Artists who painted mystical paintings. Mysticism in the history of painting, or “scary” paintings

art has always been considered closely connected with the mystical sphere. After all, any image is an energetic imprint of the original, especially if we're talking about about portraits. It is believed that they are able to influence not only those from whom they are written, but also other people. You don’t have to look far for examples: let’s turn to Russian paintings of the 19th century– beginning of the twentieth century.

The mysticism of the portrait of Maria Lopukhina

The delightful beauties who gaze at us from the paintings of great painters will forever remain just like that: young, charming and plump. vital energy. However true destiny beautiful models are not always as enviable as it might seem at first glance. This is very easy to see with an example famous portrait Maria Lopukhina, painted by Vladimir Borovikovsky.

Maria Lopukhina, coming from count's family Tolstykh, immediately after own wedding(she was 18 years old) posed for Vladimir Borovikovsky. The portrait was commissioned by her husband. At the time of writing, Maria looked simply gorgeous. Her face radiated so much charm, spirituality and dreaminess... There could be no doubt that a long and long life awaited the charming model. happy life. It is an incomprehensible fact, but Maria died of consumption when she was only 23 years old.

Much later, the poet Polonsky would write “Borovikovsky saved her beauty...”. However, immediately after the death of the young beauty, not everyone would have shared this opinion. After all, at that time there was talk in Moscow that it was the ill-fated portrait that was to blame for the death of Maria Lopukhina.

They began to shy away from this picture, as if from a ghost. They believed that if the young lady looked at her, she would soon die. According to some sources mysterious portrait killed about ten girls of marriageable age. They said that Mary's father, a famous mystic, after his daughter died, lured her spirit into this painting.

However, almost a hundred years later, Pavel Tretyakov was not afraid and acquired this visual image for your own gallery. After this, the picture “calmed down.” But what was it - empty gossip, a strange coincidence of circumstances or mysterious phenomenon Is there something more hidden? Unfortunately, we most likely will never know the answer to this question.

Ilya Repin - a thunderstorm for sitters?

It is unlikely that anyone will argue that Ilya Efimovich Repin is one of the greatest Russian painters. But there is one strange thing tragic circumstance: many who had the honor of being his sitters soon died. Among them are Mussorgsky, Pisemsky, Pirogov, and the Italian actor Mercy d’Argenteau. As soon as the artist took up the portrait of Fyodor Tyutchev, he also died. Of course, in all cases for death there were objective reasons, - but these are coincidences... Even the hefty men who posed for Repin for the canvas “Barge Haulers on the Volga”, they say, prematurely gave their souls to God.

"Barge Haulers on the Volga", 1870-1873

However, the most terrible story happened with the painting “Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on November 16, 1581,” which in our time is better known as “Ivan the Terrible Kills His Son.” Even balanced people felt uneasy when looking at the canvas: the murder scene was painted too realistically, there was too much blood on the canvas that seemed real.

Exhibited in Tretyakov Gallery the canvas made a strange impression on visitors. Some cried in front of the picture, others fell into a stupor, and others suffered hysterical fits. And the young icon painter Abram Balashov cut the canvas with a knife on January 16, 1913. He was sent to a mental hospital, where he died. The canvas was restored.

"Ivan the Terrible kills his son", 1883-1885

It is known that Repin thought for a long time before taking on the film about Ivan the Terrible. And for good reason. The artist Myasoedov, from whom the image of the Tsar was painted, soon in anger almost killed his young son, who was also called Ivan, like the murdered Tsarevich. The image of the latter was based on the writer Vsevolod Garshin, who subsequently went crazy and committed suicide by throwing himself down a flight of stairs...

A murder that never happened

The story that Ivan the Terrible is a son-killer is just a myth.

It is believed that Ivan the Terrible killed his son in a fit of anger with a blow to the temple from his staff. Reasons for different researchers There are different names: from a domestic quarrel to political friction. Meanwhile, none of the sources directly states that the prince and heir to the throne was killed by his own father!

