Walter Keane. The Mystery of Margaret Keane's Big Eyes

Fans of the dark master are waiting for Tim Burton's newest film, sometimes admiring a selection of very large, very peculiar, so familiar eyes.

The name of the film is "Big Eyes". It tells the story of husband and wife - two artists, Margaret and Walter Keane, who rose to fame in the 1950s and 60s. Their theme was - children and girls with eyes like those of a doe, now they are reminiscent of precious moments XX - th century. Those moments in which those eyes were a symbol of a bygone era.

Reading the life story and joint work of two artists, you understand and feel the terrible character of the heroes of the paintings - sweet, sweet, but demonic - it seems that they are a mirror of the relationship between Keane and his wife.

One day they ended up in court proving to the world who was the real author of Big Eye. Was it Walter, the public face of the Keane realm? Or Margaret, a housewife, as her husband claimed, she couldn't even draw a sunset?

Life was not so easy for Margaret, and she spoke. "For many years, I let my husband take credit for my paintings. But one day, unable to bear the deception any longer, I left him and my home in California and moved to Hawaii." In 1965, she received a divorce. And in 1970, she admitted on a radio show that all the "eyes" of the paintings were hers.

In response, Walter compared himself to Rembrandt, El Greco and Michelangelo, and said that he was "amazed" by Margaret's proclamations. The solution was found - an artistic duel in front of the judges. But Walter didn't come! He stated that he had a shoulder injury and could not write. And Margaret, in front of the jury, calmly and quickly - in just 53 minutes, wrote the next Big Eyes, which ended the dispute.

The court ordered Walter to pay $4 million in damages in 1986.

There was a lot of interesting things in this story, and I think it's better to watch the film, the premiere of which - hooray (!), Is gradually approaching! Tim Burton promised her for Christmas and recently confirmed his promise.

We are waiting for a film in which the story will be disturbing, romantic and, they say, just creepy. And to the fullest enjoy Burton's biographical work, starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz.
Hopefully we too will have "Big Eyes" in theaters this December.

But how good are these works? Then Adam Parfrey called them "saccharin, kitsch, madness", the bishop called them "wailing folk art".And at that time, the buyer continued to absorb ineverything from postcards to large canvases.

Now many critics call these works amazing masterpieces, and paintings by Margaret Keane are in public collections around the world: the National Museum of Modern Art, Madrid; National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo; National Museum of Modern Art, Mexico City; Musee Communal Des Beaux-Arts, Bruges; Tennessee Museum of Fine Arts, Nashville, TN; Brooks Memorial Museum, Memphis, TN; Hawaii State Capitol, Honolulu; United Nations, New York and others.

So, December is the month of the premiere, and of course, the film must be amazing, because in that bizarre universe created by Tim Burton with inimitable black humor, there is not a single dull moment!

Since 2012, Tim Burton (Hollywood) has been filming a film about the artist Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), who has been a Jehovah's Witness for over 40 years. In Awake! for July 8, 1975 (eng) her detailed biography was published.

Below you can read it in Russian.

Film is history.

From January 15, 2015, the film "Big Eyes" will appear in the Russian box office. In English, the premiere of the film is scheduled for December 25, 2014. Surely, the director added colors to the plot, but in general, this is the life story of Margaret Keane. So soon many people in Russia will watch the drama "Big Eyes"!

Here you can already watch the trailer in Russian:



The main character of the film "Big Eyes" is the famous artist Margaret Keane, who was born in Tennessee in 1927.
Margaret attributes the inspiration for the art to a deep respect for the Bible and a close relationship with her grandmother. In the film, Margaret is a sincere, decent and modest woman who learns to stand up for herself.
In the 1950s, Margaret becomes a celebrity for her paintings of children with big eyes. In huge quantities, her works begin to be replicated, they were printed literally on every subject.
In the 1960s, the artist decided to sell her work under the name of Walter Keane, her second husband. Later, she sued her ex-husband, who refused to acknowledge this fact and tried in various ways to sue the right to her work.
Over time, Margaret meets Jehovah's Witnesses, which, according to her, greatly changes her life for the better. As she says, when she became a Jehovah's Witness, she finally found her happiness.

Biography of Margaret Keane

Below is her biography from Awake! (July 8, 1975, translation unofficial)

My life as a famous artist.

YOU may have seen a picture of a pensive child with unusually large and sad eyes. It may well have been what I drew. Unfortunately, I was unhappy with the way I painted children. I grew up in the southern United States in what is often referred to as the "Bible Belt." Perhaps it was this environment or my Methodist grandmother, but it instilled in me a deep respect for the Bible, even though I knew very little about it. I grew up believing in God, but with a lot of unanswered questions. I was a sickly child, lonely and very shy, but I was early discovered to have a talent for drawing.

Big eyes, why?

The inquisitive nature prompted me to ask questions about the meaning of life, why are we here, why is there pain, grief and death, if God is good?

Always "Why?" These questions, it seems to me, were later reflected in the eyes of the children in my paintings, which seem to be addressed to the whole world. The gaze was described as penetrating into the soul. They seemed to reflect the spiritual alienation of most people today, their longing for something outside of what this system offers.

My path to popularity in the art world has been rocky. There were two broken marriages and a lot of heartache along the way. The controversy surrounding my privacy and the authorship of my paintings has led to lawsuits, front-page pictures and even articles in the international media.

For many years I allowed my second husband to be called the author of my paintings. But one day, unable to continue with the deceit, I left him and my home in California and moved to Hawaii.

After a period of depression when I wrote very little, I began to rebuild my life and later remarried. One turning point came in 1970 when a newspaper reporter televised a competition between me and my ex-husband, which took place in Union Square in San Francisco, to establish the authorship of paintings. I was all alone, accepting the challenge. Life magazine covered the event in an article that corrected a previous erroneous story that attributed the pictures to my ex-husband. My involvement in the deception lasted for twelve years and is something I will always regret. However, it taught me to appreciate the opportunity to be truthful and that neither fame, nor love, nor money, nor anything else is worth a bad conscience.

I still had questions about life and God and they led me to look for answers in strange and dangerous places. Looking for answers, I researched the occult, astrology, palmistry, and even handwriting analysis. My love for art has motivated me to explore many ancient cultures and their philosophies which have been reflected in their art. I read volumes on Eastern philosophy and even tried transcendental meditation. My spiritual hunger led me to study the various religious beliefs of the people who came into my life.

On both sides of my family and among my friends, I have interacted with various Protestant religions other than the Methodists, including those of the Christian faith such as Mormons, Lutherans, and Unitarians. When I married my current husband, who is a Catholic, I seriously explored this religion.

