Among the peaceful pastorals, noble portraits and other works of art that evoke only positive emotions, there are strange and shocking canvases. We have collected 15 pictures that make the audience horrified. Moreover, all of them belong to the brushes of world famous artists.
"Guernica"
One of the most famous works of Pablo Picasso "Guernica" is a story about the tragedy of war and the suffering of innocent people. This work received worldwide recognition and became a reminder of the horrors of war.
"Losing mind over matter"
"Losing mind before matter" - a painting painted in 1973 Austrian artist Otto Rapp. He depicted a decaying human head, put on a bird cage, in which lies a piece of flesh.
"Dante and Virgil in Hell"
Adolphe William Bouguereau's painting Dante and Virgil in Hell was inspired by a short scene about a battle between two damned souls from Dante's Inferno.
"Suspended living Negro"
This gruesome creation by William Blake depicts a Negro slave who was hung from the gallows with a hook threaded through his ribs. The work is based on the story of the Dutch soldier Steadman - an eyewitness to such a cruel massacre.
"Hell"
Painting "Hell" German artist Hans Memling, written in 1485, is one of the most terrible artistic creations of his time. She was supposed to push people towards virtue. Memling heightened the scene's horrifying effect by adding the caption, "There is no redemption in hell."
water spirit
The artist Alfred Kubin is considered the largest representative symbolism and expressionism and is known for his dark symbolic fantasies. "The Spirit of Water" is one of such works, depicting the impotence of man in the face of the sea.
"Necronom IV"
This is a terrible creation. famous artist Hans Rudolf Giger was inspired famous movie"Stranger". Giger suffered from nightmares and all his paintings were inspired by these visions.
"Flaying Marsyas"
Created by an artist of times Italian Renaissance Titian's painting "The Flaying of Marsyas" is currently in National Museum in Kroměříž in the Czech Republic. Piece of art depicts a scene from Greek mythology, where the satyr Marsyas is flayed for daring to challenge the god Apollo.
"Scream"
The Scream is the most famous painting by the Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch. The picture depicts a desperately screaming man against the background of a blood-colored sky. It is known that "The Scream" was inspired by a serene evening walk, during which Munch witnessed the blood-red setting sun.
"Gallowgate Lard"
This painting is nothing more than a self-portrait by Scottish author Ken Currie, who specializes in dark, socially realistic paintings. Curry's favorite theme is dark city life Scottish working class.
"Saturn Devouring His Son"
One of the most famous and sinister works Spanish artist Francisco Goya was painted on his house wall in 1820 - 1823. "Saturn devouring his son" is based on Greek myth about the titan Chronos (in Rome - Saturn), who feared that he would be overthrown by one of his children and ate them immediately after birth.
"Judith Killing Holofernes"
The execution of Holofernes was portrayed by such great artists as Donatello, Sandro Botticelli, Giorgione, Gentileschi, Lucas Cranach the Elder and many others. On painting by Caravaggio, written in 1599, depicts the most dramatic moment of this story - the decapitation.
"Nightmare"
The painting The Nightmare by the Swiss painter Heinrich Fuseli was first shown at the annual exhibition of the Royal Academy in London in 1782, where it shocked both visitors and critics.
"Massacre of the innocents"
This outstanding work art by Peter Paul Rubens, consisting of two paintings, was created in 1612, believed to have been influenced by the works of the famous Italian artist Caravaggio.
If the paintings seemed too gloomy to hang them at home, you can use one of them.
January 15, 2013, 20:341. "Crying Boy"- painting by the Spanish artist Giovanni Bragolin. There is a legend that the boy’s father (who is also the author of the portrait), trying to achieve brightness, vitality and naturalness of the canvas, lit matches in front of the baby’s face. The fact is that the boy was afraid of fire to death. The boy was crying - his father was drawing. Once the kid could not stand it and shouted at his father: “You yourself burn!”. A month later, the child died of pneumonia. And a couple of weeks later, the charred body of the artist was found in his own house next to a painting of a crying boy that survived the fire. This could have ended there, but in 1985 British newspapers reported that in almost every burned-out building firefighters found reproductions of the Crying Boy, which the fire did not even touch. 