The “Piskarevsky Chronicler” says: “At 12 o’clock in the night of the summer of November 7090 on the 17th day... the death of Tsarevich John Ioannovich.” The Novgorod Fourth Chronicle reports: “In the same year (7090) Tsarevich John Ioannovich reposed at Matins in Sloboda.” The cause of death has not been announced.
In the 60s of the last century, the graves of Ivan the Terrible and his son were opened. There were no damages characteristic of brain injury on the prince’s skull. Therefore, there was no filicide?! But where did the legend about him come from?

Antonio Possevino - Vatican representative in Russia during the times of Ivan the Terrible and the Great Troubles

Its author is the Jesuit monk Anthony Possevino (Antonio Possevino), sent to Moscow as an ambassador from the Pope with a proposal Orthodox Church come under the authority of the Vatican. The idea did not meet with support from the Russian Tsar. Possevin, meanwhile, allegedly became an eyewitness to a family scandal. The Emperor was angry with his pregnant daughter-in-law, the wife of his son Ivan, for her “indecent appearance” - either she forgot to put on a belt, or she put on only one shirt, when she was supposed to wear four. In the heat of the moment, the father-in-law began to beat the unfortunate woman with a staff. The prince stood up for his wife: before this, his father had already sent his first two wives to the monastery, who could not conceive from him. John the Younger was not unreasonably afraid that he would lose the third one - her father would simply kill her. He rushed at the priest, and in a fit of violence he struck with his staff and pierced his son’s temple. However, except for Possevin, not a single source confirms this version, although later other historians, Staden and Karamzin, readily picked it up.

Modern researchers suggest that the Jesuit came up with the legend in retaliation for the fact that he had to return to the papal court “without a slurp.”

During exhumation, remains of poisons were found in the bone tissues of the prince. This may indicate that John the Younger died from poisoning (which was not uncommon for those times), and not from being hit by a hard object!

Nevertheless, in Repin’s painting we see precisely the version of filicide. It is performed with such extraordinary verisimilitude that you can’t help but believe that this is exactly what happened in reality. Hence, of course, the “killer” energy.

And again Repin distinguished himself

Self-portrait of Repin

Once Repin was commissioned to create a huge monumental canvas “Ceremonial Meeting” State Council" The painting was completed by the end of 1903. And in 1905, the first Russian revolution broke out, during which the heads of the officials depicted on the canvas fell. Some lost their posts and titles, others even paid with their lives: Minister V.K. Plehve and Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, former governor-general of Moscow, was killed by terrorists.

In 1909, the artist painted a portrait commissioned by the Saratov City Duma. He had barely finished the work when Stolypin was shot dead in Kyiv.

Who knows - maybe if Ilya Repin had not been so talented, the tragedies might not have happened. Back in the 15th century, the scientist, philosopher, alchemist and magician Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim wrote: “Beware of the painter’s brush - his portrait may turn out to be more alive than the original.”

P. A. Stolypin. Portrait by I. Repin (1910)

Mystical painting “Stranger” by Ivan Kramskoy

Painting amazingly experienced two periods of mass interest in itself, and in completely different eras. For the first time - after being written in 1883, it was considered the embodiment of aristocracy and was very popular among the sophisticated St. Petersburg public.

Unexpectedly, another surge of interest in the “Unknown” occurred in the second half of the 20th century. Apartments were decorated with reproductions of Kramskoy’s work cut out from magazines, and copies of “The Unknown” were one of the most popular orders from artists of all levels. True, for some reason the painting was already known under the name “Stranger,” perhaps under the influence of Blok’s work of the same name. Even “Stranger” candies were created with Kramskoy’s painting on the box. Thus, the erroneous title of the work finally “came to life.”

Many years of research into “who is depicted in Kramskoy’s painting” have not yielded results. According to one version, the prototype of the “symbol of aristocracy” was a peasant woman named Matryona, who married the nobleman Bestuzhev.

“The Stranger” by Ivan Kramskoy is one of the most mysterious masterpieces of Russian painting.

At first glance, there is nothing mystical in the portrait: the beauty is riding along Nevsky Prospect in an open carriage.