I still did not find satisfactory answers, there were always contradictions and always something was missing. Other than that (without having the answers to the big questions of life), my life is finally starting to get better. I have achieved almost everything I have ever wanted. Most of my time was spent doing what I loved to do the most - painting children (mostly little girls) with big eyes. I had a wonderful husband and a wonderful marriage, a wonderful daughter and financial stability, and lived in my favorite place on earth, Hawaii. But from time to time I wondered why I was not completely satisfied, why I smoked and sometimes drank too much and why I was so tense. I didn't realize how selfish my life had become in my pursuit of personal happiness.

Jehovah's Witnesses came often, every few weeks, to my door, but I rarely took their literature or paid any attention to them. It never occurred to me that one day a knock on my door could drastically change my life. On that particular morning, two women, one Chinese and one Japanese, showed up at my doorstep. Sometime before they arrived, my daughter showed me an article about Sabbath, not Sunday, and the importance of keeping it. It made such an impression on both of us that we started attending the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I even stopped painting on Saturday, thinking it was a sin to do so. Thus, when I asked one of these women at my door what day was Sabbath, I was surprised that she answered Saturday. Then I asked, "Why don't you keep it?" It's ironic that I, a white man raised in the Bible Belt, should seek answers from two Easterners who were probably raised in a non-Christian environment. She opened an old Bible and read directly from the scriptures, explained why Christians are no longer required to observe the Sabbath or various other features of the Mosaic law, why the law was given on the Sabbath and on the future Day of Rest - 1,000 years.

Her knowledge of the Bible made such a deep impression on me that I wanted to study the Bible further myself. I gladly accepted the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, which she said could explain the basic teachings of the Bible. The following week, when the women returned, my daughter and I began to study the Bible regularly. It was one of the most important decisions in my life and led to dramatic changes in our lives. In this study of the Bible, my first and biggest obstacle was the Trinity, as I believed that Jesus was God, part of the Trinity, having this faith suddenly challenged, as if the ground had been knocked out from under my feet. It was intimidating. As my faith could not be sustained in the light of what I had read in the Bible, I suddenly felt a deeper loneliness than I had ever felt before.

I didn’t know who to pray to, and there were doubts even about whether there is a God at all. Gradually I became convinced from the Bible that Almighty God is Jehovah, the Father (not the Son), and as I learned, I began to rebuild my shattered faith, this time on the true foundation. But as my knowledge and faith began to grow, the pressures began to increase. My husband threatened to leave me and other close relatives were extremely upset. When I saw the requirements for true Christians, I looked for a way out because I didn't think I could ever testify to strangers or go door to door to talk to others about God.

My daughter, who was now studying in a nearby town, was advancing much faster. Her success has, in fact, become another hurdle for me. She believed so completely in what she was learning that she wanted to be a missionary. The plans of my only child in a faraway land scared me and I decided that I must protect her from these decisions. Thus, I began to look for a flaw. I felt that if I could find something that this organization taught that was not backed by the Bible, I could convince my daughter. With so much knowledge, I carefully looked for flaws. I ended up acquiring over ten different Bible translations, three correspondences, and many other Bible dictionaries and reference books to add to my library.

I received strange "help" from my husband, who often brought home Witness books and pamphlets. I studied them in detail, carefully weighing everything they said. But I never found fault. Instead, the fallacy of the doctrine of the Trinity, and the fact that the Witnesses know and communicate the name of the Father, the true God, as well as their love for each other and their strict adherence to the scriptures, convinced me that I had found the true religion. I was deeply impressed by the contrast between Jehovah's Witnesses and other religions on the subject of finances.

At one time my daughter and I were baptized along with forty others on August 5, 1972 in the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean, a day I will never forget. The daughter has now returned home so she can devote her full time to serving as a Witness here in Hawaii. My husband is still with us and is even amazed at the changes in both of us.

From sad eyes to happy eyes

Since dedicating my life to Jehovah, many changes have taken place in my life.

painting by Margaret Keane "Love changes the world."

One of the first was that I stopped smoking. I actually lost the desire and the need. It was a habit of twenty-two years, smoking an average of a pack or more a day. I tried desperately to quit the habit because I knew it was bad but found it impossible. As my faith grew, the scripture text in 2 Corinthians 7:1 proved to be a stronger stimulus. With Jehovah's help through prayer and my faith in his promise in Malachi 3:10, the habit was finally completely defeated. Amazingly, I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms or any discomfort!

Other changes were profoundly psychological transformations in my personality. From being a very shy, introverted and withdrawn person who was looking for and needing long hours of solitude to draw and relax from my tension, I have become much more sociable. Now, I spend many hours doing what I used to hate to do, talking to people, and now I love every minute of it!

Another change has been that I spend about one quarter of the time I used to spend painting, and yet, amazingly, I achieve almost the same amount of work. However, sales and comments indicate that the paintings are getting even better. Painting used to be almost my obsession. I couldn't help but draw, because this drawing was therapy, salvation and relaxation for me, my life completely revolved around this. I still enjoy it very much, but the addiction to it and dependence on it is gone.

It is not surprising that since my knowledge of Jehovah, the Source of all creativity, the quality of my paintings has improved, although the time to complete them has decreased.

Now most of my former painting time is spent serving God, studying the Bible, teaching others, and attending five Bible study meetings at the Kingdom Hall each week. In the past two and a half years, eighteen people have begun to study the Bible with me. Eight of these people are now actively studying, each is ready to be baptized, and one has been baptized. From among their families and friends, more than thirteen began studies with other Witnesses. It has been a great joy and privilege to have the privilege of helping others to know Jehovah.

It was not easy to give up my cherished loneliness, my own routine of life and a lot of my time for painting, and put in the first place, before anything else, the fulfillment of the commandment of Jehovah. But I was willing to try through prayer and trust to seek help from Jehovah God, and I saw that every step was supported and rewarded by Him. The proof of God's approval, help and blessing convinced me, not only spiritually, but also materially.

Looking back at my life, at my first painting done when I was about eleven years old, I see a big difference. In the past, the symbolic large, sad eyes I drew reflected the puzzling contradictions I saw in the world around me that raised so many questions in me. Now I have found in the Bible the reasons for the contradictions in life that once tormented me, as well as the answers to my questions. After I gained accurate knowledge of God and his purpose for humanity, I gained God's approval and the peace of mind and happiness that comes with it. This is reflected to a greater extent in my paintings, and many notice it. The sad, lost look of large eyes is now giving way to a happier look.



My husband even named one of my recent happy portraits - the eyed children "Eyes of the Witness"!

In this biography, you can find answers to some questions that we will not see or learn in the film.

Margaret Keane today

Margaret and her husband currently live in Northern California. Margaret continues to read the Bible every day, she is now 87 years old and now has a cameo role as an old woman sitting on a bench.

