Among the noble works of art that delight the eye and evoke only positive emotions, there are paintings that are, to put it mildly, strange and shocking. We present to your attention 20 paintings by world-famous artists that will make you feel horrified...
"Failure of Mind to Matter"
A painting painted in 1973 by the Austrian artist Otto Rapp. He depicted a decomposing human head placed on a birdcage containing a piece of flesh.
"The Hanging Live Negro"
This grisly creation by William Blake depicts a black slave who was hanged 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 brutal massacre.
"Dante and Virgil in Hell"
The painting by Adolphe William Bouguereau was inspired by a short scene of a battle between two damned souls from Dante's Inferno.
"Hell"
Painting "Hell" German artist Hans Memling, painted in 1485, is one of the most terrifying artistic creations of its time. She was supposed to push people towards virtue. Memling heightened the horrifying effect of the scene by adding the caption: "There is no redemption in hell."
"The Great Red Dragon and the Sea Monster"
Famous English poet and the 13th century artist William Blake, in a moment of insight, created a series watercolor paintings depicting the great red dragon from the Book of Revelation. The Red Dragon was the embodiment of the devil.
"Spirit of Water"
The artist Alfred Kubin is considered the greatest representative of symbolism and expressionism and is known for his dark symbolic fantasies. “The Spirit of Water” is one such work that depicts man’s powerlessness in the face of the sea.
"Necronom IV"
This is a terrible creation famous artist Hans Rudolf Giger was inspired by the film Alien. Giger suffered from nightmares and all of his paintings were inspired by these visions.
"The Flaying of Marcia"
Created by an artist of the times Italian Renaissance Titian's painting "The Flaying of Marsyas" is currently in National Museum in Kromeriz in the Czech Republic. 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 depicted religious subjects of the Middle Ages, although he himself lived during the Renaissance. St. Anthony was said to have faced tests of his faith while praying in the desert. 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 famous work Theodore Gericault is The Raft of Medusa, a huge painting painted in a romantic style. Géricault tried to break the boundaries of classicism by moving to romanticism. These paintings were the initial stage of his creativity. For his works, 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.
"The Death of Marat"
Jean-Paul Marat was one of the leaders French Revolution. Suffering from a skin disease, he spent most of time in the bathroom, where he was working on his notes. There he was killed by Charlotte Corday. Marat's death has been depicted several times, but it is Edvard Munch's work that is particularly brutal.
"Still life of masks"
Emil Nolde was one of the early Expressionist artists, although his fame was eclipsed 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 of Scottish author Ken Currie, who specializes in dark, social-realistic paintings. Curry's favorite subject is the dull city 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 the wall of his house 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 depicted 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 beheading.
"Nightmare"
The painting by 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 and is believed to have been influenced by the works of the famous Italian artist Caravaggio.
"Study of the Portrait of Innocent X Velazquez"
This terrifying image of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Francis Bacon, is based on a paraphrase famous portrait Pope Innocent X, painted by Diego Velazquez. Splattered with blood, his face painfully contorted, the Pope is depicted seated in a metal tubular structure that, upon closer inspection, appears to be a throne.
"Garden earthly pleasures»
This is Hieronymus Bosch's most famous and frightening triptych. To date, there are many interpretations of the painting, but none of them have been conclusively confirmed. Perhaps Bosch's work personifies the Garden of Eden, the Garden of earthly pleasures and the Punishments that will have to be suffered for mortal sins committed during life.
Italian scientists say they have found remains that may belong to Lisa del Giocondo. Perhaps the secret of the Mona Lisa will be revealed. In honor of this, let's remember the most mysterious paintings in history.
1. Gioconda
The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to mysterious paintings, or about mystery paintings - this is the “Mona Lisa”, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1503-1505. Gruye wrote that this picture can drive anyone crazy who, having looked at it enough, begins to talk about it.
There are many “mysteries” in this work of da Vinci. Art critics write dissertations on the tilt of the Mona Lisa's hand, medical specialists make diagnoses (from the fact that Mona Lisa has no front teeth to the fact that Mona Lisa is a man). There is even a version that Gioconda is a self-portrait of the artist.
By the way, the painting gained particular popularity only in 1911, when it was stolen by the Italian Vincenzo Peruggio. They found him using his fingerprint. So “Mona Lisa” also became the first success of fingerprinting, and a huge success in marketing the art market.