Many considered Kramskoy's heroine an aristocrat, but fashionable, fur-trimmed and blue satin ribbons a velvet coat and a stylish beret hat, coupled with penciled eyebrows, lipstick on her lips and blush on her cheeks, mark her out as a lady of the then demi-monde. Not a prostitute, but clearly the kept woman of some noble or rich man.

However, when the artist was asked whether this woman existed in reality, he just grinned and shrugged. In any case, no one has ever seen the original.
Meanwhile, Pavel Tretyakov refused to purchase a portrait for his gallery - perhaps he was afraid of the belief that portraits of beauties “suck the strength” out of living people.

Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy

The “Stranger” began traveling to private meetings. And very soon she gained notoriety. Its first owner's wife left him, the second's house burned down, and the third went bankrupt. All these misfortunes were attributed to the fatal picture.

Kramskoy himself did not escape the curse. Less than a year after the creation of “Unknown,” his two sons died one after another.

The “damned” picture went abroad. They say that there she caused all kinds of trouble to her owners. In 1925, “The Stranger” returned to Russia and nevertheless took its place in the Tretyakov Gallery. Since then, no further incidents have occurred.

Maybe the whole point is that the portrait should have taken its rightful place from the very beginning?

Today there is so much talk about unidentified and paranormal activity, that you involuntarily ask the question: “Where is the lie and where is the truth?” Our world is so saturated with scary stories about what is impossible to see and hear, but you can feel for yourself: you will soon see for yourself that the most terrible and creepy things are very close - they are hidden in works of art!

Paintings are passed down from generation to generation; they bring us a piece of history and allow us to touch the beautiful. It is believed that every artwork lives its own life and has a soul. Often museum curators, exhibition organizers, and owners of rare paintings share their fears:

some feel like someone is watching them from the side;
others complain that the image of a person or animal from the canvas came to them in nightmares;
the third physically feel the negativity, pain, fear or horror emanating from the paintings.

Can paintings really hear, see and act? Get ready, the following stories will make even skeptical readers shudder.

Cursed painting "Mona Lisa de Gioconda"

"Mona Lisa de Gioconda" – one of the most famous paintings all over the world, but her beauty evokes not only admiration: in fact, Mona’s beautiful smile can cause in anyone who admired her for a long time a feeling of panic, insane fear and aggression. More than a hundred cases have already been recorded when, from one glance at the picture, people fainted or lost their human appearance, falling into hysterics. The truth about the history preceding the creation of this portrait is not known to anyone. It is only known that great creator Leonardo da Vinci did not work on any painting for so long and diligently - for 6 whole years, and then corrected and changed details until his death. The model, Mona Lisa, left the world of the living for unknown reasons, not even reaching the age of 30.

Cursed painting "Crying Boy"

Rumor has it that the painting " Crying boy"is also cursed.

The story is this: Bragolin, spanish artist, was about to paint a portrait of a boy with tears in his eyes; he chose his own son as the sitter. But the child could not cry as ordered and the father began to take harsh measures, forcing the boy to cry - the kid was very afraid of fire, so matches were burned in front of his face, tears rolled from the children's eyes, and the cruel adult continued his work. After prolonged torture, the boy could no longer hold on and cried out, choking with tears: “Damn you, burn yourself.” And soon the words came true, the boy fell ill with pneumonia and died a couple of weeks later, and his father burned to death for unknown reasons in his house.

"Melancholic Princess - Girl Illusion"

"Japanese Girl" is the most famous painting in in social networks accompanied by scary and mystical stories: a schoolgirl who decided to commit suicide drew this image before leaving this world.

If you look at this picture for about 5 minutes, the girl’s eyes will turn red, she will have fangs, and her hair will change color. Scary, isn't it? Believe in it, laugh or decide to check it out - decide for yourself, but we do not recommend it, since nothing is known about the consequences of this “acquaintance”.

Painting “Hands Resist Him”: a mystical story

Another “cursed” painting that became widely known was the work “Hands Resist Him”, painted by Californian surrealist artist Bill Stoneham. The artist painted it in 1972 from a childhood photograph of him and his younger sister standing in front of the house.