Amy Adams is studying with Margaret Keane at her studio in preparation for her role in Big Eyes.
Here is Margaret Keane at the Museum of Modern Art.

December 15, 2014 in New York.

" Stand up for your rights, be brave and don't be afraid "

Margaret Keane

" I hope the movie helps people never lie. Never! One tiny lie can turn into terrible, scary things.." says Keane in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

The purpose of this article is not to urge you to watch the film, since the film does not say a word that she is a Jehovah's Witness. The film tells the story of Margaret's life before she became a Witness. But perhaps with the help of this upcoming film, one of us can start a good conversation with a person about the truth.

A selection of the most remarkable paintings Margaret Keane

Since 2012, Tim Burton (Hollywood) has been filming a film about the artist Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), who has been a Jehovah's Witness for over 40 years. In Awake! for July 8, 1975 (eng) her detailed biography was published.

Below you can read it in Russian.

Film is history.

From January 15, 2015, the film "Big Eyes" will appear in the Russian box office. In English, the premiere of the film is scheduled for December 25, 2014. Surely, the director added colors to the plot, but in general, this is the life story of Margaret Keane. So soon many people in Russia will watch the drama "Big Eyes"!

Here you can already watch the trailer in Russian:



The main character of the film "Big Eyes" is the famous artist Margaret Keane, who was born in Tennessee in 1927.
Margaret attributes the inspiration for the art to a deep respect for the Bible and a close relationship with her grandmother. In the film, Margaret is a sincere, decent and modest woman who learns to stand up for herself.
In the 1950s, Margaret becomes a celebrity for her paintings of children with big eyes. In huge quantities, her works begin to be replicated, they were printed literally on every subject.
In the 1960s, the artist decided to sell her work under the name of Walter Keane, her second husband. Later, she sued her ex-husband, who refused to acknowledge this fact and tried in various ways to sue the right to her work.
Over time, Margaret meets Jehovah's Witnesses, which, according to her, greatly changes her life for the better. As she says, when she became a Jehovah's Witness, she finally found her happiness.

Biography of Margaret Keane

Below is her biography from Awake! (July 8, 1975, translation unofficial)

My life as a famous artist.

YOU may have seen a picture of a pensive child with unusually large and sad eyes. It may well have been what I drew. Unfortunately, I was unhappy with the way I painted children. I grew up in the southern United States in what is often referred to as the "Bible Belt." Perhaps it was this environment or my Methodist grandmother, but it instilled in me a deep respect for the Bible, even though I knew very little about it. I grew up believing in God, but with a lot of unanswered questions. I was a sickly child, lonely and very shy, but I was early discovered to have a talent for drawing.

Big eyes, why?

The inquisitive nature prompted me to ask questions about the meaning of life, why are we here, why is there pain, grief and death, if God is good?

Always "Why?" These questions, it seems to me, were later reflected in the eyes of the children in my paintings, which seem to be addressed to the whole world. The gaze was described as penetrating into the soul. They seemed to reflect the spiritual alienation of most people today, their longing for something outside of what this system offers.

My path to popularity in the art world has been rocky. There were two broken marriages and a lot of heartache along the way. The controversy surrounding my privacy and the authorship of my paintings has led to lawsuits, front-page pictures and even articles in the international media.

For many years I allowed my second husband to be called the author of my paintings. But one day, unable to continue with the deceit, I left him and my home in California and moved to Hawaii.

After a period of depression when I wrote very little, I began to rebuild my life and later remarried. One turning point came in 1970 when a newspaper reporter televised a competition between me and my ex-husband, which took place in Union Square in San Francisco, to establish the authorship of paintings. I was all alone, accepting the challenge. Life magazine covered the event in an article that corrected a previous erroneous story that attributed the pictures to my ex-husband. My involvement in the deception lasted for twelve years and is something I will always regret. However, it taught me to appreciate the opportunity to be truthful and that neither fame, nor love, nor money, nor anything else is worth a bad conscience.

I still had questions about life and God and they led me to look for answers in strange and dangerous places. Looking for answers, I researched the occult, astrology, palmistry, and even handwriting analysis. My love for art has motivated me to explore many ancient cultures and their philosophies which have been reflected in their art. I read volumes on Eastern philosophy and even tried transcendental meditation. My spiritual hunger led me to study the various religious beliefs of the people who came into my life.

On both sides of my family and among my friends, I have interacted with various Protestant religions other than the Methodists, including those of the Christian faith such as Mormons, Lutherans, and Unitarians. When I married my current husband, who is a Catholic, I seriously explored this religion.

I still did not find satisfactory answers, there were always contradictions and always something was missing. Other than that (without having the answers to the big questions of life), my life is finally starting to get better. I have achieved almost everything I have ever wanted. Most of my time was spent doing what I loved to do the most - painting children (mostly little girls) with big eyes. I had a wonderful husband and a wonderful marriage, a wonderful daughter and financial stability, and lived in my favorite place on earth, Hawaii. But from time to time I wondered why I was not completely satisfied, why I smoked and sometimes drank too much and why I was so tense. I didn't realize how selfish my life had become in my pursuit of personal happiness.

Jehovah's Witnesses came often, every few weeks, to my door, but I rarely took their literature or paid any attention to them. It never occurred to me that one day a knock on my door could drastically change my life. On that particular morning, two women, one Chinese and one Japanese, showed up at my doorstep. Sometime before they arrived, my daughter showed me an article about Sabbath, not Sunday, and the importance of keeping it. It made such an impression on both of us that we started attending the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I even stopped painting on Saturday, thinking it was a sin to do so. Thus, when I asked one of these women at my door what day was Sabbath, I was surprised that she answered Saturday. Then I asked, "Why don't you keep it?" It's ironic that I, a white man raised in the Bible Belt, should seek answers from two Easterners who were probably raised in a non-Christian environment. She opened an old Bible and read directly from the scriptures, explained why Christians are no longer required to observe the Sabbath or various other features of the Mosaic law, why the law was given on the Sabbath and on the future Day of Rest - 1,000 years.

Her knowledge of the Bible made such a deep impression on me that I wanted to study the Bible further myself. I gladly accepted the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, which she said could explain the basic teachings of the Bible. The following week, when the women returned, my daughter and I began to study the Bible regularly. It was one of the most important decisions in my life and led to dramatic changes in our lives. In this study of the Bible, my first and biggest obstacle was the Trinity, as I believed that Jesus was God, part of the Trinity, having this faith suddenly challenged, as if the ground had been knocked out from under my feet. It was intimidating. As my faith could not be sustained in the light of what I had read in the Bible, I suddenly felt a deeper loneliness than I had ever felt before.