2. "Hands Resist Him"- painting by American artist Bill Stoneham. The author says that the painting 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. hands represent alternative lives or opportunities. The painting became a well-known urban legend in February 2000 when it was put up for sale at eBay auction with a backstory telling that the painting is "haunted". According to legend, after the death of the first owner of the painting, the painting was found in a landfill among a pile of garbage. The family that found her brought her home, and already on the first night, a little four-year-old daughter ran into her parents' bedroom screaming that "the children in the picture are fighting." The next night - that "the children in the picture were outside the door." The next night, the head of the family set up a motion-sensing video camera in the room where the painting was hanging. The camcorder worked several times, but nothing was captured. 3. "Rain Woman"- painting by Vinnitsa artist Svetlana Telets. Even six months before the creation of the picture, some visions began to visit her. For a long time it seemed to Svetlana that someone was watching her. Sometimes she even heard strange sounds in her apartment. But I tried to push those thoughts away. And after a while, the idea for new painting. Image mysterious woman was born suddenly, but it seemed to Svetlana as if she had known her for a long time. Facial features, as if woven from fog, clothes, ghostly lines of the figure - the artist painted a woman without thinking for a minute. It was as if an invisible force was guiding her hand. A rumor spread around the city that this painting was cursed, after a third buyer returned the painting back a few days later without even taking the money. Everyone who had this picture said that at night it seemed to come to life and walk as a shadow nearby. People began to have headaches, and even after hiding the picture in the closet, the sensations of presence did not go away. 
4. During the time of Pushkin, the portrait of Maria Lopukhina, painted by Vladimir Borovikovsky, was one of the main "horror stories". The girl lived a short and unhappy life, and after painting the portrait she died of consumption. Her father, Ivan Tolstoy, was a famous mystic and master Masonic Lodge. Therefore, rumors spread that he managed to lure the spirit dead daughter to this portrait. And that if young girls look at the picture, they will soon die. According to the version of salon gossips, the portrait of Mary killed at least ten noblewomen of marriageable age ... 
5. "Water lilies"- Impressionist landscape by Claude Monet. When the artist and his friends were celebrating the completion of the painting, a small fire broke out in the studio. The flame was quickly filled with wine and did not attach any importance to this. Only a month the picture hung in a cabaret in Montmartre. And then one night the place burned to the ground. But the "Lilies" managed to save. The painting was bought by the Parisian philanthropist Oscar Schmitz. A year later, his house burned down. The fire started from the office, where the ill-fated canvas hung. It miraculously survived. Another victim of Monet's landscape was the New York Museum of Modern Art. The Water Lilies were brought here in 1958. Four months later, it flared up here too. And the damned picture was very charred. 
6. In a painting by Edvard Munch "Scream" it depicts a hairless suffering creature with a head resembling an inverted pear, with its hands pressed to its ears in horror and with its mouth open in a silent scream. The convulsive waves of this creature's anguish echo through the air around its head. This man (or woman) seems to be trapped in his own scream-scream and, in order not to hear it, he covered his ears. It would be strange if there were no legends around this picture. It is said that everyone who came into contact with her suffered from evil fate. An employee of the museum, who accidentally dropped the painting, began to suffer from severe headaches and eventually committed suicide. Another employee, who apparently also had crooked hands, dropped the painting and had an accident the next day. Someone even burned down a day after contact with the painting. 
7. Another canvas that constantly accompanies trouble is "Venus with a Mirror" Diego Velazquez. The first owner of the painting - a Spanish merchant - went bankrupt, his trade worsened every day, until most of his goods were captured by pirates at sea, and several more ships sank. Selling everything he had under the hammer, the merchant also sold the painting. It was acquired by another Spaniard, also a merchant, who owned rich warehouses in the port. Almost immediately after the money for the canvas was transferred, the merchant's warehouses caught fire from a sudden lightning strike. The owner was broke. And again the auction, and again the painting is sold among other things, and again it is bought by a wealthy Spaniard ... Three days later he was stabbed to death in own house during a robbery. After that, the painting could not find its new owner for a long time (it had a reputation that was too damaged), and the canvas traveled around different museums until in 1914 a lunatic cut her with a knife. 