The painting itself depicts a boy with blurry facial features, next to him is a doll made the size of a child. They stand against the backdrop of a glass door, behind which one can see a dark sky and a large moon. Small children's hands are pressed against the glass of the door on the street side.

This painting is associated with many creepy stories. The first art critic to see and appreciate the work soon died suddenly.

After which I bought the painting American actor, whose life was tragically cut short. After his death, the work disappeared from view for some time, but then one family accidentally found it in a trash heap. The parents, who picked up the terrible masterpiece, decided to hang it in the children's room. After which their little daughter began running into their bedroom in horror every night and complaining that the children in the picture were fighting. My father decided to install a surveillance camera with a motion sensor in the room, and it went off several times during the night.

After which, the family hastened to get rid of the painting, and soon Hands Resist Him was put up for online auction. A large number of letters began to arrive at the auction organizers with complaints that when viewing this picture, people began to feel bad.

As a result, the owner of a private art gallery. After the purchase, numerous letters began to arrive at his address with threats and demands to destroy the damned painting. Two American exorcists approached him with an offer of their services. And psychics, when looking at the picture, confidently report that evil emanates from it.

Painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munch

Many people who in one way or another came into contact with the painting “The Scream” by Edvard Munch, the value of which, according to experts, is $70 million, found themselves in various unpleasant situations: they fell ill, became depressed, quarreled with loved ones, became victims of accidents, and some they even died suddenly. All these incidents gave the film “Scream” a bad reputation.

One day, a museum employee accidentally dropped a masterpiece. Some time passed and he began to have severe headaches. Migraine attacks became more frequent and more severe. The man could not stand such torment and committed suicide.

Several months passed and they decided to hang the painting from one wall to another. The worker who was doing this accidentally let go of the masterpiece and it fell to the floor. Literally a week later he gets into a terrible car accident, as a result of which he received numerous bruises and fractures.

One of the museum visitors touched the painting with his finger. Two days later, a fire started in his house, in which he burned alive.

The life of the artist Edvard Munch himself was a series of shocks and tragedies - illness, death of loved ones, madness.

He was born in 1863. When he was 5 years old, his mother died of tuberculosis. Nine years later, his beloved sister Sophia dies from a serious illness. A few years later, brother Andreas passes away. To my younger sister Doctors diagnose the artist with schizophrenia.

In the early 90s, Edvard Munch suffered a severe nervous breakdown and for a long time undergoing electroshock treatment.

The artist was never married; thoughts of sex terrified him. He died at the age of 81. To the city of Oslo, in which he lived, Munch left a huge creative heritage: 4500 sketches, 1200 paintings and 18 thousand. graphic works. But most famous painting remains "Scream" to this day.

Do not forget that a bad thought or word spoken in haste can do terrible things, bring about a curse or damage. Thoughts are material, and all fear can also be part of them. Evil really exists and it often lurks behind a beautiful mask.

There is a superstition that painting a portrait can bring bad luck to the model. In the history of Russian painting there were several famous paintings who have developed a mystical reputation.

"Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan November 16, 1581." Ilya Repin

Ilya Repin had a reputation" fatal painter": many of those whose portraits he painted died suddenly. Among them are Mussorgsky, Pisemsky, Pirogov, the Italian actor Mercy d'Argenteau and Fyodor Tyutchev.

Repin's darkest painting is "Ivan the Terrible Kills His Son." An interesting fact: it is still unknown whether Ivan IV killed his son or whether this legend was actually invented by the Vatican envoy Antonio Possevino.

The picture made a depressing impression on visitors to the exhibition. Cases of hysteria were recorded, and in 1913, icon painter Abram Balashov ripped open the painting with a knife. He was later declared insane.

A strange coincidence: the artist Myasoedov, from whom Repin painted the image of the Tsar, soon almost killed his son Ivan in a fit of anger, and the writer Vsevolod Garshin, who became sitter for Tsarevich Ivan, he went crazy and committed suicide.

"Portrait of M. I. Lopukhina." Vladimir Borovikovsky

Maria Lopukhina, descended from the Tolstoy family, became the artist’s model at the age of 18, shortly after her own wedding. Amazing beautiful girl was healthy and full of strength, but died 5 years later. Years later, the poet Polonsky would write “Borovikovsky saved her beauty...”.