I didn’t know who to pray to, and there were doubts even about whether there is a God at all. Gradually I became convinced from the Bible that Almighty God is Jehovah, the Father (not the Son), and as I learned, I began to rebuild my shattered faith, this time on the true foundation. But as my knowledge and faith began to grow, the pressures began to increase. My husband threatened to leave me and other close relatives were extremely upset. When I saw the requirements for true Christians, I looked for a way out because I didn't think I could ever testify to strangers or go door to door to talk to others about God.

My daughter, who was now studying in a nearby town, was advancing much faster. Her success has, in fact, become another hurdle for me. She believed so completely in what she was learning that she wanted to be a missionary. The plans of my only child in a faraway land scared me and I decided that I must protect her from these decisions. Thus, I began to look for a flaw. I felt that if I could find something that this organization taught that was not backed by the Bible, I could convince my daughter. With so much knowledge, I carefully looked for flaws. I ended up acquiring over ten different Bible translations, three correspondences, and many other Bible dictionaries and reference books to add to my library.

I received strange "help" from my husband, who often brought home Witness books and pamphlets. I studied them in detail, carefully weighing everything they said. But I never found fault. Instead, the fallacy of the doctrine of the Trinity, and the fact that the Witnesses know and communicate the name of the Father, the true God, as well as their love for each other and their strict adherence to the scriptures, convinced me that I had found the true religion. I was deeply impressed by the contrast between Jehovah's Witnesses and other religions on the subject of finances.

At one time my daughter and I were baptized along with forty others on August 5, 1972 in the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean, a day I will never forget. The daughter has now returned home so she can devote her full time to serving as a Witness here in Hawaii. My husband is still with us and is even amazed at the changes in both of us.

From sad eyes to happy eyes

Since dedicating my life to Jehovah, many changes have taken place in my life.

painting by Margaret Keane "Love changes the world."

One of the first was that I stopped smoking. I actually lost the desire and the need. It was a habit of twenty-two years, smoking an average of a pack or more a day. I tried desperately to quit the habit because I knew it was bad but found it impossible. As my faith grew, the scripture text in 2 Corinthians 7:1 proved to be a stronger stimulus. With Jehovah's help through prayer and my faith in his promise in Malachi 3:10, the habit was finally completely defeated. Amazingly, I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms or any discomfort!

Other changes were profoundly psychological transformations in my personality. From being a very shy, introverted and withdrawn person who was looking for and needing long hours of solitude to draw and relax from my tension, I have become much more sociable. Now, I spend many hours doing what I used to hate to do, talking to people, and now I love every minute of it!

Another change has been that I spend about one quarter of the time I used to spend painting, and yet, amazingly, I achieve almost the same amount of work. However, sales and comments indicate that the paintings are getting even better. Painting used to be almost my obsession. I couldn't help but draw, because this drawing was therapy, salvation and relaxation for me, my life completely revolved around this. I still enjoy it very much, but the addiction to it and dependence on it is gone.

It is not surprising that since my knowledge of Jehovah, the Source of all creativity, the quality of my paintings has improved, although the time to complete them has decreased.

Now most of my former painting time is spent serving God, studying the Bible, teaching others, and attending five Bible study meetings at the Kingdom Hall each week. In the past two and a half years, eighteen people have begun to study the Bible with me. Eight of these people are now actively studying, each is ready to be baptized, and one has been baptized. From among their families and friends, more than thirteen began studies with other Witnesses. It has been a great joy and privilege to have the privilege of helping others to know Jehovah.

It was not easy to give up my cherished loneliness, my own routine of life and a lot of my time for painting, and put in the first place, before anything else, the fulfillment of the commandment of Jehovah. But I was willing to try through prayer and trust to seek help from Jehovah God, and I saw that every step was supported and rewarded by Him. The proof of God's approval, help and blessing convinced me, not only spiritually, but also materially.

Looking back at my life, at my first painting done when I was about eleven years old, I see a big difference. In the past, the symbolic large, sad eyes I drew reflected the puzzling contradictions I saw in the world around me that raised so many questions in me. Now I have found in the Bible the reasons for the contradictions in life that once tormented me, as well as the answers to my questions. After I gained accurate knowledge of God and his purpose for humanity, I gained God's approval and the peace of mind and happiness that comes with it. This is reflected to a greater extent in my paintings, and many notice it. The sad, lost look of large eyes is now giving way to a happier look.



My husband even named one of my recent happy portraits - the eyed children "Eyes of the Witness"!

In this biography, you can find answers to some questions that we will not see or learn in the film.

Margaret Keane today

Margaret and her husband currently live in Northern California. Margaret continues to read the Bible every day, she is now 87 years old and now has a cameo role as an old woman sitting on a bench.

Amy Adams is studying with Margaret Keane at her studio in preparation for her role in Big Eyes.
Here is Margaret Keane at the Museum of Modern Art.

December 15, 2014 in New York.

" Stand up for your rights, be brave and don't be afraid "

Margaret Keane

" I hope the movie helps people never lie. Never! One tiny lie can turn into terrible, scary things.." says Keane in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

The purpose of this article is not to urge you to watch the film, since the film does not say a word that she is a Jehovah's Witness. The film tells the story of Margaret's life before she became a Witness. But perhaps with the help of this upcoming film, one of us can start a good conversation with a person about the truth.

A selection of the most remarkable paintings Margaret Keane

"Big Eyes", which was released in Russia on January 8, 2015.

Biography

Margaret Keane was born in 1927 in Nashville, Tennessee. Her work was influenced by her grandmother, as well as her reading of the Bible. In the 1970s, she became a member of the religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses, which, according to the artist, "changed her life for the better."

In the early 60s of the XX century, the works of Margaret Keane gained popularity, but were sold under the authorship of her second husband, Walter Keane. (English)Russian because of the society's prejudiced attitude towards "women's art". In 1964, Margaret left home and went to Hawaii, where she lived for 27 years, and in 1965 she divorced Walter. In 1970, she married for the third time to writer Dan McGuire. In the same year, Margaret publicly stated that it was she who wrote all the works sold under her husband's name. Later, she sued her ex-husband, who refused to acknowledge this fact. During the hearing, the judge demanded that Margaret and Walter paint a portrait of a child with characteristic large eyes; Walter Keane refused, citing shoulder pain, and it took Margaret only 53 minutes to write the paper. After three weeks of proceedings, the court ruled to pay the artist $ 4 million in compensation. In 1990, the Federal Court of Appeals upheld the libel verdict but overturned the $4 million in damages awarded. Margaret Keane did not file a new lawsuit. “I don't need money,” she said. “I just wanted everyone to know that the paintings were mine.”

Margaret Keane currently resides in Napa County, California.

