10 hidden things in famous paintings that have recently been found
There is often more than meets the eye with the world's famous art. Over the centuries, rapid developments in technology have seen the art history world make giant strides. Importantly, art historians have discovered a lot of hidden things in famous paintings.
Source: UGC
The best thing about art is that every piece can have multiple interpretations. Artists often add some small details to their pieces to leave a hidden message. Other times, hidden details have been found behind the main painting, usually when the artist reuses the canvas. Here are 10 hidden things in famous paintings.
10 hidden things in famous paintings
If you are keen on details, you will notice that artists include some tiny yet meaningful details in their work. Here are 10 hidden things in famous paintings that most people hardly knew existed until recently.
1. Jan Van Eyck’s “The Arnolfini Portrait”
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Painted in 1434, Jan Van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait is one of the most intricate pieces of paint art for a piece of its small size. At only 82 cm x 60 cm, the level of detail is astounding. At first glance, it's just a man and woman holding hands in a house.
Upon closer inspection, there is a mirror on the wall behind them. In the mirror is a reflection of the couple, showing their backs. An even closer look reveals two more people in the mirror reflection, one in crimson and another in blue. Recent analysis suggests that the painting portrays a wedding ceremony between Giovanni de Nicolao Arnolfini and Costanza Trenta.
The two strangers in the image are believed to be witnesses of the marriage. The one in crimson is thought to be the artist Van Eyck himself, painting the scene exactly as he saw it. His signature above the mirror seems to support the theory that he was a witness.
2. The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso
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Pablo Picasso's 1903 painting, The Old Guitarist, features the most famous hidden faces in paintings. True to its name, The Old Guitarist depicts an old, haggard musician humped over his guitar. However, if you pay close attention, the face of a young woman is visible behind the old man's neck.
X-ray images of the painting have revealed two more hidden images in the background: an old woman and an animal. These figures show that there was another painting underneath The Old Guitarist, perhaps two. Other reconstructions have found even more figures underneath, including one of a cow.
According to researchers from the Art Institute of Chicago, it is likely that Picasso was forced to reuse the canvas as he was too poor at the time to afford a new canvas for The Old Guitarist.
3. Hidden animals in Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa
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The Mona Lisa is one of the most renowned paintings in the world, mostly for the unclear facial expression of the mysterious woman who is its subject. But it recently gained more appeal when Ron Piccirillo, an artist in New York, claimed to have discovered several zoo animals surrounding Mona Lisa.
According , there is a snake around the left-hand side of Mona Lisa's body and an ape, a lion and a buffalo around her head. The artist says he followed instructions left behind by da Vinci himself in his journals to decipher the painting.
4. St Jerome in his Study by Antonello da Messina
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There are many famous paintings with hidden animals, and Antonello da Messina's "St Jerome in his study" is one of them. This painting is rather straightforward – St Jerome works alone in his study. Even at first glance, multiple animals are visible in the painting. There are two birds in the foreground and a lion lurking on the right-hand side, behind the platform on which St Jerome sits.
However, one animal is often missed — a cat sitting at the bottom left of the platform. Unlike the other animals in the painting, the cat is more "faded". It is believed to have been added into the painting as an afterthought, causing de Messina to use unsaturated paints, which is why it is unclear.
5. The frescoes in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi
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The St Francis of Assisi Basilica in Italy features magnificent frescoes on the roof. The paintings were done by Italian artist Giotto di Bondone in the 13th Century. A huge earthquake hit the church in 1997, causing it to require a lot of restoration.
During the restoration process, Chiara Frugone, an Italian art historian, of a devil hidden in one of the frescoes. Among the clouds near the scene depicting St Francis’ death is a profile of a face with horns, a devilish smile and a hooked nose. The 2011 discovery is believed to have been added for fun or as a cultic reference.
6. The Old Fisherman by Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka
Source: UGC
Hungarian artist Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka’s 1902 painting, The Old Fisherman, features an interesting secret. At first glance, it depicts an old man with his hands held. But the secret lies in the old man’s weird-looking, asymmetrical face.
The old man has been revealed to be a combination of two faces, which explains why he looks so strange. According to art experts, holding up a mirror in the middle of the painting will reveal two images. On the left is an old man with his hands clasped in prayer. On the right is a red-faced devil-like face, with horns and hands clasped in a more sinister manner.
The painting is believed to be a representation of the duality of man. It is meant to show that there is a kindly human and a more sinister evil side within each person.
7. The Portrait of Don Ramon Satue by Francisco de Goya
Source: UGC
When scanned, the image of a man in uniform was discovered underneath the Portrait of Don Ramon Satue. From the uniform, historians posit that the man was a general during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, between 1803 and 1815. However, the man’s face was not completed, so his identity has never been ascertained.
8. Isabella de’ Medici
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For decades, art enthusiasts doubted the authenticity of the portrait of Isabella de’ Medici. In the painting by Agnolo Bronzino, the Princess of Bracciano seemed to be quite different from what she would be expected to look like, considering the time period.
The painting underwent thorough restoration to establish its authenticity, which only made it more interesting. As it turns out, the painting was not fake. However, de’ Medici did not really look like she was depicted in the pre-restoration painting. It seems that she had been made to look much younger and prettier over the decades, fooling generations to think she was younger.
9. Last Judgement by Michelangelo
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Michelangelo is believed to have included his self-portrait in this famous painting. Although it looks distorted, the flayed skin held by Saint Bartholomew in his left hand is believed to actually contain the famous artist’s face. Including his own likeness in the painting is thought to be a subtle act of rebellion, showing how repulsed he was at himself for having done the painting.
10. The Blue Room by Pablo Picasso
Source: UGC
The Blue Room is one of Picasso’s earliest genius pieces. Scientists the face of a man wearing a bow tie. While they agree that the man is definitely not Picasso himself, the man’s identity remains unknown, or even the significance of his inclusion in the painting.
There are often many hidden things in famous paintings. As art historians and scientists continue to restore the works of the greatest artists, there are more images and hidden faces in paintings left there by the artist for different reasons.
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