Famous Russian paintings and their authors. What main genres of painting do you know? "Sistine Madonna", Raphael Santi

On December 3, 1961, a significant event took place at the New York Museum of Modern Art - Matisse’s painting “The Boat,” which had been hanging upside down for 46 days, was properly rehung. It is worth saying that this is not an isolated funny incident associated with paintings by great artists.

Pablo Picasso painted one of his famous portraits in less than 5 minutes

Ehrenburg expressed surprise at the speed of execution of the work, because not even 5 minutes had passed, to which Picasso replied: “I’ve known you for 40 years. And all these 40 years I’ve been learning to paint portraits in 5 minutes.”.

Ilya Repin helped sell a painting he didn't paint

The bears in Shishkin’s famous painting were painted by another artist

A piece of fiberboard, over which paint was simply poured, became one of the most expensive paintings

Rubens encrypted the date of creation of his painting using the stars.

The Chupa Chups logo was drawn by the world famous surrealist

It should be noted that in 1967 in Italy, with the blessing of the Pope, it was released with illustrations by Salvador Dali.

The most expensive painting Flour brings misfortune

One of the Munch Museum employees once accidentally dropped a painting, after which he began to suffer from terrible headaches, which led this man to suicide. Another museum employee, who was unable to hold onto the painting, was involved in a terrible car accident just a few minutes later. And a museum visitor who allowed himself to touch the painting, after some time, burned alive in a fire. However, it is possible that these are just coincidences.

Malevich's "Black Square" has an "older brother"

Christ and Judas in Da Vinci's painting have the same face

Once on the street the artist saw a drunkard who was unsuccessfully trying to get out of a cesspool. Da Vinci took him to one of the drinking establishments, sat him down and began to draw. Imagine the artist’s surprise when, having opened up his thoughts, the drunkard admitted that he had already posed for him several years ago. It turned out that this was the same singer.

Geniuses, innovators, brawlers, pioneers who had an incredible impact on world culture. The greatest Russian artists - who are they?

Top 7 Russian artists

Among the most outstanding and influential Russian artists:

1. Kazimir Malevich(1879-1935) – author of the most controversial work in the entire history of world painting, “Black Square”. However, Malevich’s legacy is great and includes, in particular, not only the “Black”, but also the “Red” and “White” squares. The most scandalous and most expensive of Russian artists. His masterpiece “Suprematist Composition” was sold at Sotheby’s for $60 million.

2. Ivan Aivazovsky(1817-1900) – the greatest Russian marine painter, author of the immortal “The Ninth Wave”. The most prolific artist - he painted more than 6 thousand paintings. Due to his enormous heritage, he is also one of the most counterfeited artists in the world. Widely known in the West, his works are regularly sold at auctions, including Sotheby's.

3. Viktor Vasnetsov(1848-1936) - perhaps the most Russian of all Russian artists. Known for his works glorifying folklore, fairy tales, and epics. Not only the author of “Three Heroes”, but also one of the developers of the Soviet budenovka.

4. Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin(1878-1939) - the most revolutionary artist. The painting “Bathing the Red Horse” prophetically predicted terrible upheavals in Russia. Although he was often criticized for his eroticism (he boldly depicted not only naked women, but also men), in general he can be considered the forerunner of socialist realism. At foreign auctions huge success It is not so much his revolutionary works that are used as his still lifes.

5. Vasily Vereshchagin(1842–1904) – battle painter, famous for his documentary depictions of the horrors of war. The most famous work is “The Apotheosis of War,” depicting a pile of skulls bleached by the scorching sun. He was persecuted for decades by the tsarist government for his pacifist position. At the same time, he enjoyed incredible popularity both in Russia and in the West. His exhibition in St. Petersburg in 1880 was visited by 240 thousand people (in 40 days), in Berlin - 140 thousand people (in 65 days), in Vienna - 110 thousand (in 28 days). Many modern pop stars have never dreamed of such fame.

6. Vladimir Tatlin(1885–1953) – founder of constructivism, artist, architect, graphic artist. His artistic work, similar in style to Picasso's early creations, is exhibited in the Pompidou Museum in Paris and in the Oxford Library. His masterpiece “Tatlin's Tower” is one of the most recognizable and replicated symbols of avant-gardeism in the world. He enjoyed enormous success in the West (“Tatlin’s machine art”) and inspired a whole generation of Dada artists, including the master of surrealism, the Frenchman Marcel Duchamp.