From the Memoirs of Margaret D. H. Keane

“You may have seen a picture of a pensive child with unusually large and sad eyes. It may well have been what I drew. Unfortunately, I was just as unhappy as the children I painted. I grew up in the southern United States in what is often referred to as the "Bible Belt." It may have been this environment or my Methodist grandmother, but it instilled in me a deep respect for the Bible even though I knew very little about it. I grew up believing in God but with a lot of unanswered questions. I was a sickly child, lonely and very shy, but I was early discovered to have a talent for drawing.

Big eyes, why?

The inquisitive nature prompted me to ask questions about the meaning of life, why are we here, why is there pain, grief and death, if God is good?

Always "Why?" These questions, it seems to me, later found their reflection in the eyes of the children in my paintings, which seem to be addressed to the whole world. The gaze was described as penetrating into the soul. They seemed to reflect the spiritual alienation of most people today, their longing for something outside of what this system offers.

My path to popularity in the art world has been rocky. There were two broken marriages and a lot of heartache along the way. The controversy surrounding my privacy and the authorship of my paintings has led to lawsuits, front-page pictures and even articles in the international media.

For many years I allowed my second husband to be called the author of my paintings. But one day, unable to continue with the deceit, I left him and my home in California and moved to Hawaii.

After a period of depression when I wrote very little, I began to rebuild my life and later remarried. One turning point came in 1970 when a newspaper reporter televised a competition between me and my ex-husband, which took place in Union Square in San Francisco, to establish the authorship of pictures. I was all alone, accepting the challenge. Life magazine covered the event in an article that corrected a previous erroneous story that attributed the pictures to my ex-husband. My involvement in the deception lasted for twelve years and is something I will always regret. However, it taught me to appreciate the opportunity to be truthful and that neither fame, nor love, nor money, nor anything else is worth a guilty conscience.

I still had questions about life and God and they led me to look for answers in strange and dangerous places. Looking for answers, I researched the occult, astrology, palmistry, and even handwriting analysis. My love for art has motivated me to explore many ancient cultures and their philosophies which have been reflected in their art. I read volumes on Eastern philosophy and even tried transcendental meditation. My spiritual hunger led me to study the various religious beliefs of the people who came into my life.

On both sides of my family and among my friends, I have come into contact with various Protestant religions other than the Methodists, including Mormons, Lutherans, and Unitarians from Christian faiths. When I married my current husband, who is a Catholic, I seriously explored this religion.

I still did not find satisfactory answers, there were always contradictions and always something was missing. Other than that (not having answers to the big questions of life), my life is finally starting to get better. I have achieved almost everything I have ever wanted. Most of my time was spent doing what I loved to do the most - painting children (mostly little girls) with big eyes. I had a wonderful husband and a wonderful marriage, a wonderful daughter and financial stability, and lived in my favorite place on earth, Hawaii. But from time to time I wondered why I was not completely satisfied, why I smoked and sometimes drank too much and why I was so tense. I didn't realize how selfish my life had become in my pursuit of personal happiness. Jehovah's Witnesses came often, every few weeks, to my door, but I rarely took their literature or paid any attention to them. It never occurred to me that one day a knock on my door could drastically change my life. On that particular morning, two women, one Chinese and one Japanese, showed up at my doorstep. Sometime before they arrived, my daughter showed me an article about Sabbath, not Sunday, and the importance of keeping it. It made such an impression on both of us that we started attending the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I even stopped painting on Saturday, thinking it was a sin to do so. Thus, when I asked one of these women at my door what day was Sabbath, I was surprised that she answered Saturday. Then I asked, "Why don't you keep it?" It's ironic that I, a white man raised in the Bible Belt, should seek answers from two Easterners who were probably raised in a non-Christian environment. She opened an old Bible and read directly from the scriptures, explained why Christians were no longer required to keep the Sabbath or various other features of the Mosaic Law, why the Sabbath Law and the future Sabbath was given. Her knowledge of the Bible made such a deep impression on me that I wanted to study the Bible further myself. I gladly accepted the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, which she said could explain the basic teachings of the Bible. The following week, when the women returned, my daughter and I began to study the Bible regularly. It was one of the most important decisions in my life and led to dramatic changes in our lives. In this study of the Bible, my first and biggest obstacle was the Trinity, as I believed that Jesus was God, part of the Trinity, having this faith suddenly challenged, as if the ground had been knocked out from under my feet. It was intimidating. As my faith could not be sustained in the light of what I had read in the Bible, I suddenly felt a deeper loneliness than I had ever felt before. I didn’t know who to pray to, and there were doubts even about whether there is a God at all. Gradually I became convinced from the Bible that Almighty God is Jehovah, the Father (not the Son), and as I learned, I began to rebuild my shattered faith, this time on the true foundation. But as my knowledge and faith began to grow, the pressures began to increase. My husband threatened to leave me and other close relatives were extremely upset. When I saw the requirements for true Christians, I looked for a way out because I didn't think I could ever testify to strangers or go door to door to talk to others about God. My daughter, who was now studying in a nearby town, was advancing much faster. Her success, in fact, became another obstacle for me. She believed so completely in what she was learning that she wanted to be a missionary. The plans of my only child in a faraway land scared me and I decided that I must protect her from these decisions. Thus, I began to look for a flaw. I felt that if I could find something that this organization taught that was not backed by the Bible, I could convince my daughter. With so much knowledge, I carefully looked for flaws. I ended up acquiring over ten different Bible translations, three correspondences, and many other Bible dictionaries and reference books to add to my library. I received strange "help" from my husband, who often brought home Witness books and pamphlets. I studied them in detail, carefully weighing everything they said. But I never found fault. Instead, the fallacy of the doctrine of the Trinity, and the fact that the Witnesses know and communicate the name of the Father, the true God, as well as their love for each other and their strict adherence to the scriptures, convinced me that I had found the true religion. I was deeply impressed by the contrast between Jehovah's Witnesses and other religions on the subject of finances. At one time my daughter and I were baptized along with forty others on August 5, 1972 in the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean, a day I will never forget. The daughter has now returned home so she can devote her full time to serving as a Witness here in Hawaii. My husband is still with us and is even amazed at the changes in both of us.

Influence

Animation artist Craig McCracken, creator of the animated series The Powerpuff Girls (released in 1998-2005), admitted that the characters of this series are inspired by the work of Margaret Keane, and there is also a teacher character named Miss Keane.

In December 2014 (in Russia in January 2015), Tim Burton's film Big Eyes was released, telling about the life of Margaret Keane, the period of popularity of her works, which were sold under the name of Walter, and the subsequent divorce. Tim Burton himself is the owner of a collection of works by Margaret Keane and in the 90s ordered a portrait of his girlfriend Lisa Mary from the artist. The role of Margaret in the film is played by Amy Adams.

In the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a painting of Margaret Keane can be seen in Roy Neary's apartment.

