A portrait of an old man painted by an artist of remarkable talent. Stories of the most terrible pictures of humanity (9 photos). Frida Kahlo "Bus"

Let's start with perhaps the most notorious painting - “The Hands Resist Him” by Bill Stoneham. It became so “famous” that it was called “the most ghostly painting in the world.”

In 1972, while Stoneham was living with his wife in California, he was under contract to Charles Feingarten Gallery. According to the contract, the artist had to create two paintings per month. The deadline for the work was coming to an end, and Stoneham decided to paint a picture based on his old photographs where he was 5 years old. He named this painting in honor of the poem that his wife wrote for Stoneham himself (the poem was about how Bill was adopted as a child, but he never knew anything about his biological parents). The resulting image depicts a boy with a creepy, eyeless doll standing next to him. According to Stoneham, the boy is himself at the age of 5, and the doorway in the painting represents a barrier between the real world (where the hands are depicted) and the world of dreams. At the same time, the doll is a guide to the world of fantasy. As for the hands, the artist said mysteriously: “Hands could mean anything... But, you will definitely have a question: Are these hands without a body? The body was dismembered, and the hands themselves? Or are they still in place, with the body?”

The painting was exhibited at the Feingarten Gallery in Beverly Hills, California. This painting was mentioned in the Los Angeles Times in an article by art critic Henry Seldis. At this exhibition, the painting attracted the attention of actor John Marley, who played the role of Jack Waltz in The Godfather. He liked it so much that he decided to buy it. Within one year after the creation of the painting, three people died at once: art critic Seldis, gallery owner Feingarten and actor Marley. After that, the painting seemed to disappear, until in 2000 the couple found it left behind by someone behind a brewery (which, by the way, had been turned into an art space) in California.

They took this painting for themselves, considering it a good acquisition. In February of the same year, they put it up for sale on eBay, explaining that this painting carries horror, and in general it is cursed and ghosts come out of it. Their announcement was more like a warning than an announcement. Fully capitalized and misspelled, the ad contained a mini-story about why they decided to get rid of the painting. According to the couple, their 4-year-old daughter said that she saw the children from the picture come into the room at night and start fighting. The woman herself (the girl’s mother) does not believe in UFOs and similar things, but her husband decided to install a camera. The camera filmed for three nights in a row. In the end, the couple received pictures confirming their daughter's words. In a photo they posted on eBay, the doll is allegedly holding a gun, threatening a boy. The couple also asked in their announcement not to make any claims after purchasing the painting.

This ad has been viewed over 30,000 times. In the comments, people wrote that they felt sick as soon as they saw these photos. Some people tried to print them, but the printer gave an error or broke down. Some claimed that when viewing the photo they felt warm currents of air that enveloped them and whispered various things in their ears in children's voices. And someone even set fire to sage to cleanse their living space of evil spirits after browsing an eBay page.

As a result, the painting was bought by Kim Smith, owner of Perception Gallery in Michigan, for $1,025. A year later, a paranormal website contacted Smith and asked whether anything paranormal had happened after purchasing this painting or not.

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The answers to tasks 1–24 are a word, phrase, number or sequence of words, numbers. Write the answer to the right of the assignment number without spaces, commas or other additional characters.

Read the text and complete tasks 1–3.

(1) Archaeologists find many treasures in the Slavic lands. (2) The value of the treasure lies not in the number of treasures, but in the quality of the jewelry (among them there are real masterpieces). (3)______ the most valuable thing for archaeologists is the idea of ​​​​the life and way of life of the ancient Slavs, which develops in the process of studying jewelry found during excavations.

1

Which of the following sentences correctly conveys the MAIN information contained in the text?

1. Since jewelry allows one to recreate pictures of the life and everyday life of the ancient Slavs, they are of great value for archeology.

2. Archaeologists find many treasures, the value of which is determined primarily by the quality of jewelry.

3. The most valuable thing for archaeologists is not the quantity of jewelry found, but its quality.

4. For archaeologists, jewelry found in Slavic lands is important primarily because it gives an idea of ​​the life and lifestyle of the ancient Slavs.