7. Ilya Glazunov(born 1930) is the most monumental Russian artist. The most famous is his canvas “Eternal Russia” (size - 3x6 m) - a picturesque chronicle of Russian history for the years 988-1988, dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus'. In total, he created more than 3 thousand works (portraits, landscapes, historical and political paintings). Glazunov's reputation is indisputable - some consider him a genius, others - an opportunist. One thing is clear - this is a figure of titanic scale, like his canvases.

I would like to believe that in the future, artists will also appear in Russia who are capable of changing humanity’s ideas about beauty.

These pictures are imprinted in the consciousness of every Russian person. They are known to each of us since childhood. They are an integral part of Russian culture. And at least for this reason they deserve us to know a little more about them.

Let's go through the list of the most outstanding paintings by Russian artists. And most importantly, let’s figure out why they are so admired.

And in order not to get bored, we will dilute important knowledge interesting facts. Let's find out how Alexander Ivanov wanted to outdo Karl Bryullov. And Ilya Repin destroyed his “Barge Haulers” because of criticism from Ivan Shishkin.

1. “The Last Day of Pompeii” by Bryullov (1833)

Without exaggeration, we know about the tragedy of Pompeii primarily thanks to Karl Bryullov (1799-1852). Once upon a time he made a splash in both Italy and Russia with his masterpiece. And all because he found an amazing balance between truth and fiction.

Bryullov depicted a real street. And even some of the heroes are real people. Bryullov saw their remains during excavations.

But the artist showed this disaster as incredibly... beautiful. Which, of course, she was not in reality.

It turns out that the viewer sympathizes with these people. But he is not horrified by the terrible details. Bryullov's unfortunates are divinely beautiful even a moment before death.

No one could surpass “The Last Day of Pompeii” in popularity among its contemporaries. The artist was carried in his arms: after all, he divided the history of Russian painting into “before and after.” Since then, since 1833, the whole world has been talking about Russian art.

2. “The Ninth Wave” by Aivazovsky (1850)

Karl Bryullov said that he felt salt on his lips when he looked at “The Ninth Wave” by Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900). Realistic is not the right word. But it's not that simple.

Wave aprons are NOT found in the open sea. Wave bends form only near the shore. Therefore, surfers have nothing to do on the open sea.

Ivan Aivazovsky used this trick to make the riot of nature... more spectacular. After all, like Bryullov, he was a romantic and sang the greatness of the elements.

The Ninth Wave had every chance of becoming a masterpiece. Aivazovsky was the only Russian marine painter at that time. At the same time, he worked incredibly skillfully. Moreover, he showed the heartbreaking tragedy of the sailors.

3. “The Appearance of Christ to the People” by Ivanov (1857)

Alexander Ivanov (1806-1858) really wanted to eclipse Bryullov with his Pompeii. I took a canvas 2 times larger. And he worked 4 times longer (20 years versus Bryullov’s five).

But something went wrong. No one carried Ivanov in their arms (although he hoped so). The triumph did not take place.

The public did not appreciate the row of 35 characters in multi-colored tunics. In addition, the picture is difficult to “read”: after all, each of these characters has their own reaction to the first appearance of Christ! Someone is happy. Some doubt that this is the “Lamb of God.” And someone is angry because a new competitor has emerged.

Yes, in the film there is no spectacular riot of the elements, like Bryullov and Aivazovsky. And there is no reason to sympathize with the tragic fate of the main characters.

But the public was accustomed to special effects: so they were not impressed. Well, nowadays Hollywood blockbusters are also more popular than auteur films.

But in fact, Ivanov single-handedly carried out a revolution in Russian painting. The transition from theatrical and pompous stories to experiences ordinary people.

And Russian realists (Repin, Kramskoy, Savrasov and others) became what we know them only thanks to Ivanov’s pictorial exploits.

4. “The Rooks Have Arrived” by Savrasov (1871)

Alexey Savrasov (1830-1897), like Alexander Ivanov, made a revolution. But more highly specialized. In the landscape area.