2. Black square
Everyone knows that the “Black Square” is not actually black, nor is it a square. It's really not a square. In the catalog for the exhibition, it was stated by Malevich as a “quadrangle”. And really not black. The artist did not use black paint.
It is less known that Malevich considered “Black Square” his best work. When the artist was buried, “Black Square” (1923) stood at the head of the coffin, Malevich’s body was covered with a white canvas with a sewn square, a black square was also painted on the lid of the coffin. Even the train and the back of the truck had black squares on them.
3. Scream
What is mysterious about the painting “The Scream” is not that it supposedly has a heavy influence on people, forcing them to almost commit suicide, but that this painting is essentially realism for Edvard Munch, who at the time of writing this masterpiece suffered from manic depression. depressive psychosis. He even recalled exactly how he saw what he wrote.
“I was walking along a path with two friends - the sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood red, I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned against the fence - I looked at the blood and flames over the bluish-black fiord and the city - my friends moved on, and I stood trembling with excitement, feeling an endless cry piercing nature.”
4. Guernica
Picasso painted Guernica in 1937. The painting is dedicated to the bombing of the city of Guernica. They say that when Picasso was called to the Gestapo in 1940 and asked about Guernica: “Did you do this?”, the artist replied: “No, you did this.”
Picasso painted a huge fresco in no more than a month, working 10-12 hours a day. “Guernica” is considered a reflection of the horror of fascism and inhuman cruelty. Those who have seen the picture with their own eyes claim that it creates anxiety and sometimes panic.
5. Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan
We all know the painting “Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan,” usually calling it “Ivan the Terrible kills his son.”
Meanwhile, Ivan Vasilyevich’s murder of his heir is very controversial fact. So, in 1963, the tombs of Ivan the Terrible and his son were opened in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Research has made it possible to claim that Tsarevich John was poisoned.
The poison content in his remains is many times higher than the permissible limit. Interestingly, the same poison was found in the bones of Ivan Vasilyevich. Scientists have concluded that royal family has been a victim of poisoners for several decades.
Ivan the Terrible did not kill his son. This is exactly the version adhered to, for example, by the chief prosecutor Holy Synod Konstantin Pobedonostsev. Having seen at the exhibition famous painting Repin, he was outraged and wrote to the emperor Alexander III: “You can’t call the picture historical, since this moment... is purely fantastic.” The version of the murder was based on the stories of the papal legate Antonio Possevino, who can hardly be called a disinterested person.
There was once a real assassination attempt on the painting.
On January 16, 1913, twenty-nine-year-old Old Believer icon painter Abram Balashov stabbed her three times, after which Ilya Repin had to virtually paint the faces of the Ivanovs depicted in the painting anew. After the incident, the then curator of the Tretyakov Gallery Khruslov, having learned about the vandalism, threw himself under the train.
6. Hands resist him
The painting by Bill Stoneham, painted in 1972, has, frankly, not the best reputation. According to information on E-bay, the painting was found in a landfill some time after its purchase. On the very first night that the painting ended up in the house of the family that found it, the daughter ran to her parents in tears, complaining that “the children in the painting are fighting.”
Since that time, the painting has had a very bad reputation. Kim Smith, who bought it in 2000, constantly receives angry letters demanding that he burn the painting. The newspapers also wrote that ghosts sometimes appear in the hills of California, like two peas in a pod like the children from Stoneham’s painting.
7. Portrait of Lopukhina
Finally, the “bad picture” - the portrait of Lopukhina, painted by Vladimir Borovikovsky in 1797, after some time began to have a bad reputation. The portrait depicted Maria Lopukhina, who died shortly after the portrait was painted. People began to say that the picture “takes away one’s youth” and even “takes one to the grave.”
It is not known for certain who started such a rumor, but after Pavel Tretyakov “fearlessly” acquired the portrait for his gallery, talk about the “mystery of the painting” subsided.
Incredible facts
Not any of us will be able to appreciate this kind of painting at its true worth and read between the lines the meaning intended by the author. But, nevertheless, the cost of paintings contemporary artists sometimes it's just off scale, and collectors and art connoisseurs from all over the world come to the auction to buy their favorite creation.