5. Among the jewelry found in the Slavic lands, there are real masterpieces, and archaeologists pay great attention to their study.

2

Which of the following words (combinations of words) should appear in the gap in the third (3) sentence of the text? Write down this word (combination of words).

2. Because

3. On the contrary,

4. In other words,

5. Despite this

3

Read a fragment of a dictionary entry that gives the meaning of the word PRESENTATION. Determine the meaning in which this word is used in the third (3) sentence of the text. Write down the number corresponding to this value in the given fragment of the dictionary entry.

PRESENTATION, I, Wed.

1. A written statement about something. (official). P. prosecutor (act of prosecutorial supervision).

2. A theatrical or circus performance, performance. The first paragraph of the new play. Amateur p.

3. Reproduction in consciousness of previously experienced perceptions (special). P. - the image of an object or phenomenon.

4. Knowledge, understanding of something. Have no idea about anything. Make up a paragraph about something. The book gives a good overview of the subject. * I have no idea (colloquial) - I don’t know at all, I’m not aware. Where did he go? - I have no idea.

4

In one of the words below, an error was made in the placement of stress: the letter denoting the stressed vowel sound was highlighted incorrectly. Write this word down.

folded

facilitate

5

One of the sentences below uses the highlighted word incorrectly. Correct the mistake and write the word correctly.

1. To prepare a marinade for fish baked in coals, you need to SHAKE the seeds from four to five cardamom pods, add a pinch of saffron and grind them in a mortar and salt.

2. The girl with a sharp movement threw her bangs off her forehead and unexpectedly calmly and TRUSTFULLY looked into Alexey’s eyes.

3. ISSUE of skates is carried out if the visitor to the skating rink has a passport or any other document that can be left as a deposit.

4. Analysts say that significant changes can be EXPECTED in the securities market in the coming year.

5. Note-taking is a written recording of the main provisions of a readable or aurally perceived text.

6

In one of the words highlighted below, an error was made in the formation of the word form. Correct the mistake and write the word correctly.

favorite PROFESSOR

more than EIGHT HUNDRED million

BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN

TRAVEL by train

a pair of shoes

7

Establish a correspondence between the sentences and the grammatical errors made in them: for each position in the first column, select the corresponding position from the second column.

Write your answer in numbers without spaces or other symbols

8

Identify the word in which the unstressed vowel of the root being tested is missing. Write out this word by inserting the missing letter.

OK. .immit

prig..army

favor

touching... falling asleep

very..bed

9

Identify the row in which the same letter is missing in both words in the prefix. Write out these words by inserting the missing letter.

by..sun, oh..threw

pr..gained, pr..dacha

walking..walking, ra..water

pr..grandfather, p..nos

pr..followed, pr..call

10

Write down the word in which the letter E is written in the blank.

helpful

picky...picky

pull out..pull out

suede

underline

11

Write down the word in which the letter I is written in place of the gap.

rocked

fighting

met...

customizing..my

moving..my

12

Determine the sentence in which NOT is spelled together with the word. Open the brackets and write down this word.

1. HAVING NOT WAITED for dinner, the travelers went to bed.

2. I had to work in an area that had not yet been explored.

3. I had to sign a far (UN) PROFITABLE contract.

4. Semyon Rostislavovich seemed (NOT) SATISFIED.

5. You can (NOT) catch a fish from a pond without difficulty.

13

Determine the sentence in which both highlighted words are written CONTINUOUSLY. Open the brackets and write down these two words.

1. WHATEVER critics claim, Fet’s poems are unusually melodic, (THEREFORE) many of them formed the basis of romances.

2. (B) DIFFERENT from other representatives of the liberal camp, Pavel Petrovich is always firm in upholding his principles, and (THUS) he boldly confronts Bazarov.

3. Ceramics from Gzhel are sent to different parts of the planet to decorate people’s lives, and ALSO to cultivate a sense of beauty.

4. I told Ivan Petrovich everything that happened, and wanted to know his opinion (ON) ABOUT predestination, AS it was very important.