It was with the work “The Rooks Have Arrived” that the era of the mood landscape began.

The picture has one paradox.

On the one hand, the landscape... is boring and monochrome. What else can you expect from the end of March, especially in the poorly maintained Russian outback? Here slush, gray color and dilapidation are guaranteed.

But somehow magically it all seems sweet and sincere to us. The secret is in the subtle direction of the viewer towards pleasant emotions.

After all, the artist chose a very interesting moment: it’s still cold, but the warmth is about to come. We like this feeling of imminent change for the better.

Hence the pleasant sensations, seemingly for no reason. It's just barely noticeable.

Since Savrasov created his “Rooks” in 1871, almost all Russian landscapes have been just like that - poetic and sentimental.

5. “Barge Haulers on the Volga” by Repin (1870-1873)

“Barge Haulers on the Volga” is the main masterpiece of Ilya Repin (1844-1930). Although the artist created it when he was not even 30 years old.

The picture became especially popular in Soviet time. Such a plot very much suited the ideology of the oppressed. So we saw it in textbooks and on matchboxes.

Do you remember what I told you above about Alexander Ivanov’s revolution? He was the first in Russian painting to place ordinary people in a row and endow them with different emotions.

So Repin learned all the lessons of Ivanov. But he brought realism to the absolute.

Real barge haulers posed for the artist. We know their names and fates (that is, these people were lucky: they went down in history).

Their appearance incredibly believable. This is exactly what clothes become from wearing and walking through the coastal windfall for many years.

In this regard, Ivanov was still a classicist: the chitons of his heroes are too clean, like in a store window.

But it is not only the ragged appearance of the poor that makes us sympathize with them.

The artist also painted a steamboat in the distance. They say that engines have already been invented, and everyone is mocking people. Yes, Russian artists loved to add this “Oh, how bad.”

6. “Girl with Peaches” by Serov (1887)

Valentin Serov (1865-1911) was even younger than Repin when he created Girl with Peaches, his main masterpiece. He was 22 years old!

Apparently this is a peculiarity of Russian artists - they present their main creations according to their youth: Bryullov, Repin. And Serov goes there too.

But seriously, what is striking about this work is something completely different. It is written in the style of . And this was when in Russia they knew almost nothing about this direction of painting!

But Serov intuitively painted a picture with colored shadows, multi-colored reflections (colored spots-reflections of some objects on others), visible strokes.

7. “Morning in a Pine Forest” by Shishkin (1889)

Ivan Shishkin (1832-1898) could afford to criticize other artists. So Ilya Repin got it from him. He cursed the incorrectly drawn trees in the painting “Barge Haulers on the Volga.”

Almost every significant work of art contains a mystery, a “double bottom” or secret history, which I want to reveal.

Music on the buttocks

Hieronymus Bosch, "The Garden of Earthly Delights", 1500-1510.

Fragment of part of a triptych

Disputes about the meanings and hidden meanings of the most famous work of the Dutch artist have not subsided since its appearance. The right wing of the triptych entitled “Musical Hell” depicts sinners who are tortured in the underworld with the help of musical instruments. One of them has music notes stamped on his buttocks. Oklahoma Christian University student Amelia Hamrick, who studied the painting, translated the 16th-century notation into a modern twist and recorded “a 500-year-old butt song from hell.”

Nude Mona Lisa

The famous "La Gioconda" exists in two versions: the nude version is called "Monna Vanna", it was painted by the little-known artist Salai, who was a student and sitter of the great Leonardo da Vinci. Many art historians are sure that it was he who was the model for Leonardo’s paintings “John the Baptist” and “Bacchus”. There are also versions that Salai, dressed in a woman’s dress, served as the image of the Mona Lisa herself.

Old Fisherman

In 1902, the Hungarian artist Tivadar Kostka Csontvary painted the painting “The Old Fisherman”. It would seem that there is nothing unusual in the picture, but Tivadar put into it a subtext that was never revealed during the artist’s lifetime.

Few people thought of placing a mirror in the middle of the picture. In every person there can be both God (duplicated the right shoulder of the Old Man) and the Devil (duplicated left shoulder old man).