Sometimes they pay such sums of money for a picture they like that they even The authors of the paintings themselves remain extremely surprised.
Below is a list of the strangest modern paintings, which have been sold for millions of dollars.
1. "Spatial Concept" - Lucio Fontana
This painting was sold for incredible money at an auction in London. It seems as if the author simply painted over the canvas with color and “torn” the picture with oblique lines. The million-dollar question arises, of course: if the artist wants to get more for such a painting? more money, should he just make another cut?
Or maybe the more the cut lines are squinted, the higher the quality of the picture?
2. "Blood Red Mirror" - Gerhard Richter
Sold for $1,100,000 .
“The painting is a mirror” went under the hammer for 1.1 million. Of course, this artist is the author of many beautiful works, however, to understand this, apparently, you just need to be born an artist.
The secret of Rembrandt's paintings has been revealedIt is difficult, if not impossible, to discern in this masterpiece something like a mirror. Perhaps the collector who purchased it simply wanted to see himself in more light when looking in the mirror.
The most expensive paintings
3. "Green and White" - Ellsworth Kelly
The works of this artist are very controversial, critics have differing opinions regarding their value, but, of course, this painting is the most a real gem.
This is a very ordinary canvas with a deformed circle in the middle, and there are people willing to pay for the right to add this creation to their collection as much as a small thai island .
4. "Untitled" - Mark Rothko
Many people spoke unkindly about this picture, but it is rather just boring. If your child after graduation art school If I brought you such a drawing, then there would be two possible scenarios for the development of events:
a) you would get terribly proud and hang a picture instead of a TV
b) would tell him: " Good job, Baby. Just let's draw something different next time!"
5. "Untitled" - Blinky Palermo
Sold for $1,700,000.
This painting, like many other creations of this artist, is a layering of colored canvases on top of each other. One of the critics noted that he peered at this picture for an hour, but could not find anything in it.
Another critic put it more profoundly: “Palermo’s paintings invite the viewer to see multifaceted changes in tones, while there are completely no traces of painterly nuances and excesses on the surface of the canvases, instead one can contemplate beautiful, undiluted colors.”
The most famous painting theftsYou have to be a true professional to disguise the lack of color solutions in this way!
Strange pictures
6. "Dog" - Joan Mira
In fact, the World has a lot of good ones, but this one really stands out and not from the most positive side.
Or maybe the collector who purchased it simply wanted to own part of the legacy of a talented artist?
7. "White Fire I" - Barnett Newman
Obviously, the people who buy these kinds of paintings are extraordinarily rich. But rich people become rich because of their intelligence.
If this is so, then why did an intelligent collector buy such a work at an online auction, based only on the meager description of it displayed on the site?
The title of the painting is a mystical term that is directly related to Tore. The Torah itself is aimed at deep spiritual unity, which Newman is trying, according to him, to instill in the viewer through his works.
But is that really the case? Or maybe it’s just difficult for an inexperienced person to trace the relationship between two lines on a blank canvas and the Torah?
8. "Untitled" - Cy Twombly
This work was done in haste at home on plain paper using ordinary wax pencil, that is, the same material that a child uses when learning to write in kindergarten.
Picasso's painting is the most expensive work of artIf you look down a little and look at the picture, wouldn’t it seem to you that this masterpiece is extremely similar to a child’s attempt to learn to write the letter “e”?
9. "Cowboy" - Ellsworth Kelly
Kelly studied art for over four years in cultural institutions in Boston and Paris before deciding on the direction of the style of his work. After his research, he concluded that his work will be "block".
To the untrained eye, the choice may seem erroneous, because what is the value of these blocks realized on paper? However, it is worth admitting the mistake, because from an economic point of view, the choice is very correct, but from an aesthetic point of view, it is unlikely that the author made the right decision.
10. "The Blue Fool" - Christopher Wool
One can imagine how happy Christopher, who specializes in painting words, was when this particular work was sold for such a huge amount of money. I wonder, when he painted his picture, could he have thought that he would be able to persuade someone to buy it?
Bravo, Christopher!
The most expensive paintings by artists
Some works of art seem to hit the viewer over the head, stunning and amazing. Some draw you into thought and in search of layers of meaning, secret symbolism. Some paintings are shrouded in secrets and mystical mysteries, and some surprise with exorbitant prices.