Write a review on the article "Keen, Margaret"

Notes

At 12 minutes into the film, in the scene where Margaret Keane draws her daughter, an elderly woman sits in the background and reads a book that is very similar to the real Margaret Keane in age. At the end of the film, there is a series of documentary photos of her with Amy Adams, who plays Margaret in the film.

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An excerpt characterizing Keane, Margaret

When Rostov returned, there was a bottle of vodka and sausage on the table. Denisov sat in front of the table and cracked pen on paper. He looked gloomily into Rostov's face.
“I am writing to her,” he said.
He leaned on the table with a pen in his hand, and, obviously delighted with the opportunity to quickly say in a word everything that he wanted to write, expressed his letter to Rostov.
- You see, dg "ug," he said. "We sleep until we love. We are the children of pg`axa ... but you fell in love - and you are God, you are pure, as on the peg" day of creation ... Who else is this? Send him to the chog "tu. No time!" he shouted at Lavrushka, who, not at all shy, approached him.
- But who should be? They themselves ordered. The sergeant-major came for the money.
Denisov frowned, wanted to shout something and fell silent.
“Squeeg,” but that’s the point, he said to himself. “How much money is left in the wallet?” he asked Rostov.
“Seven new ones and three old ones.
“Ah, skweg,” but! Well, what are you standing, scarecrows, send a wahmistg “a,” Denisov shouted at Lavrushka.
“Please, Denisov, take my money, because I have it,” said Rostov, blushing.
“I don’t like to borrow from my own, I don’t like it,” grumbled Denisov.
“And if you don’t take money from me comradely, you will offend me. Really, I have, - repeated Rostov.
- No.
And Denisov went to the bed to get a wallet from under the pillow.
- Where did you put it, Rostov?
- Under the bottom cushion.
- Yes, no.
Denisov threw both pillows on the floor. There was no wallet.
- That's a miracle!
“Wait, didn’t you drop it?” said Rostov, picking up the pillows one at a time and shaking them out.
He threw off and brushed off the blanket. There was no wallet.
- Have I forgotten? No, I also thought that you were definitely putting a treasure under your head, ”said Rostov. - I put my wallet here. Where is he? he turned to Lavrushka.
- I didn't go in. Where they put it, there it should be.
- Not really…
- You're all right, throw it somewhere, and forget it. Look in your pockets.
“No, if I didn’t think about the treasure,” said Rostov, “otherwise I remember what I put in.”
Lavrushka rummaged through the whole bed, looked under it, under the table, rummaged through the whole room and stopped in the middle of the room. Denisov silently followed Lavrushka's movements, and when Lavrushka threw up his hands in surprise, saying that he was nowhere to be found, he looked back at Rostov.
- Mr. Ostov, you are not a schoolboy ...
Rostov felt Denisov's gaze on him, raised his eyes and at the same moment lowered them. All his blood, which had been locked up somewhere below his throat, gushed into his face and eyes. He couldn't catch his breath.
- And there was no one in the room, except for the lieutenant and yourself. Here somewhere,” said Lavrushka.
- Well, you, chog "those doll, turn around, look," Denisov suddenly shouted, turning purple and throwing himself at the footman with a menacing gesture. Zapog everyone!
Rostov, looking around Denisov, began to button up his jacket, fastened his saber and put on his cap.
“I’m telling you to have a wallet,” Denisov shouted, shaking the batman’s shoulders and pushing him against the wall.
- Denisov, leave him; I know who took it,” said Rostov, going up to the door and not raising his eyes.
Denisov stopped, thought, and, apparently understanding what Rostov was hinting at, grabbed his hand.
“Sigh!” he shouted so that the veins, like ropes, puffed out on his neck and forehead. “I’m telling you, you’re crazy, I won’t allow it. The wallet is here; I will loosen my skin from this meg'zavetz, and it will be here.
“I know who took it,” Rostov repeated in a trembling voice and went to the door.
“But I’m telling you, don’t you dare do this,” Denisov shouted, rushing to the cadet to restrain him.
But Rostov tore his hand away and with such malice, as if Denisov was his greatest enemy, directly and firmly fixed his eyes on him.
– Do you understand what you are saying? he said in a trembling voice, “there was no one else in the room except me. So, if not, then...
He could not finish and ran out of the room.
“Ah, why not with you and with everyone,” were the last words that Rostov heard.
Rostov came to Telyanin's apartment.
“The master is not at home, they have gone to the headquarters,” Telyanin’s orderly told him. Or what happened? added the batman, surprised at the junker's upset face.
- There is nothing.
“We missed a little,” said the batman.
The headquarters was located three miles from Salzenek. Rostov, without going home, took a horse and rode to headquarters. In the village occupied by the headquarters, there was a tavern frequented by officers. Rostov arrived at the tavern; at the porch he saw Telyanin's horse.
In the second room of the tavern the lieutenant was sitting at a dish of sausages and a bottle of wine.
“Ah, and you stopped by, young man,” he said, smiling and raising his eyebrows high.
- Yes, - said Rostov, as if it took a lot of effort to pronounce this word, and sat down at the next table.
Both were silent; two Germans and one Russian officer were sitting in the room. Everyone was silent, and the sounds of knives on plates and the lieutenant's champing could be heard. When Telyanin had finished breakfast, he took a double purse out of his pocket, spread the rings with his little white fingers bent upwards, took out a gold one, and, raising his eyebrows, gave the money to the servant.
“Please hurry,” he said.
Gold was new. Rostov got up and went over to Telyanin.
“Let me see the purse,” he said in a low, barely audible voice.
With shifty eyes, but still raised eyebrows, Telyanin handed over the purse.
"Yes, a pretty purse... Yes... yes..." he said, and suddenly turned pale. “Look, young man,” he added.
Rostov took the wallet in his hands and looked at it, and at the money that was in it, and at Telyanin. The lieutenant looked around, as was his habit, and seemed to suddenly become very cheerful.
“If we’re in Vienna, I’ll leave everything there, and now there’s nowhere to go in these crappy little towns,” he said. - Come on, young man, I'll go.
Rostov was silent.
- What about you? have breakfast too? They are decently fed,” continued Telyanin. - Come on.
He reached out and took hold of the wallet. Rostov released him. Telyanin took the purse and began to put it into the pocket of his breeches, and his eyebrows casually rose, and his mouth opened slightly, as if he were saying: “Yes, yes, I put my purse in my pocket, and it’s very simple, and no one cares about this” .
- Well, what, young man? he said, sighing and looking into Rostov's eyes from under his raised eyebrows. Some kind of light from the eyes, with the speed of an electric spark, ran from Telyanin's eyes to Rostov's eyes and back, back and back, all in an instant.
“Come here,” said Rostov, grabbing Telyanin by the hand. He almost dragged him to the window. - This is Denisov's money, you took it ... - he whispered in his ear.
“What?… What?… How dare you?” What? ... - said Telyanin.
But these words sounded a plaintive, desperate cry and a plea for forgiveness. As soon as Rostov heard this sound of a voice, a huge stone of doubt fell from his soul. He felt joy, and at the same moment he felt sorry for the unfortunate man who stood before him; but it was necessary to complete the work begun.
“The people here, God knows what they might think,” muttered Telyanin, grabbing his cap and heading into a small empty room, “we need to explain ourselves ...
“I know it, and I will prove it,” said Rostov.
- I…
Telyanin's frightened, pale face began to tremble with all its muscles; his eyes still ran, but somewhere below, not rising to Rostov's face, and sobs were heard.
- Count! ... do not ruin the young man ... here is this unfortunate money, take it ... - He threw it on the table. - My father is an old man, my mother! ...
Rostov took the money, avoiding Telyanin's gaze, and, without saying a word, left the room. But at the door he stopped and turned back. “My God,” he said with tears in his eyes, “how could you do this?
“Count,” said Telyanin, approaching the cadet.
“Don’t touch me,” Rostov said, pulling away. If you need it, take this money. He threw his wallet at him and ran out of the inn.