Was there a whale?

Hendrik van Antonissen, Shore Scene.

It would seem like an ordinary landscape. Boats, people on the shore and a deserted sea. And only an X-ray study showed that people gathered on the shore for a reason - in the original they were looking at the carcass of a whale washed ashore.

However, the artist decided that no one would want to look at a dead whale, and rewrote the painting.

Two "Breakfasts on the Grass"

Edouard Manet, "Luncheon on the Grass", 1863.

Claude Monet, "Luncheon on the Grass", 1865.

The artists Edouard Manet and Claude Monet are sometimes confused - after all, they were both French, lived at the same time and worked in the style of impressionism. Monet even borrowed the title of one of Manet’s most famous paintings, “Luncheon on the Grass,” and wrote his own “Luncheon on the Grass.”

Doubles at the Last Supper

Leonardo da Vinci, "The Last Supper", 1495-1498.

When Leonardo da Vinci wrote " last supper", he attached special meaning two figures: Christ and Judas. He spent a very long time looking for models for them. Finally, he managed to find a model for the image of Christ among the young singers. Leonardo was unable to find a model for Judas for three years. But one day he came across a drunkard on the street who was lying in a gutter. He was a young man who had been aged by heavy drinking. Leonardo invited him to a tavern, where he immediately began to paint Judas from him. When the drunkard came to his senses, he told the artist that he had already posed for him once. It was several years ago, when he sang in the church choir, Leonardo painted Christ from him.

"Night Watch" or "Day Watch"?

Rembrandt, "Night Watch", 1642.

One of Rembrandt’s most famous paintings, “The Performance of the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg,” hung in different rooms for about two hundred years and was discovered by art historians only in the 19th century. Since the figures seemed to appear against a dark background, it was called “Night Watch,” and under this name it entered the treasury of world art.

And only during the restoration carried out in 1947, it was discovered that in the hall the painting had managed to become covered with a layer of soot, which distorted its color. After clearing the original painting, it was finally revealed that the scene represented by Rembrandt actually takes place during the day. The position of the shadow from Captain Kok's left hand shows that the duration of action is no more than 14 hours.

Overturned boat

Henri Matisse, "The Boat", 1937.

Henri Matisse's painting "The Boat" was exhibited at the New York Museum of Modern Art in 1961. Only after 47 days did someone notice that the painting was hanging upside down. The canvas depicts 10 purple lines and two blue sails on a white background. The artist painted two sails for a reason; the second sail is a reflection of the first on the surface of the water.
In order not to make a mistake in how the picture should hang, you need to pay attention to the details. The larger sail should be the top of the painting, and the peak of the painting's sail should be toward the top right corner.

Deception in self-portrait

Vincent van Gogh, "Self-Portrait with a Pipe", 1889.

There are legends that Van Gogh allegedly cut off his own ear. Now the most reliable version is that van Gogh damaged his ear in a small brawl involving another artist, Paul Gauguin.

The self-portrait is interesting because it reflects reality in a distorted form: the artist is depicted with his right ear bandaged because he used a mirror when working. In fact, it was the left ear that was affected.

Alien bears

Ivan Shishkin, "Morning in the Pine Forest", 1889.

The famous painting belongs not only to Shishkin. Many artists who were friends with each other often resorted to “the help of a friend,” and Ivan Ivanovich, who painted landscapes all his life, was afraid that his touching bears would not turn out the way he wanted. Therefore, Shishkin turned to his friend, the animal artist Konstantin Savitsky.

Savitsky painted perhaps the best bears in the history of Russian painting, and Tretyakov ordered his name to be washed off the canvas, since everything in the picture “from the concept to the execution, everything speaks of the manner of painting, of the creative method peculiar to Shishkin.”

The innocent story of "Gothic"

Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930.

Grant Wood's work is considered one of the most strange and depressing in the history of American painting. The picture with the gloomy father and daughter is filled with details that indicate the severity, puritanism and retrograde nature of the people depicted.
In fact, the artist did not intend to depict any horrors: during a trip to Iowa, he noticed a small house in the Gothic style and decided to depict those people who, in his opinion, would be ideal as inhabitants. Grant's sister and his dentist are immortalized as the characters Iowans were so offended by.