There were rumors about the connection of the painting with the death of Lopukhina. Born urban legend that you cannot look at the portrait for a long time - the “model” will suffer the sad fate.

Some claimed that the girl's father, a Master of the Masonic Lodge, captured the spirit of his daughter in the portrait.

80 years later, the painting was acquired by Tretyakov, who was not afraid of the portrait’s reputation. Today the painting is in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.

"Unknown." Ivan Kramskoy

The painting “Unknown” (1883) aroused great interest among the St. Petersburg public. But Tretyakov flatly refused to purchase the painting for his collection. Thus, “The Stranger” began its journey through private collections. Soon strange things began to happen: its first owner’s wife left him, the second’s house burned down, the third went bankrupt. All misfortunes were attributed to the fatal picture.

The artist himself did not escape trouble; soon after painting the picture, Kramskoy’s two sons died.

The painting was sold abroad, where it continued to bring nothing but misfortune to its owners, until the painting returned to Russia in 1925. When the portrait ended up in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery, the misfortunes stopped.

"Troika". Vasily Perov

Perov could not find a model for the central boy for a long time, until he met a woman who was traveling through Moscow on a pilgrimage with her 12-year-old son Vasya. The artist managed to persuade the woman to let Vasily pose for the picture.

A few years later, Perov met with this woman again. It turned out that a year after painting Vasenka died, and his mother specially came to the artist to buy the painting with her last money.

But the canvas had already been purchased and exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery. When the woman saw Troika, she fell to her knees and began to pray. Touched, the artist painted a portrait of her son for the woman.

"Demon defeated." Mikhail Vrubel

Vrubel's son, Savva, died suddenly shortly after the artist completed the portrait of the boy. The death of his son was a blow for Vrubel, so he concentrated on his last picture"Demon defeated."

The desire to finish the painting grew into obsession. Vrubel continued to finish the painting even when it was sent to the exhibition.

Not paying attention to the visitors, the artist came to the gallery, took out his brushes and continued to work. Concerned relatives contacted the doctor, but it was too late - tabes spinal cord brought Vrubel to the grave, despite treatment.

"Mermaids". Ivan Kramskoy

Ivan Kramskoy decided to paint a picture based on the story by N.V. Gogol's "May Night, or the Drowned Woman". At the first exhibition at the Association of Itinerants, the painting was hung next to the pastoral “The Rooks Have Arrived” by Alexei Savrasov. On the very first night, the painting “Rooks” fell from the wall.

Soon Tretyakov bought both paintings, “The Rooks Have Arrived” took a place in the office, and “Mermaids” was exhibited in the hall. From that moment on, the servants and members of Tretyakov’s household began to complain about the mournful singing coming from the hall at night.

Moreover, people began to note that next to the painting they experienced a breakdown.

The mysticism continued until the old nanny advised to remove the mermaids from the light to the far end of the hall. Tretyakov followed the advice, and the strangeness stopped.

"On the death of Alexander III." Ivan Aivazovsky

When the artist learned about the death of the emperor Alexandra III, he was shocked and painted the picture without any order. According to Aivazovsky, the painting was supposed to symbolize the triumph of life over death. But, having finished the painting, Aivazovsky hid it and did not show it to anyone. The painting was first put on public display only 100 years later.

The painting is broken into fragments, a cross is depicted on the canvas, Peter and Paul Fortress and the figure of a woman in black.

The strange effect is that at a certain angle female figure turns into a laughing man. Some see this silhouette as Nicholas II, while others see Pakhom Andreyushkin, one of those terrorists who failed in the assassination attempt on the emperor in 1887.

The history of some paintings.

Over time, many works of art acquire a whole trail of stories. Good or not, completely different, unusual, often creepy, they add a certain aura to the most unassuming picture. By the way, such auras are perfectly visible to bioenergetics specialists and psychics. Events are also associated with the paintings. Whether they occur as a result or simply coincide in time - we will not argue. Here is a short overview of similar works.

