." However, Picasso was not understood by many. Once he invited the Russian writer Ehrenburg, his good friend, to paint his portrait. He happily agreed, but did not have time to sit in an armchair to pose, as the artist announced that everything was ready.
Ehrenburg expressed surprise at the speed of execution of the work, after all, less than 5 minutes had passed, to which Picasso replied: “I have known you for 40 years. And all these 40 years I learned to paint portraits in 5 minutes.
Ilya Repin helped sell a painting he didn't paint
One lady purchased on the market for only 10 rubles a completely mediocre painting, on which the signature “I. Repin” proudly flaunted. When a connoisseur of painting showed this work to Ilya Efimovich, he laughed and added “This is not Repin” and put his autograph. After some time, an enterprising lady sold a painting by an unknown artist signed by a great master for 100 rubles.
The bears in the famous painting by Shishkin were painted by another artist
Among artists there is an unspoken law - professional mutual assistance. After all, each of them has not only favorite stories and strengths, but also weaknesses, so why not help each other. So, it is known for certain that for the painting “Pushkin on the Seashore” by Aivazovsky, the figure of the great poet was painted by Repin, and for the painting by Levitan “Autumn Day. Sokolniki, a lady in black was painted by Nikolai Chekhov. The landscape painter Shishkin, who could draw every blade of grass and needles in his paintings, did not succeed in creating bears when creating the painting “Morning in a Pine Forest”. Therefore, Savitsky painted bears for the famous Shishkin canvas.
A piece of fiberboard, over which paint was simply poured, became one of the most expensive paintings
The most expensive painting in the world in 2006 was Jackson Polock's Number 5, 1948. At one of the auctions, the painting went for $140 million. It may seem funny, but the artist did not particularly “bother” with the creation of this picture: he simply poured paint over a piece of fiberboard, spread out on the floor.
The date of creation of his painting Rubens encrypted by the stars
Art critics and scientists for a long time could not establish the date of creation of one of the most famous paintings by Rubens - the painting "The Feast of the Gods on Olympus." The riddle was resolved only after astronomers took a closer look at the picture. It turned out that the characters in the picture were located in exactly the same order as the planets were located in the sky in 1602.
The Chupa-Chups logo was drawn by the world-famous surrealist
In 1961, Enrique Bernata, the owner of the Chupa Chups company, asked the artist Salvador Dali to come up with an image for a candy wrapper. Gave the request fulfilled. Today, this image, albeit in a slightly modified form, is recognizable on the company's lollipops.
It is worth noting that in 1967 in Italy, with the blessing of the Pope, it was released with illustrations by Salvador Dali.
The most expensive painting Flour brings misfortune
Munch's painting "The Scream" was sold at auction for $120 million and is today the most expensive painting by this artist. They say that Munch, whose life path is a series of tragedies, put so much grief into it that the picture absorbed negative energy and takes revenge on the offenders.
One of the employees of the Munch Museum somehow accidentally dropped the painting, after which he began to suffer from terrible headaches that led this man to suicide. Another employee of the museum, who was unable to hold the painting, got into a terrible car accident just a few days later. And a visitor to the museum, who allowed himself to touch the painting, burned alive in a fire after some time. However, it is possible that these are just coincidences.
Malevich's "Black Square" has an "elder brother"
The “Black Square”, which is perhaps the most famous painting by Kazimir Malevich, is a canvas 79.5 * 79.5 centimeters, on which a black square is depicted on a white background. Malevich painted his painting in 1915. And back in 1893, 20 years before Malevich, Alphonse Allais, a French humorist, drew his “black square”. True, Alle's painting was called "The Battle of Negroes in a Deep Cave on a Dark Night."
Christ and Judas have the same face in Da Vinci's painting
It is said that the creation of the painting "The Last Supper" required titanic efforts from Leonardo da Vinci. The artist quickly found the person from whom the image of Christ was painted. One of the church choir singers approached this role. But "Judas" da Vinci was looking for three years.
Once on the street, the artist saw a drunkard who unsuccessfully tried to get out of the cesspool. Da Vinci took him to one of the drinking establishments, sat him down and began to draw. What was the surprise of the artist when, having opened up, the drunkard admitted that several years ago he had already posed for him. It turned out that this is the same singer.