Salvador Dali's Revenge

The painting "Figure at a Window" was painted in 1925, when Dali was 21 years old. At that time, Gala had not yet entered the artist’s life, and his muse was his sister Ana Maria. The relationship between brother and sister deteriorated when he wrote in one of the paintings “sometimes I spit on the portrait of my own mother, and this gives me pleasure.” Ana Maria could not forgive such shocking behavior.

In her 1949 book, Salvador Dali Through the Eyes of a Sister, she writes about her brother without any praise. The book infuriated Salvador. For another ten years after that, he angrily remembered her at every opportunity. And so, in 1954, the painting “A Young Virgin Indulging in the Sin of Sodomy with the Help of the Horns of Her Own Chastity” appeared. The woman’s pose, her curls, the landscape outside the window and the color scheme of the painting clearly echo “Figure at the Window.” There is a version that Dali took revenge on his sister for her book.

Two-faced Danae

Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn, "Danae", 1636 - 1647.

Many secrets of one of Rembrandt's most famous paintings were revealed only in the 60s of the twentieth century, when the canvas was illuminated with X-rays. For example, the shooting showed that in an early version the face of the princess, who entered into a love affair with Zeus, was similar to the face of Saskia, the painter’s wife, who died in 1642. In the final version of the painting, it began to resemble the face of Gertje Dirks, Rembrandt’s mistress, with whom the artist lived after the death of his wife.

Van Gogh's yellow bedroom

Vincent Van Gogh, "Bedroom in Arles", 1888 - 1889.

In May 1888, Van Gogh acquired a small studio in Arles, in the south of France, where he fled from Parisian artists and critics who did not understand him. In one of the four rooms, Vincent sets up a bedroom. In October, everything is ready, and he decides to paint “Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles.” For the artist, the color and comfort of the room were very important: everything had to evoke thoughts of relaxation. At the same time, the picture is designed in alarming yellow tones.

Researchers of Van Gogh's work explain this by the fact that the artist took foxglove, a remedy for epilepsy, which causes serious changes in the patient's perception of color: the entire surrounding reality is painted in green and yellow tones.

Toothless perfection

Leonardo da Vinci, "Portrait of Lady Lisa del Giocondo", 1503 - 1519.

The generally accepted opinion is that the Mona Lisa is perfection and her smile is beautiful in its mystery. However, American art critic (and part-time dentist) Joseph Borkowski believes that, judging by her facial expression, the heroine has lost many teeth. While studying enlarged photographs of the masterpiece, Borkowski also discovered scars around her mouth. “She “smiles” like that precisely because of what happened to her,” the expert believes. “Her facial expression is typical of people who have lost their front teeth.”

Major on face control

Pavel Fedotov, "Major's Matchmaking", 1848.

The public, who first saw the painting “Major's Matchmaking,” laughed heartily: the artist Fedotov filled it with ironic details that were understandable to the audience of that time. For example, the major is clearly not familiar with the rules of noble etiquette: he showed up without the required bouquets for the bride and her mother. And her merchant parents dressed the bride herself in an evening ball gown, although it was daytime (all the lamps in the room were extinguished). The girl obviously tried on a low-cut dress for the first time, is embarrassed and tries to run away to her room.

Why is Liberty naked?

Ferdinand Victor Eugene Delacroix, "Freedom on the Barricades", 1830.

According to art critic Etienne Julie, Delacroix based the woman's face on the famous Parisian revolutionary - the laundress Anne-Charlotte, who went to the barricades after the death of her brother at the hands of royal soldiers and killed nine guardsmen. The artist depicted her with her breasts bare. According to his plan, this is a symbol of fearlessness and selflessness, as well as the triumph of democracy: the naked breast shows that Liberty, as a commoner, does not wear a corset.

Non-square square

Kazimir Malevich, "Black Suprematist Square", 1915.

In fact, “Black Square” is not black at all and not square at all: none of the sides of the quadrangle are parallel to any of its other sides, and to none of the sides of the square frame that frames the picture. And the dark color is the result of mixing various colors, among which there was no black. It is believed that this was not the author’s negligence, but a principled position, the desire to create a dynamic, moving form.

