It is well known that the contemplation of paintings of great artists inspires people, encultures them. That’s what the art is aimed at. Still, there are a number of pictures that are really scary. Those who look at these pictures for a long time feel bad. There are even legends about various troubles that chase the owners of ‘scary’ pictures. These paintings have a bad reputation, because they don’t evoke aesthetic pleasure, but nevertheless, they are still popular. Let’s get familiar with some of the most famous ‘scary’ paintings.
The Hands Resist Him by Bill Stoneham – this picture is recognized as one of the most scary paintings in the world. It is painted by Bill Stoneham, an artist from Oakland, California, in 1972. The painting shows two children standing at the closed glass door. Apparently, they are a brother and a sister. Lots of hands are trying to get out of the door, only fragile glass is holding them back. No one who has ever looked at the children’s faces can remain indifferent. After seeing this picture, people complained of feeling sick, suffering from heart attacks and fainting. The painting abounds in legends as if children at the picture move in the night and even fight.
The Crying Boy by Bruno Amadio – the painting shows a small upset boy with tears flowing down his cheeks. The artist so really portrayed the boy’s grief on his face, that no one can look at him without being upset. Children even start crying. This picture is also surrounded by scary legends about death and fire. This picture was even declared cursed, because it was believed that it continued to cause fires in those buildings where it was displayed.
Salvador Dali’s ‘Premonition of Civil War’ is a famous painting, one of the most exciting and terrifying pictures in the world. The painting shows in close up two fighting mutant monsters consisting of pieces of human bodies. They are locked in a terrible battle, face of one of them is distorted by pain, they look like a body that is torn by itself. It feels fearful and disgusting. You can’t stay indifferent or remain the same after casting a look at the painting. It leaves a trace, an imprint in the human’s soul, being caused by the intensity of human emotions. And the peaceful background of the picture only intensifies the emotional contrast of the painting.
Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ – this picture also has a bad repute. Rumors say that people felt sick, fell into a severe depression and died under the influence of this picture. It brings bad luck to those who dropped or touched it. The painting shows a man standing on the bridge: a dark figure, full of despair, against the blood-red sky. Or it’s not a man but rather death in the human form: a bare pate, wide open eyes and mouth, a black shroud. The scream as if runs through the nature around, and the frozen in terror figure is trying to protect himself from it. Mad suffering is passed on to anyone who stares at the picture.
Painting by Francis Bacon – Bacon’s paintings are sold at auctions for a fortune. At first glance, his paintings don’t seem terrifying, but if you take a second look, you’ll get a desire to shrink and hide somewhere. The artist seemed to ‘blow mind’ with his art. Bacon’s painting conveys the tragedy of existence. The artist uses his brush to turn people into ugly creatures – chopped monsters. His painting is near the fault line, it bids defiance to the nature and all living things.
It is difficult to understand why such scary pictures become very popular and famous, why they cost a fortune, and in spite of the adversities they are thought to bring, people are interested in them and even buy them. Maybe these pictures are popular precisely because they cause a strong emotional response. They seem to enter into a dialogue with you, challenge you, don’t make you relax or remain indifferent.
However, when a person is learning to paint, his goal is most of all to join the beautiful and learn how to create something beautiful. These drawing lessons are not possible to set up contemplating ‘scary’ or ‘mystical’ paintings. If you’d like to look at 5 most famous paintings in the world, read on the previous post.