8. "Demon Defeated" Mikhail Vrubel had a detrimental effect on the psyche and health of the artist himself. He could not tear himself away from the picture, he continued to finish the face of the defeated Spirit and change the color. The "Defeated Demon" was already hanging at the exhibition, and Vrubel kept coming into the hall, not paying attention to the visitors, sat down in front of the picture and continued to work, as if possessed. Relatives were worried about his condition, and he was examined by the famous Russian psychiatrist Bekhterev. The diagnosis was terrible - dry skin spinal cord, near madness and death. Vrubel was admitted to the hospital, but the treatment did not help much, and he soon died. 
At the mention of painting, portraits of Madonnas and breathtaking landscapes pop up in the minds of most of us, biblical stories and historical battles, someone presents still life or abstract images. Whatever one may say, canvases designed to delight, give aesthetic pleasure or reflect on the message of the artist are the first to come to mind. Isn't that why art exists? But in the world of painting, there are paintings that inspire horror to those who look at them. Some canvases even have a bad reputation, there are legends that some kind of misfortune or even death will surely befall their owners. In this collection, we have collected pictures, looking at which, it becomes uncomfortable.
The Hands Resist Him Bill Stoneham
This picture has already won the title of the most terrible in the world. It was written in 1972. According to one source, Stoneham portrayed himself at the age of five with his little sister, and copied the images from an old childhood photograph. According to other sources, the door behind the boy's back is the boundary separating reality from the world of dreams, and next to him is not a sister at all, but a doll that is a conductor between these two worlds.
The picture began to acquire bad rumors immediately after the death of its owner, John Marley. People looking at the canvas admitted that they began to feel bad, and someone fell into hysterics or panic. It was rumored that some kind of misfortune awaited those who looked at the picture. There is also a story about a family with a four-year-old girl who ran to her parents at night in fright. According to her, one night the children in the picture were fighting, and the next they were standing outside the door. At some point, Stoneham's creation was found in a landfill. In 2000, the painting was sold on eBay. The new owner was written about notoriety, and the lot itself was accompanied by a comment that it was a haunted painting.
Now “Hands Resist Him” is the first part of a trilogy. Bill Stoneham wrote Resistance at the Threshold in 2004 and Threshold of Revelation in 2012.
The Crying Boy Giovanni Bragolin
They say that Bruno Amadio (real name of the artist) wanted to depict a child in the light from a match, and the boy was terribly afraid of fire and cried. Now the child takes revenge for his torment - in the house where the reproduction appears damn picture, a fire occurs, and the canvas itself is found on the ashes, not affected by the fire in any way .. In the 80s, the British newspaper The Sun warmed up interest in the “Crying Boy”. Around the ominous picture, a stir began, stories about fires appeared one after another. It all ended with the fact that the newspaper asked its readers to send their pictures to the editor and thus get rid of their fears. The Sun staged a ritual burning of all sent paintings, however, it turned out that the rumors revolved around five different options paintings and everything on the wave of superstitious experiences seemed cursed to the owners.
Paintings by Zdzisław Beksinski
Pictures of this Polish artist overflowing with gloomy images: post-apocalyptic world, death, decay, ugly figures. Like many representatives of surrealism (although this is not the only direction in which the artist worked), Beksinski drew inspiration from dreams. Unfortunately, the master did not give a name to his canvases, which is why we can only guess at the images and worlds that he created. It also remains unknown what inspired Beksinski to create such dark, terrifying and in many ways insane works. The artist himself found some of his paintings "fun". It is known that relatives characterized Beksinski as cheerful and good man, however, according to some letters and works of the creator, his interest in the philosophy of sadomasochism is known.
The Scream by Edvard Munch
This picture is famous, recognizable and known to everyone who is at least a little interested in painting. Munch tried to depict one of the sunsets that he saw with his own eyes and struck to the core. The artist made several attempts to convey his state as accurately as possible when he stood on the bridge and looked at the blood-red sunset. On the first versions of "Scream" central figure was a person with quite realistic features, but then was replaced by an abstract figure resembling different people skeleton, embryo and even sperm. Munch himself called his creation "Cry of Nature". The undulating landscape and rich bloody colors are designed to convey the agony of nature, which is transmitted to the human figure and makes it freeze in horror and despair.