The creation of the impressionist Monet “Water Lilies”.

One after another, for an unknown reason, the creator's workshop burned, then the owners' houses - a cabaret in Montmartre in Paris, the house of a French philanthropist, the New York Museum of Modern Arts. On this moment The painting behaves quietly and hangs calmly in the Mormoton Museum (France).

Another bad painting, “Venus with a Mirror,” is by Velazquez. It is believed that everyone who acquired it either died violent death, or went broke...

Even museums were very reluctant to include it in their exhibitions and the picture constantly migrated. Until one day a visitor attacked her, cutting the canvas with a knife.

Russian painting also has its oddities. Ever since school, everyone knows Perov’s Troika. The root of this trio is a little fair boy. Perov found a model for this image in Moscow. A woman with her 12-year-old son was walking down the street on a pilgrimage.

The woman lost all her other children and her husband, and Vasya became her last consolation. She really didn’t want the boy to pose, but later she agreed anyway. But after the painting was completed, very quickly, Vasya died... The woman asks to give her the picture, but the artist can no longer do it, the picture at that time is already in the Tretyakov Gallery. But Perov still paints a portrait of the boy and gives it to his mother.

Vrubel also has such hard work. The portrait of his son Savva was painted shortly before the boy’s unexpected death.
But “The Demon Defeated”…. Vrubel constantly rewrote it, changed the coloring, and it turned out that the work had a very serious impact on the artist’s psyche.

He never stopped working, even after the work was placed at the exhibition... Vrubel even came to the exhibition and worked on the canvas. Bekhterev himself examined him. As a result, the relatives call the psychiatrist Bekhterev and he makes a terrible diagnosis. Vrubel is placed in a hospital, where he soon dies.

More interesting couple paintings
One of them is “Maslenitsa”

The second belongs to Antonov.

The paintings gained particular fame in 2006, when a recording appeared on the Internet, allegedly on behalf of one teacher. Who stated that the copy belongs to the pen of a madman, but there is a feature in the picture that immediately points to mental disorder author. Many people start looking for this difference, but of course they don’t find it... or rather, there are many options offered, but it’s not possible to check for correctness... yet)

Another example was a portrait of Maria Lopukhina, painted during the time of Pushkin.
Her life was very short and almost immediately after creating the picture she died of tuberculosis.

Her father, rumored to be a Master Mason, managed to capture his daughter's spirit in a painting. And now every girl who looks at the portrait risks dying. She already has more than a dozen then young girls. In 1880, the painting was bought by philanthropist Tretyakov. After this, the rumors die down.

The next “dark” painting is “The Scream” by Munch. His life was one big black streak of tragedy - the death of his mother in early age, the death of a sister and brother, then the “schizophrenia” of another sister. In the 90s after nervous breakdown he is treated with electric shock. He is afraid of sex and therefore not to marry. Munch dies at the age of 81, having handed over his paintings (1200), sketches (4500) and 18,000 photographs.
Munch's main painting was his "The Scream".

Many who had to come into contact with the painting receive a blow of fate - they get sick, quarrel with loved ones, fall into severe depression or die. There are also a few that are completely scary stories. One employee, completely healthy man, he accidentally dropped it and as a result received attacks of headache with increasing severity, this lasted until the minister committed suicide. Another person who dropped the painting was in a car accident and received severe fractures of his arms, legs, ribs, pelvis and a concussion. And here we can include a curious visitor who poked the picture with his finger. A few days later he burns alive in his own house.

The Dutchman Pieter Bruegel the Elder wrote “The Adoration of the Magi” within two years.
The model for the Virgin Mary was his cousin, a barren woman who was beaten by her husband for this. It was she who caused the bad aura of the picture. The canvas was bought by collectors four times and after that, no children were born in the families for 10-12 years. In 1637, Jacob van Kampen bought the painting. By that time, he already had three descendants, so he was not afraid of the curse.

This is already a modern creation. Its author, a Japanese schoolgirl, drew it shortly before her suicide.
If you look at this image for about five minutes in a row, the girl in the picture changes - her eyes turn red, her hair turns black, and fangs grow.