5. Krylov’s fables at (THAT) TIME were a completely new phenomenon in Russian literature (IN) COMPARISON with Sumarokov’s fables, which were written in the traditions of classicism.

14

Indicate all the numbers in whose place NN is written.

The portrait of a strange (1) man, painted (2) by an artist who had remarkable (3) talent, was part of the dow (4) of the (5) mistress of the house.

15

Place punctuation marks. Indicate the numbers of sentences in which you need to put ONE comma.

1. The hero of the novel loved travel and adventure and at the same time strived for comfort and family coziness.

3. Artistic painting of fabrics has existed since about the 30s of the 20th century and during its existence it has gained wide recognition.

4. Slang words fall out of tradition and from the sphere of reasonable word usage and from the uniformity of speech.

5. To convince the reader of the validity of his assessments, the author of the review can use both methods of scientific analysis and means of artistic expression.

16

The ducks (1) frightened by the sudden appearance of the hunters (2) rose noisily and (3) somersaulting in the air (4) slowly and heavily flew away.

17

Place punctuation marks: indicate all the numbers that should be replaced by commas in the sentences.

The old garden (1) seemed (2) alone to refresh this (3) once (4) lively village and was picturesque in its desolation.

18

Place punctuation marks: indicate all the numbers that should be replaced by commas in the sentence.

Poetry A.S. Pushkin (1) based on the works (2) of whom (3) P.I. Tchaikovsky created his best operas (4) and most inspired the composer.

19

Place punctuation marks: indicate all the numbers that should be replaced by commas in the sentence.

After the instructor’s comments (1) the guys walked faster (2) and (3) when it began to get dark (4) there were only three kilometers left to the place where they would spend the night.

20

Edit the sentence: correct the lexical error by eliminating the extra word. Write this word down.

Usually in the month of May there is a cold snap, which coincides with the flowering of bird cherry (the so-called “cherry cold”).

Read the text and complete tasks 21-26.

(1) The highest thing a person can achieve is wisdom.

(2) Wisdom should have become a school subject; it should be taught. (3) More precisely, wisdom must be taught - as caution in judgment, abstinence from insufficiently substantiated statements, the ability to take into account many factors, relying on what is born of the diversity of historical experience.

(4) This is more than knowledge. (5) This is also intuition and aversion to self-deception. (6) A wise person is never arrogant: he does not consider the results of his reflections to be final; he admits their fallacy, comparing them with directly opposite statements and finding gaps in what seemed obvious.

(7) Wisdom needs knowledge, but cannot be reduced to it. (8) Someone may know, say, all the varieties of butterflies and understand nothing about environmental problems. (9) Don’t even be interested in them. (10) In this case, a person loses sight of the connection between an individual butterfly and the structure of the world.

(11) Knowledge answers the question “Why?”, and information only answers the questions “What?” Where? When? How?". (12) Knowledge consists of “understandings” and is the property of science. (13) Knowledge needs information, but is not limited to it - it is higher, because it knows how to check the reliability of information.

(14) Knowledge in the European, and now in the global scientific tradition, has always opposed opinion. (15) An opinion is just a certain attitude towards something, and knowledge is, I repeat, an understanding of a pattern. (16) It is important not so much to defend your opinion, but to think about it being proven, even if it strives to become knowledge. (17) The desire to encourage unfounded opinions in every possible way as an end in itself is very dangerous for a growing person. (18) It is not enough to think independently - you also need to think correctly.

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To understand any piece of art, one must have extensive knowledge of history, religion, mythology and literature. It is they who help to decipher what is hidden in minor details, and to find out why some artists spend decades perfecting their canvases, while others paint one picture on top of another.

Author website spent more than one hour on museum websites to talk about masterpieces of painting, in which not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. And at the end of the article you will find a bonus: “Portrait of Mrs. Lisa del Giocondo” - one of the most mysterious paintings in the world - has many “doubles”.

