 Mystery: May 27, 2020 Issue [#10197] |
This week: Mysterious Cases in Art Edited by: ~Minja~  
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"The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery." ~ Francis Bacon
"Man is the creature with a mystery in his heart that is bigger than himself." ~ Hans Urs von Balthasar
"Even the most ordinary life is a mystery if you look close enough" ~ Ingrid Bengis
"The mind loves the unknown. It loves images whose meaning is unknown, since the meaning of the mind itself is unknown." ~ Rene Magritte
"What I am seeking is not the real and not the unreal but rather the unconscious, the mystery of the instinctive in the human race." ~ Amadeo Modigliani
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y sister found a book on the ship's library called "What Great Paintings Say" and told me to look for it online and buy for our personal library. The book is sold by German art book publisher Taschen but, don't worry, the content inside is written in English. If you love art, I highly recommend this book as it comes with well-written essays.
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The book features a hundred masterpieces in detail, seen under the magnifying glass. The essays that accompany each painting provides the background of how the painting was created and what kind of message it holds. Scratch the surface of any of these timeless masterpieces and you will (literally) see the world that abounds with scandals, mystery, and intrigue. Art is such an important aspect of any society. Just like a writer is able to tell a story through words, a painter tells a story with a painting. Art tells a story about science, literature, history, mythology, and civilization that has long gone now but is part of us anyway. Even though it is not always easy to understand the painting, the message it carries is still powerful from the cultural aspect. Many famous paintings have stood the test of time and crafted their way into history thanks to the message and hidden meanings behind. Such is a well known Mona Lisa and Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, Sistine Chapel and Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, Girl With a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, The Night Watch by Rembrandt Van Rijn, and many others.
Many writers were inspired by the mysterious and hidden messages behind some of the most popular paintings and wrote the entire novels. One of the most notable works (you'll admit) is "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown, but there are others as well: "Girl With a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier, "I, Mona Lisa" by Jeanne Lakogridis, "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt.
Really successful people are often the ones who approach life with an open mind. They are able to learn valuable lessons from many different sources. Just like a painter can learn a lot by studying different literary works, that way a writer can learn a lot from observing a painting. For your own reading pleasure, below are some intriguing mysteries hidden in famous paintings.
The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso
If you look closely at this painting, you will notice a ghostly female silhouette behind the man's head. Researches assumed that he probably didn't have enough money for a new canvas so he painted painting over the older painting.
The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn
After the restoration, when the painting was cleaned of a thick layer of soot, it is discovered that The Night Watch was, actually, set at daytime and not at night.
Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci
One researcher proposed the idea of the Last Supper to be a prediction of the end of the world which supposed to happen on March 21, 4006. The researcher deciphered the mathematical and astrological code of the painting and came to this conclusion. It is also believed that Da Vinci was looking for a model to paint Judas and he couldn't find anyone. The person he came up with was the person he also used to paint Jesus Christ.
Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci
Mona Lisa has many mysteries attached to her—from the hidden initials in her eyes to the bewitching smile. One of the mysteries says that she was a toothless lady which is the reason for her intriguing facial impression.
The Last Day of Pompeii by Karl Bryullov
In the center of the painting there lays the image of a young woman, in loose clothing, with innumerable treasures surrounding her. This image implicitly sends a message from the artist that the greed of the people of Pompeii was one of the reasons for their tragic demise. In the fearful crowd, we can recognize the painter himself, who is watching the tragedy unfold with his painting tools aloft above his head.
The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo
Experts in neuroanatomy claim that Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam contains clues about the anatomy of the brain.
Old Fisherman by Tivadar Kosztka Csontváry
The painting seems like a portrait of an old man at first glance. But if you hold a mirror to the middle of the painting, you can spot God and the Devil in one.
Until next time, I hope to see you in an art museum.
~Minja~
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Excerpt: Oh Mona, the mystery of your portrait
mere mortals will never understand,
the secret which lies beneath your smile,
created by the great artist's hand.
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Excerpt: Duster in hand, a woman stared at an old-fashioned painting of a city. She studied the familiar outline of the buildings, imposing towers and delicate gardens. Illuminated by early morning sunshine, it appeared a happy and cheerful place. She imagined people going about their business in the markets and children playing in the parks; she could almost hear their voices, their laughter. Except there wasn’t a single person in the picture.
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Excerpt: The bizarre devil head intrigued him. The face appeared to be smiling wickedly, as if the creature had just accomplished some foul mischief, or held some ominous evil secret. Its nose was flat and wide—bulbous, nearly hanging over the top lip of its hairless head; its ears large and extending upward, came to a sharp point at nearly the top of the skull and were pierced with two loops or earrings on either side.
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Excerpt: “When is the end of the
world?” he asked, a
wry smile barely
recognizable beneath
a full white mustache.
“Good question, sir,” said I,
feeling frail. Ah, there are
possibilities in a diminishing
season, I thought, to be here,
to hear Twain; the back of
my neck bold with summer.
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Excerpt: an art is an obeying master
obeying is a masterful art
obeying is a master of a masterful art
an obeying master is an obeying art
an art of obeying is an art of an obeying master
deny is denying an art
deny is masterfully deny
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