As for the places to which the plot of the picture is attached, there are several versions. They say that in those parts there was a psychiatric clinic where younger sister Munch, and a slaughterhouse. According to the stories of relatives of Edvard Munch, the artist reproduced the “Scream” again and again until he was cured of a mental illness. There is an opinion that Munch suffered from manic-depressive psychosis. There are also rumors that some people, after meeting the canvas, suffered a misfortune - someone died, unable to withstand terrible migraines, and someone burned down in their own house.
"Rain Woman" Svetlana Telets
As the artist herself admits, she painted this picture in just 5 hours and all this time she had the feeling that someone was leading her hand. The painting was repeatedly bought, but each time it was returned back. The owners complained of insomnia, unreasonable fear and an obsessive feeling that someone was following them, while others, on the contrary, told how they dreamed of a woman from a picture or her eyes seemed to be everywhere. The artist herself believes that each painting is written for some specific person. If the “Rain Woman” exists, then someone is looking for her, and she is looking for her owner.
Paintings by Ken Curry
Scottish artist Ken Curry was born in 1960, and many political and political events took place before his eyes. social change who left a dark mark in the soul young creator. Curry began to depict fading and suffering bodies, designed to convey a painful state modern society. Realistic problems of a socio-philosophical nature are intertwined in the artist's works with metaphysical issues that concern each of us. The frightening canvases are an attempt by Curry to depict and at the same time deeply understand how our body depends on aging, pain, physical injury, and disease. One of the artist's most famous works (and one of the creepiest at the same time) is called Gallowgate Lard and is his self-portrait. Other famous painting— portrait of British theoretical physicist Peter Higgs, laureate Nobel Prize for predicting the Higgs boson. This picture does not scare, but hardly anyone wants to hang it in their bedroom.
Art and design
2631
24.04.16 10:34
Art is so diverse and multifaceted! All these trends (classicism, postmodernism, surrealism, expressionism, cubism, impressionism, abstract art and dozens of others) can be easily distinguished by specialists. And also - people who have long been interested in painting, and collectors. There are real fans who are ready to purchase a masterpiece by a well-known artist for millions of dollars. Still, it's one thing when we are talking about the Madonna of Raphael, and another - when they talk about the "woman" of Willem de Kooning. Some very expensive canvases seem to be absolute nonsense, a hodgepodge of lines, spots and blots. And this is beyond the level of understanding of the layman. What are they, ugly masterpieces for millions?
The median on the blue road?
What do you see on this picture? Gorgeous shade of blue, right? Yes, and with a white line (maybe this is an allegorical dividing line?). But what if we tell you that the painting with the mysterious title "Onement VI" was sold for 43.8 million dollars? It happened in 2013. The author of the canvas is the American abstract artist Barnett Newman. Only, if you hung it in your apartment, you would probably have to explain to each guest: these are not your son's caricatures, but Newman's MASTERPIECE. And then - also to tell who Newman is.
Another version of "Sunflowers"
Vincent van Gogh was not understood by his contemporaries. There is even such an expression in the art history community: “to buy Van Gogh’s ear” (it means to acquire a painting by an author unknown to the general public in the hope that he will be recognized as a genius, and the canvas as a masterpiece). Now with the work of van Gogh everything is in order - his works go for big money and are the pride of the collections. But still, some of the Dutchman's paintings seem ... not too beautiful - may his fans forgive us. The artist loved to paint sunflowers, which is confirmed by several paintings and their variations that belong to museums. "Vase with fifteen sunflowers", sold for 39.7 million dollars in 1987, was considered a fake for a long time, then it was recognized as genuine. Now she hangs in Memorial Museum contemporary art in Tokyo.
color field painting
"No. 1 (royal red and blue)" by Mark Rothko refers to abstract impressionism. This American artist was the founder of the so-called "color field painting". But, honestly, if you gave brushes and paints to your child (even if he is still a student elementary school), wouldn't a kid be able to do something similar? However, these uneven colored stripes were sold for $75.1 million at an auction at the end of 2012.