“Weirdness” is a rather subjective concept, and everyone has their own amazing paintings that stand out from other works of art.Edvard Munch "The Scream"
1893, cardboard, oil, tempera, pastel. 91×73.5 cm
National Gallery, Oslo
"The Scream" is considered a landmark event of expressionism and one of the most famous paintings in the world.
“I was walking along a path with two friends - the sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood red, I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned against the fence - I looked at the blood and flames over the bluish-black fiord and the city - my friends moved on, and I stood trembling with excitement, feeling the endless scream piercing nature,” Edvard Munch said about the history of the painting.
There are two interpretations of what is depicted: it is the hero himself who is gripped by horror and silently screams, pressing his hands to his ears; or the hero closes his ears from the cry of the world and nature sounding around him. Munch wrote 4 versions of “The Scream”, and there is a version that this painting is the fruit of manic-depressive psychosis from which the artist suffered. After a course of treatment at the clinic, Munch did not return to work on the canvas.
Paul Gauguin "Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?
1897-1898, oil on canvas. 139.1×374.6 cm
Museum fine arts, Boston
The deeply philosophical painting of the post-impressionist Paul Gauguin was painted by him in Tahiti, where he fled from Paris. Upon completion of the work, he even wanted to commit suicide, because “I believe that this painting not only surpasses all my previous ones, and that I will never create something better or even similar.” He lived another 5 years, and that’s what happened.
According to Gauguin himself, the painting should be read from right to left - three main groups of figures illustrate the questions posed in the title. Three women with a child represent the beginning of life; middle group symbolizes the daily existence of maturity; in the final group, according to the artist’s plan, “the old woman, approaching death, seems reconciled and given over to her thoughts,” at her feet “a strange white bird ... represents the uselessness of words.”
Pablo Picasso "Guernica"
1937, oil on canvas. 349×776 cm
Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid
The huge fresco painting “Guernica,” painted by Picasso in 1937, tells the story of a raid by a Luftwaffe volunteer unit on the city of Guernica, as a result of which the city of six thousand was completely destroyed. The painting was painted literally in a month - the first days of work on the painting, Picasso worked for 10-12 hours and already in the first sketches one could see main idea. This is one of best illustrations the nightmare of fascism, as well as human cruelty and grief.
Guernica presents scenes of death, violence, brutality, suffering and helplessness, without specifying their immediate causes, but they are obvious. It is said that in 1940, Pablo Picasso was summoned to the Gestapo in Paris. The conversation immediately turned to the painting. “Did you do this?” - “No, you did it.”
Jan van Eyck "Portrait of the Arnolfini couple"
1434, wood, oil. 81.8×59.7 cm
London National Gallery, London
The portrait supposedly of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife is one of the most complex works Western school of painting of the Northern Renaissance.
The famous painting is completely filled with symbols, allegories and various references - right down to the caption “Jan van Eyck was here”, which turned it not just into a work of art, but into historical document, confirming a real event at which the artist was present.
In Russia recent years The painting gained great popularity due to Arnolfini’s portrait resemblance to Vladimir Putin.
Mikhail Vrubel "The Seated Demon"
1890, oil on canvas. 114×211 cm
Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
The painting by Mikhail Vrubel surprises with the image of a demon. The sad, long-haired guy doesn’t at all resemble the common human idea of what an evil spirit should look like. The artist himself spoke about his most famous painting: “The demon is not so much an evil spirit as a suffering and sorrowful one, at the same time a powerful, majestic spirit.” This is an image of the strength of the human spirit, internal struggle, doubt. Tragically clasping his hands, the Demon sits with sad, huge eyes directed into the distance, surrounded by flowers. The composition emphasizes the constraint of the demon’s figure, as if squeezed between the upper and lower crossbars of the frame.
Vasily Vereshchagin “Apotheosis of War”
1871, oil on canvas. 127×197 cm
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Vereshchagin is one of the main Russian battle painters, but he painted wars and battles not because he loved them. On the contrary, he tried to convey to people his negative attitude towards the war. One day Vereshchagin, in the heat of emotion, exclaimed: “I won’t paint any more battle paintings - that’s it!” I take what I write too close to my heart, I cry (literally) for the grief of every wounded and killed.” Probably the result of this exclamation was the terrible and bewitching painting “The Apotheosis of War,” which depicts a field, crows and a mountain of human skulls.