Specialists from the Tretyakov Gallery discovered the author's inscription on the famous painting by Malevich. The inscription reads: “The battle of the blacks in the dark cave.” This phrase refers to the title of the humorous painting by the French journalist, writer and artist Alphonse Allais, “The Battle of Negroes in a Dark Cave in the Dead of Night,” which was a completely black rectangle.

Melodrama of the Austrian Mona Lisa

Gustav Klimt, "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer", 1907.

One of Klimt's most significant paintings depicts the wife of the Austrian sugar magnate Ferdinad Bloch-Bauer. All of Vienna was discussing the stormy romance between Adele and the famous artist. The wounded husband wanted to take revenge on his lovers, but chose a very unusual method: he decided to order Klimt a portrait of Adele and force him to make hundreds of sketches until the artist began to vomit from her.

Bloch-Bauer wanted the work to last several years, so that the sitter could see how Klimt's feelings were fading. He made a generous offer to the artist, which he could not refuse, and everything turned out according to the scenario of the deceived husband: the work was completed in 4 years, the lovers had long since cooled off to each other. Adele Bloch-Bauer never knew that her husband was aware of her relationship with Klimt.

The painting that brought Gauguin back to life

Paul Gauguin, "Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?", 1897-1898.

Gauguin's most famous painting has one peculiarity: it is “read” not from left to right, but from right to left, like the Kabbalistic texts in which the artist was interested. It is in this order that the allegory of human spiritual and physical life unfolds: from the birth of the soul (a sleeping child in the lower right corner) to the inevitability of the hour of death (a bird with a lizard in its claws in the lower left corner).

The painting was painted by Gauguin in Tahiti, where the artist escaped from civilization several times. But this time life on the island did not work out: total poverty led him to depression. Having finished the canvas, which was to become his spiritual testament, Gauguin took a box of arsenic and went to the mountains to die. However, he did not calculate the dose, and the suicide failed. The next morning, he swayed to his hut and fell asleep, and when he woke up, he felt a forgotten thirst for life. And in 1898, his business began to improve, and a brighter period began in his work.

112 proverbs in one picture

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, "Dutch Proverbs", 1559

Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicted a land inhabited by literal images of Dutch proverbs of those days. The painting contains approximately 112 recognizable idioms. Some of them are still used today, for example, such as: “swim against the current”, “banging your head against the wall”, “armed to the teeth” and “big fish eat little fish”.

Other proverbs reflect human stupidity.

Subjectivity of art

Paul Gauguin, "Breton Village in the Snow", 1894

Gauguin's painting "Breton Village in the Snow" was sold after the author's death for only seven francs and, moreover, under the name "Niagara Falls." The man holding the auction accidentally hung the painting upside down because he saw a waterfall in it.

Hidden picture

Pablo Picasso, "Blue Room", 1901

In 2008, infrared radiation revealed that hidden beneath the Blue Room was another image - a portrait of a man dressed in a suit with a bow tie and resting his head on his hand. “As soon as Picasso had a new idea, he took up his brush and brought it to life. But he didn’t have the opportunity to buy a new canvas every time a muse visited him,” explains possible reason this art critic Patricia Favero.

Unavailable Moroccans

Zinaida Serebryakova, “Naked”, 1928

One day Zinaida Serebryakova received a tempting offer - to go on a creative journey to depict the nude figures of oriental maidens. But it turned out that it was simply impossible to find models in those places. Zinaida's translator came to the rescue - he brought his sisters and fiancee to her. No one before or after has been able to capture naked oriental women who are closed.

Spontaneous insight

Valentin Serov, “Portrait of Nicholas II in a jacket,” 1900

For a long time, Serov could not paint a portrait of the Tsar. When the artist completely gave up, he apologized to Nikolai. Nikolai was a little upset, sat down at the table, stretching out his arms in front of him... And then it dawned on the artist - here is the image! A simple military man in an officer's jacket with clear and sad eyes. This portrait is considered the best depiction of the last emperor.

Another deuce

© Fedor Reshetnikov

The famous painting “Deuce Again” is only the second part of an artistic trilogy.

The first part is “Arrived on vacation.” Obviously a wealthy family, winter holidays, a joyful excellent student.