Unknown artist "Portrait of Isabella de' Medici"

A Renaissance portrait by an unknown artist was discovered by accident. Initially, art historians believed that this was a skillful fake of a medieval painting. But it turned out that the portrait was rewritten in the 19th century. The prominent nose, high forehead and large chin were hidden under layers of paint - the face of a medieval aristocrat was turned into the pretty face of a young coquette in order to sell the canvas.

With the help of x-rays, it was possible to find out how the woman was originally depicted. Restorers removed the paint layer by layer, bringing the painting to its original form.

Ilya Repin “Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan November 16, 1581”

Repin painted a picture about his feelings from the events taking place around him. He was inspired to create the canvas by Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Revenge” suite and the death of Alexander II. The scene of the murder of the crown prince completely reflected Repin's internal state. He hatched the idea for 3 years.

For a long time he could not put the images together into a single whole, until he went to Spain and visited a bullfight there. The artist saw sands stained with blood and the gaze of bulls full of hatred and pain. Then the plan took full shape. Repin was obsessed with his work, at night he dreamed of scenes of murder and was haunted by various visions. His friends saved him from madness.

Francisco Goya "Portrait of Don Ramon Satué"

According to one version, the artist depicted the drama of his life. The bride is none other than Praskovya Matveeva Varentsova - Pukirev's failed bride, and the elderly groom is the leader of the Tver nobility Alexey Markovich Poltoratsky.

If you look closely at the canvas, you can see an old woman behind the groom. But why is she in a white dress and with a wreath on her head? After all, such an outfit is typical for a bride. Scientists suggest that it was the soul of the first wife he killed who came to the wedding.

Pablo Picasso "Blue Room"

In 2008, after an X-ray study, art historians found a hidden image under the “Blue Room” - a portrait of an old man in a suit with a bow tie. Picasso had many ideas, but did not always have enough money to buy a new canvas. Therefore, he painted some paintings on top of others.

Alexander Ivanov “The Appearance of Christ to the People”

To create his most famous work, Ivanov drew 600 sketches, spent 20 years of his life, and dozens of sitters posed for him. But among them there is one who is not inferior in popularity to the artist - Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The man in the background, standing half-turned in a brown tunic, is the famous writer. Nikolai Vasilyevich was a friend of the artist and often visited Ivanov’s studio.

Sandro Botticelli "Spring"

It would seem, how are Tahitian women and Christmas connected? Paul Gauguin was never religious, but was more an agnostic than an atheist. In Tahiti, the artist became interested in biblical subjects. He even published a treatise, “Modernity and the Catholic Church.”

During this period, Gauguin's beloved Pahura from the Maori tribe gave birth to a son. The moment of birth was captured by the master. Soon the child of Pakhura and Gauguin dies. This tragic event occurs on Christmas Day.

Gustave Courbet "Dressing the Bride"

Realist Gustave Courbet depicted everyday life and everyday scenes: funerals, weavers' work, afternoon naps, village girls. The painting “Dressing the Bride” could have become a passing work in Courbet’s work if art critics had not become interested in it.

In 1960, it was examined using infrared rays and they learned that in fact there was no bride there. The heroine is naked, and the girls around her are dressed in black dresses. It turned out that the painting was originally called “Preparing a Dead Girl.”

Hans Holbein "The Ambassadors"

Holbein depicted 2 real ambassadors - Jean de Denteville and Bishop Georges de Selva. Objects in the background speak of a dispute between the clergy and science. This is evidenced by a broken lute, an open psalter, a globe, a sundial and books on arithmetic.

In the foreground you can see a strange and incomprehensible spot - this is a distorted skull that symbolizes death. If you look at the canvas directly, it seems ordinary, and the skull is unremarkable: death, according to the author, is something that does not matter. But if you look at it from a different angle, death becomes a reality that distorts familiar things.

Ilya Repin "The Nun"

Art critics have long been tormented by the question: why does the nun look like Repin’s brother’s wife Sofia Shvetsova? The answer was found in the artist's diaries. Repin originally wrote portrait women in a ball gown. But when the work was finished, Ilya and Sofia quarreled. The master was very offended and immediately rewrote the picture. Now, instead of a beautiful dress, Shvetsova was wearing the vestments of a nun, and the fan was replaced by rosary beads.