The picture is painted so deeply and emotionally that behind each skull lying in this pile, you begin to see people, their destinies and the destinies of those who will never see these people again. Vereshchagin himself, with sad sarcasm, called the canvas a “still life” - it depicts “dead nature.”
All the details of the picture, including the yellow color, symbolize death and devastation. The clear blue sky emphasizes the deadness of the picture. The idea of the “Apotheosis of War” is also expressed by scars from sabers and bullet holes on skulls.
Grant Wood "American Gothic"
1930, oil. 74×62 cm
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
« American Gothic"is one of the most recognizable images in American art of the 20th century, the most famous artistic meme of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The picture with the gloomy father and daughter is filled with details that indicate the severity, puritanism and retrograde nature of the people depicted. Angry faces, a pitchfork right in the middle of the picture, old-fashioned clothes even by the standards of 1930, an exposed elbow, seams on a farmer’s clothes that repeat the shape of a pitchfork, and therefore a threat that is addressed to everyone who encroaches. You can look at all these details endlessly and cringe from discomfort.
Interestingly, the judges of the competition at the Art Institute of Chicago perceived “Gothic” as a “humorous valentine,” and the people of Iowa were terribly offended by Wood for portraying them in such an unpleasant light.
Rene Magritte "Lovers"
1928, oil on canvas
The painting “Lovers” (“Lovers”) exists in two versions. In one, a man and a woman, whose heads are wrapped in a white cloth, kiss, and in the other, they “look” at the viewer. The picture surprises and fascinates. With two figures without faces, Magritte conveyed the idea of the blindness of love. About blindness in every sense: lovers do not see anyone, we do not see their true faces, and besides, lovers are a mystery even to each other. But despite this apparent clarity, we still continue to look at Magritte’s lovers and think about them.
Almost all of Magritte’s paintings are puzzles that cannot be completely solved, since they raise questions about the very essence of existence. Magritte always talks about the deceptiveness of the visible, about its hidden mystery, which we usually do not notice.
Marc Chagall "Walk"
1917, oil on canvas
State Tretyakov Gallery
Usually extremely serious in his painting, Marc Chagall wrote a delightful manifesto of his own happiness, filled with allegories and love. “Walk” is a self-portrait with his wife Bella. His beloved is soaring in the sky and will soon drag Chagall, who is standing on the ground precariously, into flight, as if touching her only with the toes of his shoes. Chagall has a tit in his other hand - he is happy, he has both a tit in his hands (probably his painting) and a pie in the sky.
Hieronymus Bosch "The Garden of Earthly Delights"
1500-1510, wood, oil. 389×220 cm
Prado, Spain
“The Garden of Earthly Delights” is the most famous triptych of Hieronymus Bosch, which got its name from the theme of the central part, dedicated to the sin of voluptuousness. To date, none of the available interpretations of the picture has been recognized as the only correct one.
The enduring charm and at the same time strangeness of the triptych lies in the way the artist expresses the main idea through many details. The picture is filled with transparent figures, fantastic structures, monsters, hallucinations that have taken on flesh, hellish caricatures of reality, which he looks at with a searching, extremely sharp gaze. Some scientists wanted to see in the triptych a depiction of human life through the prism of its vanity and images earthly love, others - a triumph of voluptuousness. However, the simplicity and certain detachment with which individual figures are interpreted, as well as the favorable attitude towards this work on the part of the church authorities, make one doubt that its content could be the glorification of bodily pleasures.
Gustav Klimt "The Three Ages of Woman"
1905, oil on canvas. 180×180 cm
National Gallery contemporary art, Rome
“The Three Ages of a Woman” is both joyful and sad. In it, the story of a woman’s life is written in three figures: carelessness, peace and despair. The young woman is organically woven into the pattern of life, the old woman stands out from it. The contrast between the stylized image of a young woman and the naturalistic image of an old woman becomes symbolic meaning: the first phase of life brings with it endless possibilities and metamorphoses, the last - unchanging constancy and conflict with reality.
The canvas doesn’t let go, it gets into the soul and makes you think about the depth of the artist’s message, as well as the depth and inevitability of life.