The second part is “A deuce again.” A poor family from the working-class outskirts, the height of the school year, a dejected idiot who again got a bad grade. In the upper left corner you can see the painting “Arrived for Vacation”.

The third part is “Re-examination”. A rural house, summer, everyone is walking, one malicious ignoramus, who failed the annual exam, is forced to sit within four walls and cram. In the upper left corner you can see the painting “Deuce Again.”

How masterpieces are born

Joseph Turner, Rain, Steam and Speed, 1844

In 1842, Mrs. Simon traveled by train in England. Suddenly a heavy downpour began. The elderly gentleman sitting opposite her stood up, opened the window, stuck his head out and stared for about ten minutes. Unable to contain her curiosity, the woman also opened the window and began to look ahead. A year later, she discovered the painting “Rain, Steam and Speed” at an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts and was able to recognize in it the same episode on the train.

Anatomy lesson from Michelangelo

Michelangelo, "The Creation of Adam", 1511

A pair of American neuroanatomy experts believe that Michelangelo actually left some anatomical illustrations in one of his most famous works. They believe that the right side of the painting depicts a huge brain. Surprisingly, you can even find complex components such as the cerebellum, optic nerves and pituitary gland. And the eye-catching green ribbon perfectly matches the location of the vertebral artery.

"The Last Supper" by Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh, Café Terrace at Night, 1888

Researcher Jared Baxter believes that Van Gogh’s painting “Cafe Terrace at Night” contains an encrypted dedication to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper.” In the center of the picture stands a waiter with long hair and in a white tunic reminiscent of the clothes of Christ, and around him there are exactly 12 cafe visitors. Baxter also draws attention to the cross located directly behind the waiter in white.

Dali's image of memory

Salvador Dali, "The Persistence of Memory", 1931

It is no secret that the thoughts that visited Dali during the creation of his masterpieces were always in the form of very realistic images, which the artist then transferred to canvas. Thus, according to the author himself, the painting “The Persistence of Memory” was painted as a result of associations that arose from the sight of processed cheese.

What is Munch screaming about?

Edvard Munch, "The Scream", 1893.

Munch spoke about the idea of ​​one of the most mysterious paintings in world painting: “I was walking along 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 blood and flames over the bluish-black fjord and the city - my friends moved on, and I stood trembling with excitement, feeling the endless scream piercing nature." But what kind of sunset could frighten the artist so much?

There is a version that the idea of ​​​​"The Scream" was born to Munch in 1883, when several powerful eruptions of the Krakatoa volcano occurred - so powerful that they changed the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere by one degree. Copious amounts of dust and ash spread across the globe, even reaching Norway. For several evenings in a row, the sunsets looked as if the apocalypse was about to come - one of them became a source of inspiration for the artist.

A writer among the people

Alexander Ivanov, "The Appearance of Christ to the People", 1837-1857.

Dozens of sitters posed for Alexander Ivanov for his main painting. One of them is known no less than the artist himself. In the background, among travelers and Roman horsemen who have not yet heard the sermon of John the Baptist, you can see a character in a robe tunic. Ivanov wrote it from Nikolai Gogol. The writer communicated closely with the artist in Italy, in particular on religious issues, and gave him advice during the painting process. Gogol believed that Ivanov “has long since died for the whole world, except for his work.”

Michelangelo's Gout

Raphael Santi, "The School of Athens", 1511.

Creating the famous fresco "The School of Athens", Raphael immortalized his friends and acquaintances in the images of ancient Greek philosophers. One of them was Michelangelo Buonarotti “in the role” of Heraclitus. For several centuries, the fresco kept the secrets of Michelangelo's personal life, and modern researchers have suggested that the artist's strangely angular knee indicates that he had a joint disease.

This is quite likely, given the peculiarities of the lifestyle and working conditions of Renaissance artists and Michelangelo’s chronic workaholism.

Mirror of the Arnolfini couple

Jan van Eyck, "Portrait of the Arnolfini couple", 1434

In the mirror behind the Arnolfini couple you can see the reflection of two more people in the room. Most likely, these are witnesses present at the conclusion of the contract. One of them is van Eyck, as evidenced by the Latin inscription placed, contrary to tradition, above the mirror in the center of the composition: “Jan van Eyck was here.” This is how contracts were usually sealed.

