8 hidden details in famous paintings that not every art critic knows about

Many masterpieces of art hide mysterious stories. No matter how carefully researchers study pictures, there are always other important details that can change the meaning of the whole picture.

We at Pictolic have acquired a magnifying glass and several art encyclopedias to take a different look at the paintings of famous artists.

8 PHOTOS

1. Love triangle of the 17th century.

The classic 17th-century portrait hides an interesting love story - this is the conclusion Cambridge scientists made after they analyzed the portrait of Isabella Brant by Anthony Van Dyck. The artist decided to paint a portrait of his mentor's wife as a gift, but other researchers believe that Rubens, who was the mentor, never received the painting because Van Dyck kept it. The enigmatic figure in the background is a hint that Isabella Brunt and Anthony Van Dyck were having an affair. So this detail shows that she probably had a lover. In addition, Isabella's position to the left of the viewer is contrary to tradition, because it was the position of the husband, not the wife. Van Dijk could have tried to symbolically destroy Rubens' marriage.

2. Monkey as a symbol of personality.

Frida Kahlo often drew little monkeys next to her. And there was a reason: the artist tried to emphasize her strength and her passion for Mexican history and culture. The fact is that in the Aztec culture, monkeys were a symbol of fertility, known for their audacity and love for dance and art.

3. Ghosts in Modigliani's paintings.

The portrait of the enigmatic Antonia, created by Amedeo Modigliani, attracts our attention not only because it is so dark. The researchers found that there are images of human faces hidden in unexpected places. At least 4 "ghosts" can be counted in infrared light. Most likely, Modigliani used the canvas several times.

4. "Identical" soup cans.

Campbell's Soup Cans is one of Andy Warhol's most famous works, where the idea of repeating the same image over and over again. His paintings mimic the uniforms and repetitive shapes of the most famous commercials. While the cans appear to be identical, the artist has added some differences. If you take a closer look, you will see that the design of the labels may differ from one jar to another. So his individual style has been preserved in paint.

5.2 breaths in 1.

X-rays sometimes lead to very unexpected discoveries. For example, in this painting by Vincent Van Gogh of grass, there is indeed a portrait of a peasant. The secret of this painting is that the artist often painted over his early works. According to experts, about 1/3 of his early works were painted over.

6. A faded portrait.

Renoir was so pleased with his portrait of Madame Leon Clapisson that he chose it for an exhibition in 1883. And only later, when the researchers decided to remove the frame, did they see that the part of the canvas hidden behind the frame had different colors. This color difference gave rise to the theory that the calm colors in the painting were actually vibrant when Renoir originally used them. Over time, they just faded.

7. Invisible ink.

One of the paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat is entitled "Untitled" (1981). American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat often experimented with his paintings and left many secret details on the canvas. So, during the next test for authenticity, art critics discovered invisible ink on the picture, which recreated the entire look of the picture. Experts now recommend other owners of Basquiat paintings scan them and find other hidden details.

8. A pitcher as the main model of Henri Matisse.

This can is the main star of Henri Matisse. The fact is that he used the same things in his paintings. Thus, the jug, which first appeared in his paintings in 1917, was later found in his works of the 1930s.