In the evening of the same day, a lively conversation was going on at Denisov's apartment among the officers of the squadron.
“But I’m telling you, Rostov, that you need to apologize to the regimental commander,” said, turning to the crimson red, agitated Rostov, the high headquarters captain, with graying hair, huge mustaches and large features of a wrinkled face.
The staff captain Kirsten was twice demoted to the soldiers for deeds of honor and twice cured.
"I won't let anyone tell you I'm lying!" cried Rostov. He told me that I was lying, and I told him that he was lying. And so it will remain. They can put me on duty even every day and put me under arrest, but no one will make me apologize, because if he, as a regimental commander, considers himself unworthy of giving me satisfaction, then ...
- Yes, you wait, father; you listen to me, - the captain interrupted the staff in his bass voice, calmly smoothing his long mustache. - You tell the regimental commander in front of other officers that the officer stole ...
- It's not my fault that the conversation started in front of other officers. Maybe I shouldn't have spoken in front of them, but I'm not a diplomat. I then joined the hussars and went, thinking that subtleties are not needed here, but he tells me that I am lying ... so let him give me satisfaction ...
- That's all right, no one thinks that you are a coward, but that's not the point. Ask Denisov, does it look like something for a cadet to demand satisfaction from a regimental commander?
Denisov, biting his mustache, listened to the conversation with a gloomy look, apparently not wanting to intervene in it. When asked by the captain's staff, he shook his head negatively.
“You are talking to the regimental commander about this dirty trick in front of the officers,” the headquarters captain continued. - Bogdanich (Bogdanich was called the regimental commander) laid siege to you.
- He didn’t siege, but said that I was telling a lie.
- Well, yes, and you said something stupid to him, and you need to apologize.
- Never! shouted Rostov.
“I didn’t think it was from you,” the headquarters captain said seriously and sternly. - You do not want to apologize, and you, father, not only before him, but before the whole regiment, before all of us, you are to blame all around. And here's how: if only you thought and consulted how to deal with this matter, otherwise you directly, but in front of the officers, and thumped. What should the regimental commander do now? Should we put the officer on trial and mess up the entire regiment? Shame the entire regiment because of one villain? So, what do you think? But in our opinion, it is not. And well done Bogdanich, he told you that you are not telling the truth. It’s unpleasant, but what to do, father, they themselves ran into it. And now, as they want to hush up the matter, so you, because of some kind of fanabery, do not want to apologize, but want to tell everything. You are offended that you are on duty, but why should you apologize to an old and honest officer! Whatever Bogdanich may be, but all honest and brave, old colonel, you are so offended; and messing up the regiment is okay for you? - The voice of the captain's staff began to tremble. - You, father, are in the regiment for a week without a year; today here, tomorrow they moved to adjutants somewhere; you don’t give a damn what they will say: “Thieves are among the Pavlograd officers!” And we don't care. So, what, Denisov? Not all the same?
Denisov remained silent and did not move, occasionally glancing with his shining black eyes at Rostov.
“Your own fanabery is dear to you, you don’t want to apologize,” continued the headquarters captain, “but we old people, how we grew up, and God willing, will die in the regiment, so the honor of the regiment is dear to us, and Bogdanich knows it. Oh, how dear, father! And this is not good, not good! Take offense there or not, but I will always tell the truth to the uterus. Not good!
And the captain's staff stood up and turned away from Rostov.
- Pg "avda, chog" take it! shouted Denisov, jumping up. - Well, G "skeleton! Well!
Rostov, blushing and turning pale, looked first at one officer, then at another.
- No, gentlemen, no ... don’t think ... I understand very well, you shouldn’t think so about me ... I ... for me ... I am for the honor of the regiment. but what? I’ll show it in practice, and for me the honor of the banner ... well, it’s all the same, really, it’s my fault! .. - Tears stood in his eyes. “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault! ... Well, what else do you need? ...
“That’s it, count,” the captain shouted, turning around, hitting him on the shoulder with his big hand.
“I’m telling you,” Denisov shouted, “he’s a nice little one.
“That’s better, Count,” repeated the captain of the staff, as if for his recognition he was beginning to call him a title. - Go and apologize, your excellency, yes s.
“Gentlemen, I’ll do everything, no one will hear a word from me,” Rostov said in an imploring voice, “but I can’t apologize, by God, I can’t, as you wish!” How will I apologize, like a little one, to ask for forgiveness?
Denisov laughed.
- It's worse for you. Bogdanych is vindictive, pay for your stubbornness, - said Kirsten.
- By God, not stubbornness! I can't describe to you the feeling, I can't...
- Well, your will, - said the headquarters captain. - Well, where did this bastard go? he asked Denisov.
- He said he was sick, zavtg "and ordered pg" and by order to exclude, - Denisov said.

Today, the characters of her paintings - big-eyed, as if alien children - are known and loved by many. From the outside, today's life of a 90-year-old artist seems idyllic, but it all started far from rosy.

Her paintings - but not herself - were huge successes in the 1960s. Then Margaret Keane worked sixteen hours a day behind curtained windows in complete isolation from the outside world - while the authorship was attributed to her husband, who did not have artistic talent, but was an outstanding businessman and a clever manipulator.

The deceit was revealed in court in 1986, at which the artist not only claimed her rights to these works, but was also able to prove her authorship by drawing a big-eyed baby right in the courtroom.

After the trials of the year, the public was divided into two camps: some accused Margaret Keane of weakness and infantilism, others admired her courage and selflessness. And until now, the question of what prompted a talented healthy young woman for many years to unquestioningly obey her husband and agree to voluntary seclusion remains open.