How a disadvantage turned into a talent

Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn, Self-Portrait at the Age of 63, 1669.

Researcher Margaret Livingston studied all of Rembrandt's self-portraits and discovered that the artist suffered from strabismus: in the images his eyes look in different directions, which is not observed in the portraits of other people by the master. The illness resulted in the artist being able to perceive reality in two dimensions better than people with normal vision. This phenomenon is called "stereo blindness" - the inability to see the world in 3D. But since the painter has to work with a two-dimensional image, this very flaw of Rembrandt could be one of the explanations for his phenomenal talent.

Sinless Venus

Sandro Botticelli, "Birth of Venus", 1482-1486.

Before the appearance of The Birth of Venus, the image of a naked female body in painting symbolized only the idea of ​​original sin. Sandro Botticelli was the first of the European painters to find nothing sinful in him. Moreover, art historians are sure that the pagan goddess of love symbolizes a Christian image in the fresco: her appearance is an allegory of the rebirth of a soul that has undergone the rite of baptism.

Lute player or lute player?

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, "The Lute Player", 1596.

For a long time the painting was exhibited in the Hermitage under the title “The Lute Player”. Only at the beginning of the 20th century did art historians agree that the painting depicts a young man (probably Caravaggio’s acquaintance, the artist Mario Minniti, posed for him): on the notes in front of the musician one can see a recording of the bass line of Jacob Arkadelt’s madrigal “You know that I love you” . A woman could hardly make such a choice - it’s just hard on the throat. In addition, the lute, like the violin at the very edge of the picture, was considered a male instrument in Caravaggio’s era.

There are works of art that seem to hit the viewer over the head, stunning and amazing. Others draw you into thought and a search for layers of meaning and secret symbolism. Some paintings are shrouded in secrets and mystical mysteries, while others surprise with exorbitant prices.

We carefully reviewed all the major achievements in world painting and selected two dozen of the strangest paintings from them. Salvador Dali, whose works completely fall within the format of this material and are the first to come to mind, were not included in this collection on purpose.

It is clear that “strangeness” is a rather subjective concept and everyone has their own amazing paintings that stand out from other works of art. We will be glad if you share them in the comments and tell us a little about them.

"Scream"

Edvard Munch. 1893, cardboard, oil, tempera, pastel.
National Gallery, Oslo.

The Scream is considered a landmark expressionist event and one of the most famous paintings in the world.

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 four 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.

“I was walking along the path with two friends. The sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood red, I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned against the fence - I looked at the blood and flames over the bluish-black fjord and city. My friends moved on, and I stood, trembling with excitement, feeling an endless scream piercing nature,” Edvard Munch said about the history of the creation of the painting.

“Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?"

Paul Gauguin. 1897-1898, oil on canvas.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

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.”

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: “I believe that this painting is superior to all my previous ones and that I will never create something better or even similar.” He lived another five years, and so it happened.

"Guernica"

Pablo Picasso. 1937, oil on canvas.
Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid.

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.”

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 the main idea. This is one of the best illustrations of the nightmare of fascism, as well as human cruelty and grief.

"Portrait of the Arnolfini couple"

Jan van Eyck. 1434, wood, oil.
London National Gallery, London.

The famous painting is completely filled with symbols, allegories and various references - right down to the signature “Jan van Eyck was here”, which turned the painting not just into a work of art, but into a historical document confirming the reality of the event at which the artist was present.

The portrait, supposedly of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, is one of the most complex works of the Western school of Northern Renaissance painting.

In Russia, over the past few years, the painting has gained great popularity due to Arnolfini’s portrait resemblance to Vladimir Putin.

"Demon Seated"

Mikhail Vrubel. 1890, oil on canvas.
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

"The hands resist him"

Bill Stoneham. 1972.

This work, of course, cannot be ranked 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 insisted that the painting depicted himself at the age of five, that the door represented the dividing line between the real world and the world of dreams, and the doll was a guide who could guide the boy through this world. The hands represent alternative lives or possibilities.

The painting gained notoriety in February 2000 when it was put up 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 with creepy stories and demands to burn the painting.