Egon Schiele "Family"
1918, oil on canvas. 152.5×162.5 cm
Belvedere Gallery, Vienna
Schiele was a student of Klimt, but, like any excellent student, he did not copy his teacher, but looked for something new. Schiele is much more tragic, strange and frightening than Gustav Klimt. In his works there is a lot of what could be called pornography, various perversions, naturalism and at the same time aching despair.
"Family" is his last work, in which despair is taken to the extreme, despite the fact that it is his least strange-looking picture. He painted it just before his death, after his pregnant wife Edith died of Spanish flu. He died at 28, just three days after Edith, having painted her, himself, and their unborn child.
Frida Kahlo "Two Fridas"
Story difficult life Mexican artist Frida Kahlo became widely known after the release of the film “Frida” with Salma Hayek in leading role. Kahlo painted mostly self-portraits and explained it simply: “I paint myself because I spend a lot of time alone and because I am the subject I know best.”
In not a single self-portrait does Frida Kahlo smile: a serious, even mournful face, fused thick eyebrows, a barely noticeable mustache above tightly compressed lips. The ideas of her paintings are encrypted in the details, background, figures appearing next to Frida. Kahlo's symbolism is based on national traditions and is closely related to the Indian mythology of the pre-Hispanic period.
In one of best paintings- “Two Fridas” - she expressed the masculine and feminine principles, connected in her by a single circulatory system, demonstrating her integrity.
Claude Monet "Waterloo Bridge. Fog effect"
1899, oil on canvas
State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
When viewing the painting from a close distance, the viewer sees nothing but the canvas, on which frequent thick oil strokes are applied. The whole magic of the work is revealed when we gradually begin to move further away from the canvas. First, incomprehensible semicircles begin to appear in front of us, passing through the middle of the picture, then we see the clear outlines of boats and, moving away to a distance of approximately two meters, all the connecting works are sharply drawn in front of us and lined up in a logical chain.
Jackson Pollock "Number 5, 1948"
1948, fiberboard, oil. 240×120 cm
The strangeness of this picture is that the canvas of the American leader of abstract expressionism, which he painted by spilling paint on a piece of fiberboard laid out on the floor, is the most expensive painting in the world. In 2006, at Sotheby's auction they paid $140 million for it. David Giffen, a film producer and collector, sold it to Mexican financier David Martinez.
“I continue to move away from the usual tools of an artist, such as an easel, palette and brushes. I prefer sticks, scoops, knives and flowing paint or a mixture of paint with sand, broken glass or something else. When I'm inside a painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. Understanding comes later. I have no fear of changes or destruction of the image, since the picture lives its own own life. I'm just helping her out. But if I lose contact with the painting, it becomes dirty and messy. If not, then it’s pure harmony, the ease of how you take and give.”
Joan Miró "Man and Woman in Front of a Pile of Excrement"
1935, copper, oil, 23×32 cm
Joan Miró Foundation, Spain
Good name. And who would have thought that this picture tells us about the horrors of civil wars.
The painting was made on copper sheet during the week between October 15 and October 22, 1935. According to Miro, this is the result of an attempt to depict a tragedy Civil War in Spain. Miro said that this is a picture about a period of anxiety. The painting shows a man and a woman reaching out to embrace each other, but not moving. The enlarged genitals and sinister colors were described as "full of disgust and disgusting sexuality."
Jacek Yerka “Erosion”
The Polish neo-surrealist is known throughout the world for his amazing paintings, in which realities are united, creating new ones. It is difficult to consider his extremely detailed and, to some extent, touching works one at a time, but this is the format of our material, and we had to choose one to illustrate his imagination and skill. We recommend that you read it.
Bill Stoneham "Hands Resist Him"
This work, of course, cannot be counted among the masterpieces of world painting, but the fact that it is strange is a fact.
There are legends surrounding the painting with a boy, a doll and his hands pressed against the glass. From “people are dying because of this picture” to “the children in it are alive.” The picture looks really creepy, which gives rise to a lot of fears and speculation among people with weak psyches.
The artist assured that the picture depicts himself at the age of five, that the door is a representation of the dividing line between real world and the world of dreams, and the doll is a guide who can guide the boy through this world. The hands represent alternative lives or possibilities.
The painting gained notoriety in February 2000 when it was listed for sale on eBay with a backstory saying that the painting was “haunted.” “Hands Resist Him” was bought for $1,025 by Kim Smith, who was then simply inundated with letters from creepy stories and demands to burn the painting.