To confirm the assumptions, the image was passed through an x-ray. It turned out that Repin rewrote the portrait without removing the old paint.

Jacques-Louis David "The Death of Marat"

The painting belongs to Vermeer's early work. It would seem an unremarkable plot: a young girl looks out the window. But there is a hidden subtext here. The apples in the fruit bowl symbolize the fall of Adam and Eve, and the open window symbolizes the desire to break free.

But these are not all the secrets of the canvas. With the help of x-rays, it was possible to find out that there was originally an image of Cupid on the wall, which the artist for some reason painted over.

Mikhail Vrubel “The Seated Demon” and “The Defeated Demon”

Vrubel argued that his “sitting demon” is not the devil, it is the soul. After all, this is exactly how the word “demon” is translated from Greek. This is a proud, free personality, opposed to the world. The “defeated demon” is broken and weak. He is a reflection of the author's madness. Vrubel's mental state gradually deteriorated; he rewrote the painting several times. He suffered from insomnia and was obsessed with his work.

The canvas was bought by the famous collector Vladimir von Meck. Vrubel went on a spree, squandered the money he received, drank a lot and took it out on his wife. With symptoms of a mental disorder, the artist was hospitalized in a private clinic.

Frida Kahlo "Bus"

When Frida was 17, she had an accident. The bus in which the girl was traveling collided with a tram. The future artist received multiple injuries (triple fracture of the spine, fracture of the hip, ribs, etc.), due to which she could not have children. Memories of the accident tormented Frida throughout her life.

All this requires only one explanation: where the story about the monster itself came from. Almost nothing is known about little Thomas Bowes-Lyon; the unfortunate child probably died in infancy from congenital diseases. But in the castle hangs a mysterious family portrait painted in the 17th century. It depicts the third Earl of Strathmore surrounded by his three sons. The count had five children, but only male representatives are visible in the portrait. The count himself is sitting in a chair. On his right hand stands the future Count John, on his left are two boys, or rather, one is a teenager, the other is a small child. Next to them are two dogs, at the top of the portrait is an angel looking at the family from heaven. Experts date the painting of the portrait to 1683; experts claim that it was painted by the artist Jacob de Wet. There is even an entry in the account book indicating a settlement with the artist for “two portraits of the gentleman and his three sons.” The agreement concluded with de Wet in 1688 has also been preserved. According to this contract, the artist had to create a number of paintings for the castle. Thus, the origin of the portrait has been established.

There is a problem with the number of children depicted in the painting. The Earl's younger sons, Charles and Patrick, had not yet been born at the time of the portrait's painting. They were born in 1692 and 1695 respectively, that is, nine and twelve years later. In addition, there is a record that Charles, the earl's middle son, died at birth.

This fact apparently gave rise to various rumors that the child did not actually die, but was simply a freak. The artist politely embellished reality. So, most likely, this painting is the source of the legend about the monster. But can it indicate that the story about the monster is true?

Of course it can, but there is a more rational explanation. In past centuries, painting a family portrait was very expensive and time-consuming, so it was common to depict children as older than they actually were. It is known that de Wet was commissioned to paint a portrait of the count “and his three sons,” while the count at that time had only one son. The couple probably intended to have many children, so two more boys appeared in the picture. Subsequently, two other sons were actually born, but one of them, unfortunately, died, but remained in history captured in the family portrait in the image of the tall youth he might have become.

Many of the mysterious stories of Glamis Castle have been revealed today, but there are also those that were lost in centuries of inter-clan strife, red tape of officials and numerous restorations. Some of them have become overgrown with legends, and now it is difficult to say what is truth and what is fiction. There is ample evidence of the conditions in which the monster of Glamis Castle could survive in those terrible years, but it is unknown what to trust in all this. The legendary monster now lives in the castle along with the White Lady only in the twilight ancient legends. Perhaps someday archaeologists will reveal the remaining secrets of the castle and debunk the myths.