Charming Walter

Margaret met her future husband Walter Keane at an art exhibition in San Francisco. In her own words, Walter literally radiated charm. And how much work was required in order to charm a lonely woman with a small child in her arms? At this time, Margaret was desperately trying to earn at least some money, fearing that her ex-husband would take her daughter away from her. Walter, although he did not have the talent of an artist, undoubtedly had other equally important qualities - he was an excellent marketer. A plan quickly formed in his mind to monetize Margaret's talent. Therefore, deciding not to miss such a profitable game, Walter, without thinking twice, married an aspiring artist.

With the permission of his wife, he began to sell her paintings near the entrance to one of the clubs in San Francisco. Portraits of children with exaggeratedly large naive eyes interested people passing by who wished to purchase them. The resounding success of Margaret's paintings that followed could not have been foreseen even by her husband. The peak of popularity came in the first half of the 1960s, while the original creations of the artist were sold at lightning speed for fabulous sums. For those who could not afford the original, Walter found a much less expensive alternative - every kiosk began to sell reproductions of his wife's paintings in the form of greeting cards, calendars and posters, dispersed in millions of copies. Moreover, the enterprising husband Margaret used not only paper media - big-eyed crumbs were even depicted on kitchen aprons.

The fact that her husband puts his signature under her portraits, Margaret did not immediately find out. And when she finally guessed and demanded to immediately fix everything, she received a furious rebuff from him. Walter told his discouraged wife that everything had gone too far, and if now he confesses to forgery, then they will have to sue outraged buyers of her paintings until the end of their days, demanding a refund. Margaret was finally convinced to remain silent by his argument that society would never take a woman in the field of art seriously.

"Wailing Folk Art"

Shy and insecure Margaret, who from childhood felt lonely and unhappy, it was easy for the domineering Walter, reveling in undeserved fame, to keep in complete obedience. Convincing her that she did not know how to behave in society, Walter forbade his wife to appear at social events, and if, nevertheless, sometimes, for the sake of decency, she had to attend them, he stopped all attempts by his wife to start a conversation with any of the guests . He also represented his wife as his apprentice, mixing paints for him. Margaret transferred all her pain and loneliness to the canvases: the children and women depicted on them with sad eyes the size of a saucer reflected her inner deep feelings. In her work, she painfully searched for answers to questions: why is there so much evil in the world, why close people bring so much grief.

Like any artist truly passionate about her favorite work, Margaret was more worried not about how much income her works brought in - at that time Walter earned millions of dollars on them, while not giving his wife a cent - but what kind of reaction they caused from the audience . Unfortunately, not everyone admired the sad characters in Margaret Keane's paintings; there were also ardent opponents of her work. Among them are American Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, who called them "weepy folk art", as well as leading American art critic, author and art historian John Kenaday, who smashed Margaret's work "Tomorrow Forever" to smithereens in his article in The New York Times . On this picture, depicting an endless column of children of different nationalities, stretching to the horizon, Keene worked day and night. As a result, the "tasteless daub" - such an unflattering definition was given by an art critic to the work of the artist - was removed from the wall in the pavilion of education at the international exhibition "Expo" in 1964 in New York.

From big money and fame, Walter Keane literally lost his mind - later psychiatrists diagnose him with a severe mental disorder. Threatening to deal with Margaret and her daughter, he forced his wife to write more and more canvases, dictating to her what should be painted on them. Their house in San Francisco was flooded with dissolute girls who did not put a penny on Margaret, preferring not to notice her at all. At times she ran into them in the matrimonial bedroom, then she had to go to work in the basement. Such a humiliating situation completely exhausted her. Gathering her strength, she and her daughter moved to live in Hawaii. Settling near the picturesque Hawaiian beach of Waikiki, located in the Honolulu region on the south coast of Oahu, she found peace of mind for the first time in many years. But Walter, even in this heavenly place, was not going to leave her alone: ​​Margaret still continued to write and send him pictures.

"Sweet Demon Couple"

The religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses helped her finally break off relations with her tyrant husband, instilling self-confidence in the woman. Spiritually strengthened, Margaret married sports writer Dan McGuire, and she told him about her misadventures. Supported by her husband and members of a religious organization, Keene took to the local radio, where she publicly declared who the author of the big-eyed paintings really was. Her performance had the effect of an exploding bomb. “A couple of sweet demons” - this is how the journalists dubbed the Keane couple, behind whose sentimental pictures, in their opinion, greedy and vile people were hiding. But Margaret, by her own admission, never wanted to sue her ex-husband for money, she just wanted to stop deceiving people. By the way, she never received from him the four million dollars awarded to her, since Walter Keane squandered all the money earned from the sale of her paintings in fashionable resorts. Despite this, Margaret, according to her, does not feel anger towards him, but, on the contrary, considers herself guilty of everything that happened to them.

"Big eyes"

Half-faced eyes of the zombie-like girl Sally in the animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas, the disproportionately huge glasses of the eccentric confectioner Willy Wonks in the fantasy film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - it is easy to see that in many works of the American film director Tim Walter Burton, there is a connection with work of Margaret Keane. Oddly enough, but an eccentric Hollywood producer, famous for films full of black humor, is crazy about the big-eyed works of the artist. In addition, Burton has the most extensive collection of them.

Friendship with the artist and a sincere interest in her work prompted Tim Burton to make the film Big Eyes, which tells the story of the Keene family drama so believably that Margaret could not watch it without tears. According to the artist, she was most struck by the performance of the Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, who played the role of Walter Keane in the film. He not only looked like him, but masterfully adopted his manner of speaking, habits and arrogant behavior. After watching Big Eyes, the elderly woman came to her senses for two days, it was especially hard for her to watch the game of Amy Lou Adams, who embodied her on the screen. After a while, Margaret, as she says, managed to free herself from the memories that flooded over her, and she began to perceive this film as fantastic. By the way, in one of the frames you can see two Margarets - the young one is diligently drawing at the easel, and the elderly one is sitting on a bench with a book in her hands.

Crazy filmmaker Tim Burton loves to inject macabre elements into his films, such as the skeleton dance in Corpse Bride. The quiet family film Big Eyes was no exception. In one of the episodes, the main character begins to hallucinate - she begins to see all the people with huge eyes in the store. It looks, to put it mildly, creepy.

This year, Margaret Keane will be 91 years old, despite her advanced age, she continues to paint pictures. Only children don't cry at them now. On one of her canvases - "Love Changes the World" - the artist depicted how her work has changed after parting with Walter: on the left side of the work, kids are drawn with sad, despairing eyes, on the right - laughing boys and girls who literally glow with happiness .