If we do not take the movement of realism seriously, then painting has always differed from other genres of art in its strangeness. Metaphorical figurative images, the search for new forms and original means of expression for artists - all this contributes to a gigantic separation of painting from reality. Writing is obvious for a worthwhile artist creative death like. The picture should have depth and subtext, a leapfrog of meanings. In some jobs there are more of them, in others there are less, but there are also those where their number is off the charts. These paintings are called strange, they true meaning known only to the author. Here are 10 of the strangest ones:
Jan van Eyck "Portrait of the Arnolfini Couple" - London National Gallery, London
1434, wood, oil. 81.8x59.7 cm
Portrait presumably of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife
is one of the most complex works of the Western school of painting
Northern Renaissance.
The famous painting is entirely filled with symbols,
allegories and various references - right down to the signature “Jan van Eyck
was here,” which turned it not just into a work of art, but into
historical document confirming an event that actually took place
which the artist was present.
In Russia in recent years, the painting has gained great popularity due to Arnolfini’s portrait resemblance to Vladimir Putin.
Edvard Munch "The Scream" - National Gallery, Oslo
1893, cardboard, oil, tempera, pastel. 91x73.5 cm
The Scream is considered a landmark event in Expressionism and one of the most famous paintings in the world.
"I was walking along a path with two friends - the sun was setting - unexpectedly
the sky turned blood red, I paused, feeling exhausted, and
leaned against the fence - I looked at the blood and flames over the bluish-black
fiord and the city - my friends moved on, and I stood, trembling from
excitement, feeling the endless scream piercing nature,” said Edward
Munch about the history of the painting.
There are two interpretations of what is depicted: it is the hero himself who is gripped by horror and
silently screams, pressing his hands to his ears; or the hero covers his ears from
sounding around the cry of peace and nature. Munch wrote 4 versions of The Scream, and
there is a version that this picture is the fruit of manic-depressive psychosis,
from which the artist suffered. After a course of treatment at the Munch Clinic, no
returned to work on the canvas.
Paul Gauguin "Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going? - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
1897-1898, oil on canvas. 139.1x374.6 cm
The deeply philosophical painting of the post-impressionist Paul Gauguin was
written by him in Tahiti, where he fled from Paris. Upon completion of work he
even wanted to commit suicide because “I believe that this
the canvas not only surpasses all my previous ones, and that I have never
I’ll create something better or even similar.”
According to Gauguin himself, the painting should be read from right to left - three
the main groups of figures illustrate the questions posed in the title. Three
a woman with a child represents the beginning of life; middle group
symbolizes the daily existence of maturity; in the final
group, according to the artist, “an old woman approaching death,
seems reconciled and given over to her thoughts,” at her feet
“the strange white bird...represents the futility of words.”
Pablo Picasso "Guernica" - Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid
1937, oil on canvas. 349x776 cm
A huge canvas-fresco “Guernica”, painted by Picasso in 1937,
talks about a Luftwaffe volunteer unit's raid on the city
Guernica, as a result of which the city of six thousand was completely
destroyed. The painting was painted literally in a month - the first days of work
Picasso worked on the painting for 10-12 hours and was already in the first sketches
you could see the main idea. This is one of the best illustrations of a nightmare
fascism, as well as human cruelty and grief.
"Guernica" presents scenes of death, violence, brutality, suffering and
helplessness, without indicating their immediate causes, but they are obvious.
It is said that in 1940, Pablo Picasso was summoned to the Gestapo in Paris.
The conversation immediately turned to the painting. “Did you do this?” - “No, you did it.”
Mikhail Vrubel “Seated Demon” - Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
1890, oil on canvas. 114x211 cm
The painting by Mikhail Vrubel surprises with the image of a demon. Sad
the long-haired guy does not at all resemble the universal human idea of
what an evil spirit should look like. The artist himself spoke about the most
famous for his painting:
“A demon is not so much an evil spirit as a suffering and sorrowful one, with
in all this there is a powerful, majestic spirit.” This is an image of the strength of the human spirit,
internal struggle, doubts. Tragically clasping his hands, the Demon sits with
sad, huge eyes directed into the distance, surrounded by flowers.