Fingerprints and words
In 2006, Jasper Johns' painting "False Start", written by him in 1959, left with closed auction for 80 million dollars. And that was the record for a painting ever sold by a living artist. What does this masterpiece remind you of? We are the prints of the aggressive fingers of some spoiled subject. But maybe the words printed on the picture have value? Then it turns out, each costs several million. Interestingly, in 1988, the painting was bought for $17 million - a huge increase in price!
Poor Dora for big money
In May 2006, at a public auction, a portrait by Pablo Picasso was sold for $95.2 million. It would seem - what are we carping about? Picasso is a genius, even a child knows this, and his masterpieces go far beyond large sums(for example, the series "Algerian women"). But still, “Dora Maar with a cat” came out of the artist not very pretty. Either Picasso imagined Dora in this way (who, by the way, selflessly loved Pablo), or he turned her emotions inside out, or he was simply offended by something. And would you like to be immortalized in this form: the ear is growing near the eye, the nose has moved to the side ...
Unrestored da Vinci
If you were told that a painting by Leonardo da Vinci was bought at an auction, you would probably think that for crazy money. And you are right! The work of a master of such magnitude, whose works adorn the most famous museums peace, priceless. However, the painting "The Savior of the World" cannot be considered the pinnacle of his work, and this is not the fault of the artist. This is probably due to the fact that the picture for a long time disappeared from the field of view of art historians, but was found and restored in 2011. Restoration work was not very effective. Despite this, in 2013 the painting was sold for $127.5 million.
And is it a woman?
In 1953, the expressionist Willem de Kooning wrote one of the most expensive paintings in the world. Interestingly, when he created, he assumed that his "Woman III" would be valued at $ 137.5 million at a closed auction in 2006? Maybe we have no taste or we have no idea what a true masterpiece is. But this disgusting creature does not look like a woman in any way. Or maybe Cunning was a misogynist?
Wood board with metaphysics
When we talk about children's drawings and paintings similar to them, the work of Jackson Pollock comes to mind. His painting "No. 5" of 1948 was a fibreboard, which was sprayed with paint in gray, brown and yellow flowers. The whole composition resembled an intricate bird's Nest. "#5" was sold for $1,500. However, the slab was horribly damaged in transit. Pollock repeated his experience, believing that the buyer would not notice the difference. But he was completely delighted, calling "No. 5" a wonderful second chance for an artist who "strengthened the metaphysical concept of the picture." Probably, these words had a magical effect. Otherwise, how to explain that in 2005 the painting was sold by the owner for 140 million dollars?
When the stakes are very high
French painter Paul Cezanne created a series of paintings "Card Players". And while the four pictures painted in late XIX century, rest in the art institutions of the world, then one of them in 2012 became the lot of a closed auction. And it was bought by a representative royal family Qatar, having laid out $ 250 million for the "Players". The men sitting at the table do not seem attractive to us in the slightest. But, if the emirate has money (and it has more than many countries), why not buy the work of a French genius?
Unappetizing abstraction
For a while, Cezanne's painting was at the top of the list of the most expensive paintings. paintings art. But in 2015, the record was broken by another masterpiece by Willem de Kooning called "Interchanged" ("Interchangeable"). A mindless combination of shapeless objects of different sizes was auctioned off for $300 million. What is this? An attempt to invest in a masterpiece of abstract impressionism or just a rich man's whim?
Among the noble works of art that delight the eye and evoke only positive emotions, there are canvases, to put it mildly, strange and shocking. We present to your attention 20 paintings by world famous artists that make you horrified ...
"Losing mind over matter"
A painting painted in 1973 by the Austrian artist Otto Rapp. He depicted a decomposing human head, put on a bird cage, in which lies a piece of flesh.
"Suspended living Negro"
This gruesome creation by William Blake depicts a Negro slave who was hung from the gallows with a hook threaded through his ribs. The work is based on the story of the Dutch soldier Steadman - an eyewitness to such a cruel massacre.
"Dante and Virgil in Hell"
Adolphe William Bouguereau's painting was inspired by a short scene about a battle between two damned souls from Dante's Inferno.
"Hell"
The painting "Hell" by the German artist Hans Memling, written in 1485, is one of the most terrible artistic creations of its time. She was supposed to push people towards virtue. Memling heightened the scene's horrific effect by adding the caption, "There is no redemption in hell."
