One
thing I love about art is understanding the stories that the painter
was trying to tell. Sometimes, it's obvious what the painting means,
whereas on other occasions, its true meaning isn't so obvious.
For me this is all part of the charm of great art. Take these 9 masterpieces for instance. Each one has a hidden secret to tell, none of which anyone ever realized when they first saw them. When you learn these fascinating secrets from art history, you will be utterly spellbound:
For me this is all part of the charm of great art. Take these 9 masterpieces for instance. Each one has a hidden secret to tell, none of which anyone ever realized when they first saw them. When you learn these fascinating secrets from art history, you will be utterly spellbound:
Click on images to enlarge
1. Danaë, Rembrandt H. van Rijn
Danae was
a mortal whom the God, Zeus, took as his illicit lover, a situation
with a direct and personal parallel in this painting. In the 1960s, an
X-ray of this masterpiece discovered the woman's original face was that
of Rembrandt's wife, Saskia. He must have painted over it after she died
because the face we see here is that of his lover, Geertje Dircx. So,
on the one hand, it's a romantic tribute for his lover, and on the other
hand, a dark but poignant acknowledgement of the dubious morality of
his affair.
2. Bedroom in Arles, Vincent Van Gogh
The
vibrant and cozy colors of this work, one of Van Gogh's most familiar
and loved, have two contrasting explanations and meanings. On one had,
Van Gogh was painting an idealized, bright retreat - a kind of artist's
haven in which he could escape all the trials and tribulations that are
associated with being a mentally-disturbed genius. On the other, Van
Gogh, as a sufferer of epilepsy, was taking the drug digitalis. One of
the side effects of digitalis is an inability to properly perceive
color. Therefore Van Gogh may have really perceived the world tinged
with yellows and greens for this portion of his life.
3. Mona Lisa, Leonardo Da Vinci
The
Mona Lisa is the most famous portrait in art history, yet one recent
explanation for the subject's enigmatic expression has ruffled quite a
few feathers. Joseph E. Borkowski is an art expert and dentist, who
trusted his instincts on this one, and examined Mona's mouth for
abnormalities. Spotting a scar around her lips, he determined that the
renowned lady must have lost a lot of teeth. He explains that her type
of smile is actually typical of those without teeth.
4. Major's Betrothal, Pavel Fedotov
This
picture greatly amused art lovers when it was first exhibited, due to
the flouting of mores and conventions which the actors in the painting
were committing. To us, these things are largely lost, living in a
modern world that has eliminated many procedural and
social niceties; yet critics are agreed that this is the point of
painting. The major at the door has not brought any flowers for his
bride and her mother, a 'major faux-pas.' The bride herself is wearing
an evening dress at daytime, which is also considerably revealing for
her time period. She appears to be ashamed and about to escape to her
chamber.
5. Liberty Leading the People, Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix
This
iconic image of the modern French idol, Liberty, appears somewhat
improper compared to its New York counterpart, the Statue of Liberty.
However, experts agree that the bare-chested Liberty is an apt
illustration of freedom from the kind of social mores that the French
Revolution sought to evaporate. It is thought that the deity here is
actually based on a real life rampage of revenge. Laundress,
Anna-Charlotte, avenged her dead brother by charging the barricades and
killing nine guards herself. Her open chest evokes her hearty courage
and dedication to the so called ideals of the era.
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6. Black Square, Kazimir Malevich
This
painting is simply not what it seems. First, ask yourself what you see -
a black square. However, the artist used no black paint at all - he
simply combined various other colors together. Secondly, there is no
square either. None of the sides are parallel with each other, and the
same goes for the whitish frame. Here is a painting that really merits
close attention.
7. The Old Fisherman, Csontváry Kosztka Tivadar
The
Old Fisherman is a very striking portrait, and hardly anyone who sees
it goes away without it making a strong lasting impression upon them.
However, all is not as it seems. If you feel unsettled by the man's very
realistic face, you will be very surprised when you see what was only
discovered after the painter's death.
When
a mirror is placed at the center of the painting it is possible to see
two separate faces. The left side (the man's right) is a godly, father
figure. The other side is a quite devilish being. The artist's ingenuity
in managing to place both these aspects harmoniously within one simple
fisherman (he makes me think of St. Peter) is really incredible. He has
managed to show the two sides of humanity, the good and the evil. This
is truly a work of art that could only be properly understood after the
secret was revealed.
8. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Gustav Klimt
Behind
this most famous illustration of erotic romance comes quite an
excellent love triangle story. The artist, Klimt, fell for the woman
pictured here, and her husband learned of their subsequent affair. The
husband coolly concocted a plan to dull the lovers' passion. He simply
and secretly commissioned the painter to paint his wife, ordering him to
take hundreds of sketches and to spend a few years on the work. Here is
the result of those labors. And what became of the artist and muses's
passion? Just as the husband hoped, it was completely dulled. What an
amazing thing!
9. Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, Paul Gauguin
This
painting tells the story of Gauguin's despair, but actually ended with
him beginning a new chapter of joy and fulfillment. Read from right to
left, life starts its journey as an infant and finally ends as a lizard
in a bird's death grip (bottom left). When the painting was finished,
Gauguin tried to commit suicide, but got the arsenic dose wrong. So when
he found he was alive, he grabbed life by the scruff of the neck and
made a real success of his career from then on.
H/T: brightside.me
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