The composition emphasizes the constraint of the demon’s figure, as if squeezed
between the top and bottom crossbars of the frame.
Vasily Vereshchagin “Apotheosis of War” - State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
1871, oil on canvas. 127x197 cm
Vereshchagin is one of the main Russian battle painters, but he
he painted wars and battles not because he loved them. On the contrary, he tried
convey to people your negative attitude towards the war. One day Vereshchagin
in the heat of emotion he exclaimed: “I won’t paint any more battle paintings - that’s it!”
I take what I write too to heart, I cry (literally)
grief of every wounded and killed.” Probably the result of this exclamation
became a terrible and bewitching picture “The Apotheosis of War”, in which
depicts a field, crows and a mountain of human skulls.
The picture is written so deeply and emotionally that behind each skull,
lying in this heap, you begin to see people, their destinies and the destinies of those who
will never see these people again. Vereshchagin himself with sad sarcasm
called the canvas a “still life” - it depicts “dead nature.”
All the details of the picture, including the yellow color, symbolize death and
devastation. The clear blue sky emphasizes the deadness of the picture. idea
The “apotheosis of war” is also expressed by scars from sabers and bullet holes on
turtles.
Grant Wood "American Gothic" - Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
1930, oil. 74x62 cm
"American Gothic" is one of the most recognizable images in
American art of the 20th century, the most famous artistic meme of the 20th and 21st
centuries.
The picture with the gloomy father and daughter is filled with details that
indicate the severity, puritanism and retrograde nature of the people depicted.
Angry faces, pitchforks right in the middle of the picture, even old-fashioned
clothes by 1930 standards, exposed elbow, seams on farmer's clothes,
repeating the shape of a pitchfork, and therefore a threat that is addressed to everyone who
will encroach. You can look at all these details endlessly and cringe from
discomfort.
Interestingly, the judges of the competition at the Art Institute of Chicago
perceived “Gothic” as a “humorous valentine”, and residents of the state
The Iowans were terribly offended by Wood for portraying them in such
unpleasant light.
Rene Magritte "Lovers" -
1928, oil on canvas
The painting “Lovers” (“Lovers”) exists in two versions. On
in one, a man and a woman, whose heads are wrapped in a white cloth, are kissing, and in
the other - “look” at the viewer. The picture surprises and fascinates. Two
With figures without faces, Magritte conveyed the idea of the blindness of love. About blindness in everyone
meanings: lovers do not see anyone, we do not see their true faces, but
Moreover, lovers are a mystery even to each other. But at this
apparent clarity, we still continue to look at Magritte’s
lovers and think about them.
Almost all of Magritte's paintings are puzzles that are completely
it is impossible to solve, since they raise questions about the very essence of existence.
Magritte always talks about the deceitfulness of the visible, about its hidden
a mystery that we usually don't notice.
Marc Chagall "Walk" - State Tretyakov Gallery
1917, oil on canvas
Usually extremely serious in his painting, Marc Chagall wrote
a delightful manifesto of one's own happiness, filled with allegories and
love. “Walk” is a self-portrait with his wife Bella. His favorite
soars in the sky and looks like it will drag Chagall, standing on the ground, into flight
unsteadily, as if touching her only with the toes of her shoes. In Chagall's other hand
tit - he is happy, he also has a tit in his hands (probably his
painting), and pie in the sky.
Hieronymus Bosch "The Garden of Earthly Delights" - Prado, Spain
1500-1510, wood, oil. 389x220 cm
“The Garden of Earthly Delights” is the most famous triptych of Hieronymus Bosch,
got its name from the theme of the central part, dedicated to sin
voluptuousness. To date, none of the available interpretations
the painting is not recognized as the only true one.
The enduring charm and at the same time strangeness of the triptych
is how the artist expresses the main idea through a variety of
details. The picture is overflowing with transparent figures, fantastic
structures, monsters, hallucinations that have become flesh, hellish
caricatures of reality, which he looks at as an examiner, extremely
with a sharp look. Some scientists wanted to see an image in the triptych
human life through the prism of its vanity and images of earthly love, others -
triumph of voluptuousness. However, simplicity and some detachment, with
which individual figures are interpreted, as well as a favorable attitude towards
This work on the part of the church authorities is cast into doubt,
that its content could be the glorification of bodily pleasures.