"The Great Red Dragon and the Sea Monster"
Famous English poet and artist of the 13th century William Blake in a moment of insight created a series watercolor paintings, depicting the great red dragon from the Book of Revelations. The Red Dragon was the embodiment of the devil.
"Water Spirit"
The artist Alfred Kubin is considered the largest representative of Symbolism and Expressionism and is known for his dark symbolic fantasies. “The Spirit of Water” is one of these works, depicting the powerlessness of man in the face of the sea.
"Necronom IV"
This scary creation by renowned artist Hans Rudolf Giger was inspired by the movie Alien. Giger suffered from nightmares and all his paintings were inspired by these visions.
"Flaying Marsyas"
Created by the Italian Renaissance artist Titian, The Flaying of Marsyas is currently in the National Museum in Kroměříž in the Czech Republic. The artwork depicts a scene from Greek mythology where the satyr Marsyas is flayed for daring to challenge the god Apollo.
"The Temptation of Saint Anthony"
Matthias Grunewald portrayed the religious scenes of the Middle Ages, although he himself lived during the Renaissance. Saint Anthony was said to have faced trials of his faith while praying in the wilderness. According to legend, he was killed by demons in a cave, then he resurrected and destroyed them. This painting depicts Saint Anthony being attacked by demons.
"Severed Heads"
The most notable work Théodore Géricault is the "Raft of the Medusa" huge picture written in romantic style. Gericault tried to break the boundaries of classicism by moving to romanticism. These paintings were initial stage his creativity. For his work, he used real limbs and heads, which he found in morgues and laboratories.
"Scream"
This famous painting Norwegian Expressionist Edvard Munch was inspired by a serene evening walk during which the artist witnessed the blood-red setting sun.
"Death of Marat"
Jean-Paul Marat was one of the leaders French Revolution. Suffering from a skin disease, he spent most time in the bathroom, where he worked on his notes. There he was killed by Charlotte Corday. The death of Marat has been depicted several times, but it is the work of Edvard Munch that is particularly cruel.
"Still life of masks"
Emil Nolde was one of the early expressionist painters, although his fame was overshadowed by others such as Munch. Nolde painted this painting after studying masks in the Berlin Museum. Throughout his life he has been fascinated by other cultures and this work is no exception.
"Gallowgate Lard"
This painting is nothing more than a self-portrait by Scottish author Ken Currie, who specializes in dark, socially realistic paintings. Curry's favorite subject is the drab urban life of the Scottish working class.
"Saturn Devouring His Son"
One of the most famous and sinister works of the Spanish artist Francisco Goya was painted on his house wall in 1820-1823. The plot is based on the Greek myth of the titan Chronos (in Rome - Saturn), who feared that he would be overthrown by one of his children and ate them immediately after birth.
"Judith Killing Holofernes"
The execution of Holofernes was portrayed by such great artists as Donatello, Sandro Botticelli, Giorgione, Gentileschi, Lucas Cranach the Elder and many others. The painting by Caravaggio, painted in 1599, depicts the most dramatic moment of this story - the decapitation.
"Nightmare"
The painting by the Swiss painter Heinrich Fuseli was first shown at the annual exhibition of the Royal Academy in London in 1782, where it shocked both visitors and critics.
"Massacre of the innocents"
This outstanding work of art by Peter Paul Rubens, consisting of two paintings, was created in 1612, believed to have been influenced by the work of the famous Italian painter Caravaggio.
"Study of the portrait of Innocent X Velazquez"
This terrifying image of one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Francis Bacon, is based on a paraphrase famous portrait Pope Innocent X by Diego Velasquez. Spattered with blood, with a painfully distorted face, the Pope is depicted seated in a metal tubular structure, which, upon closer inspection, is a throne.
"Garden earthly pleasures»
This is the most famous and frightening triptych of Hieronymus Bosch. To date, there are many interpretations of the painting, but none of them has been conclusively confirmed. Perhaps Bosch's work represents Garden of Eden, The Garden of Earthly Delights and Punishments that will have to be suffered for mortal sins committed during life.