“The Rain Woman” was written by Svetlana Taurus in 1996. Half a year before, she began to feel some kind of attention, observation. Then one day Svetlana approached the canvas and saw this woman there, her whole image, colors, textures. She painted the picture very quickly, it felt like someone was moving the artist’s hand.
After this, Svetlana tried to sell the painting. But the first buyer quickly returned the painting, because it seemed to her that there was someone in the apartment, she dreamed of this woman. There was a feeling of silence, a feeling of fear and anxiety. Rain. The same thing was repeated several more times. Now the painting hangs in one of the stores, but there are no more buyers for it. Although the artist thinks that the painting is simply waiting for its viewer, the one for whom it is intended.

And this picture was painted by Bill Stoneham. The scandal began after one of the exhibitions.

Mentally unstable people viewing this picture it became bad, they lost consciousness, started crying, etc. All in 1972, when the picture was painted...

It all started in 1972, when the picture was painted by Bill Stoneham old photograph, where he was photographed at age five and found in the Chicago house where he lived at the time (first photo).

The painting was first shown to the owner and art critic of the Los Angeles Times, who later died. Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe not. The painting was then acquired by actor John Marley (died 1984). Then the fun begins. The painting was found in a landfill among a pile of garbage. The family who found her brought her home and already on the first night the little four-year-old daughter ran into her parents’ bedroom screaming that the children in the picture were fighting. The next night, the head of the family set the video camera to be activated by movement in the room where the painting hung. The video camera went off several times.

The painting was put up for auction on eBay. Soon, eBay administrators began receiving alarming letters with complaints about deteriorating health, loss of consciousness, and even heart attacks. There was a warning on eBay (as well as in this post), but people are notoriously curious and many ignored the warning.

The painting was sold for 1025 USD, the starting price was 199 USD. The page with the painting was visited over 30,000 times, but mostly just for fun. It was bought by Kim Smith, who lived in a small town near Chicago. He was just looking for something for his newly renovated art gallery on the Internet. When he came across "Hands Resist Him" he initially thought that it was painted in the forties and would be perfect for him as an exhibit.

This would have been the end of the story, but letters now began to arrive at Smith's address. Many of them were as before with stories about feeling unwell after viewing the picture, but there were also those who wrote about the evil emanating from it. Others demanded that it simply be burned. Even Ed and Lorraine Warren, famous for exorcizing demons at the Amityville House in 1979, offered his services. Some even recalled the famous Satillo murder in the forested hills of California. The ghosts of two children are said to haunt the house in the hills. Psychics claimed: “We saw a boy. He wore a light T-shirt and shorts. His sister was always in the shadows. He seemed to protect her. Their names were Tom and Laura and they looked exactly like the children depicted in the picture.

Another picture from the same "opera"

The mysterious events associated with the painting “The Crying Boy,” which began to occur in 1985 in the UK, still excite the imagination and baffle researchers of this phenomenon.

The artist and author of the painting “The Crying Boy,” the father of the child depicted in it, mocked his son by lighting matches in front of the baby’s face. The fact is that the boy was deathly afraid of fire. And the man tried in this way to achieve the brightness, vitality and naturalness of the canvas. The boy cried - the artist painted. One day the kid shouted at his father: “Burn yourself!” A month later the child died of pneumonia. And a couple of weeks later, the artist’s charred body was found in his own house next to a painting of a crying boy that had survived the fire.

The unusual nature of this picture went unnoticed until Yorkshire fireman Peter Hall gave an interview to one of the major newspapers in England, in which he spoke about unusual phenomenon, which accompanied him almost the entire year. While fighting fires that broke out throughout Northern England, firefighters discovered that in all cases the fire started in the room where the painting "The Crying Boy" hung, but the most interesting thing was that no matter how strong the fire was, the painting always remained intact and untouched by fire.

Since ancient times, people have believed in mystical power paintings Enough to remember primitive tribes and them rock art, depicting scenes of a successful hunt: by depicting prey pierced by spears, ancient artists tried to clearly show the patron spirits what they expected from the coming day.

However, there are many legends and tales that tell of cursed paintings that bring misfortune and even death to their owners.

"The Demon Defeated" by Vrubel

Mikhail Alexandrovich Vrubel, one of the most famous artists Russia, distinguished himself with two “damned” paintings at once. The first painting, a portrait of his beloved son Savva, was painted shortly before the child’s death. A bitter loss in the artist’s family occurred unexpectedly: Savva fell ill and died suddenly.

During the same period, Mikhail Alexandrovich painted the painting “The Defeated Demon.” Its creation coincided with a serious deterioration in the artist’s physical and mental health, including the death of his young son. According to the memoirs of his contemporaries, he could not tear himself away from painting the picture, each time adding more and more new touches. Moreover, one day a Demon appeared to him in a dream and demanded that the painting be called an icon, since the beautiful defeated evil should be worshiped like other martyrs.

After the painting was sent to the exhibition, Vrubel followed it and continued to make changes to his work directly in exhibition hall. Realizing that he was becoming obsessed, Vrubel agreed to treatment at psychiatric clinic. However, the artist’s illness did not subside. Having improved your state of mind and returning to his former life, he began to lose his sight and last years spent his life in complete darkness.

"The Crying Boy" by Giovanni Bragolin

In 1985, a series of fires occurred in Northern England. Some victims claimed that of all their property, only a reproduction of the painting “The Crying Boy,” painted by Giovanni Bragolina, survived. Italian artists XX century. IN a short time A rumor spread throughout the country that the painting was cursed. It even got to the point that one of the printed publications published information that all owners of reproductions of this painting should immediately get rid of them, moreover, the acquisition and storage of copies of the painting was prohibited by the authorities.

According to legend, Bragolina used his son as a sitter for this painting, and to obtain the desired emotion, he burned matches in front of the baby’s face. This was especially cruel because the artist knew that his little son was experiencing panic fear in front of the fire.

In the end, the exhausted child shouted to his father: “Burn yourself!”, and these words were soon fulfilled. A couple of weeks later, the boy died of pneumonia, and soon the house in which his father was located burned down.

"Water Lilies" by Claude Monet

The canvas “Water Lilies” by the impressionist Claude Monet is also considered cursed: almost immediately after the painting was completed, a fire occurred in the artist’s workshop. "Water Lilies" survived.

In order to renovate his studio, Claude Monet sold the painting to the owner of one of the cabarets in Montmartre. Alas, the landscape did not decorate this entertainment establishment for long: in less than six months it turned into ashes. Did anything survive? Yes, the fire spared “Water Lilies” this time too.

Then the picture went to one of the Parisian patrons - Oscar Schmitz. And a year later his house burned to the ground: they say that the fire started in the room on the wall of which the painting hung. By the way, she survived again.

Similar stories were repeated over and over again, and in 1955 “Water Lilies” ended up in the New York Museum contemporary art. The picture did not please the eyes of visitors for long. Three years later, the second floor, on which the painting was displayed, was seriously damaged by fire. This time, the ill-fated masterpiece also perished in the fire.

"The Scream" by Edvard Munch

The painting “The Scream” by the famous Norwegian artist Edvard Munch is one of the most recognizable and quoted works of art. Its cost is estimated at tens of millions of dollars, but many people would probably refuse to hang it in their home, even if they got it for free. The fact is that many accidents and coincidences are associated with this painting, which makes one think about the curse that this painting carries.

Many people whose activities were in one way or another connected with the painting experienced it. negative impact: deepest depression, sudden death and breaking off relationships with loved ones is just the beginning of the list.

Located in the Oslo Museum, the painting did not forgive anyone who in one way or another encroached on its safety. So, one of the museum employees once accidentally dropped a masterpiece. Soon he began to have severe headaches, which drove him to suicide.

Another museum worker also accidentally dropped a painting while hanging it from one wall to another. A few days later, he was in a terrible car accident, suffering a concussion and serious broken limbs.

As you know, museum exhibits cannot be touched. The violator of this rule, who touched the canvas with his fingers, burned alive in his house a couple of days after that.