Astronomical incidents and mistakes in artists' paintings. Great mistakes of great artists. "The hands resist him"

No one on Earth is immune from cretinism, which affects not only mere mortals, but also generally recognized geniuses. Therefore, let's indulge our pride and see what mistakes the masters of fine art made in their works.

7. Large Romanesque crucifix of San Damino

(San Damiano)

It was made by the hand of an unknown craftsman 4 centuries before the events unfolding in the game Assassin’s Creed 2 (XI century). He is best known for the fact that St. Francis of Assisi prayed before him shortly before receiving God's gift of vision to reform the Roman Catholic Church.

Let's take a closer look at this product of ancient masters.

The San Damino Crucifix set the standard for all religious Christian icons, which remained unchanged for many hundreds of years. This continued until his reproduction adorned one of the walls of the church in Warr Acres, Oklahoma, where most believers, with a shudder in their souls and hearts, saw the divine abs in the form of... better look at the original and the artist’s work for yourself a bum, or just a mischievous joker who decided to add a little overt eroticism to the image of the idol of millions of people. Or maybe the poor guy just thought that real abs have a phallic shape!? Ultimately, the would-be artist was called to account and forced to remake his creation.

6. Norman Rockwell gave a man a third leg

People who understand absolutely nothing about art most often notice in a Norman Rockwell painting something that is hidden from the eyes of experts and art lovers.

Norman Rockwell was a real printing press, producing a little over 4,000 paintings in his lifetime, most of which show the lives of average Americans doing completely ordinary and unremarkable things.

However, despite its apparent simplicity, his works have found and continue to find their admirers, who claim that Rockwell is the greatest artist of the 19th century.

His paintings, written for spreads in The Saturday Evening Post, are the clearest example of the work of this man, who glorified the culture of the entire American society. Every two weeks, he drew new covers for this newspaper, which were imbued with the American spirit and exposed the American dream to the whole world in all its glory.

This artist not only embellished reality, but extolled the United States to heights unattainable for other countries, thereby pushing the idea of the “American Dream” to the masses.

His classic, People Reading Stock Exchange, depicting four people poring over stock quotes, graced the front page of the newspaper. However, the overtired master made one mistake, having noticed which, a European resident could interpret the artist’s idea in only one way: America is inhabited by mutants!

What's wrong with this?

The young man in the red shirt appears to be leaning on his third leg! As you can see, two of his legs are brought together and straightened, while the third, hidden by the apron, is bent at the knee, allowing him to rest his hand on it.

Rockwell realized that he had drawn something wrong only several months later and was frankly shocked by his inattention. Describing the biography of this outstanding man, a writer named Richard Halpern wrote that Mr. Norman Rockwell was reluctant to talk about the painting “Men Reading Stock Exchange Reports” and called the third leg nothing more than an unidentified phallic object.

It seems that all the outstanding artists of the past were obsessed with the male reproductive organs!? Will the entire article really be devoted to finding phallic images in old paintings?

5. Michelangelo’s favorite women... or is it men?

However, any modern person who decides to take a closer look at Michelangelo’s work will conclude that the artist was either not indifferent to pumped-up female bodybuilders, who did not yet exist in nature in the 16th century, or had a hidden passion for athletically built transvestites.

Michelangelo is a universally recognized genius in the history of all mankind, but the question inevitably arises: what was he thinking when he painted a woman who looks exactly like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his heyday?

In principle, everything would not be so bad if one fine day the artist did not get the idea to start painting these busty Hercules naked.

Solution!

Most historians are convinced that Michelangelo was a homosexual. To divert any suspicion from his orientation, he diluted the images of naked men in his works with female bodies, for which weightlifters who posed for the artist served as models.

That is why most of the fairer sex who came from his pen do not look weak at all. This fact is also supported by the shape of women’s breasts, which look clumsy and unnatural.

Just look at these beautiful ‘female’ breasts, which could be called silicone if plastic surgeons practiced in the 16th century:

Even more terrible, as if glued, is the breast of the ‘woman’ in the fresco “The Last Judgment”, which adorns the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel:

4. Moses didn't have horns... or did he?

No, this horned fiend of hell is not the devil, but Moses, as he was depicted in the Ten Commandments - the instructions of the 10 basic laws that believers believe were given to the Jewish prophet by the Lord God himself.

There are a huge number of paintings, sculptures and other works of art representing the biblical hero in satanic guise.

Why the hell do I make devil horns on Moses' head?

If God really exists, then he definitely has nothing to do with the Bible that has survived to this day. This is also supported by the fact that throughout its history the Holy Scriptures have been rewritten countless times, acquiring new doctrines and rules that churchmen imposed on believers throughout the existence of Christianity.

Another obstacle to the 'Word of God' was tongues; so one sentence in biblical Hebrew can have a completely different meaning, for example, in Russian. The reason for this confusion was the presence in the original source of words that simply do not have synonyms in other cultures. The mentality of speakers of different languages, who can perceive the same phrase in completely different ways, also added a fly in the ointment to the understanding of the Holy Scriptures.

Therefore, there is a strong possibility that Moses acquired his demonic horns thanks to the work of the notorious Saint Jerome, who made a rather clumsy translation of the Bible from Hebrew to Latin. By the way, this translation was later called the Vulgate (latin for public translation) and became extremely popular.

The innocent oversight of the author, who decided that believers would rather have horns like those of the fucking devil than the snotty horn-shaped rays illuminating the face of the prophet, resulted in a real creative tsunami that has been raging in the minds of art people for almost 1000 years.

The most famous product of this cataclysm was the marble statue of “Moses” by our old friend Michelangelo, which occupies the central part in the sculptural tomb of Pope Julius II in the Roman Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli:

While working on the sculpture, Michelangelo learned about an error in the translation, but in order not to enter into conflict with the clergy, he still left the horns.

Thus, our good old Mike became the first of a galaxy of talented artists who, through his creativity, strengthened in the hearts of believers the misconception about the true appearance of the Jewish prophet.

3. William Penn waves hello to Philadelphians with his... penis

If anyone doesn’t know, William Penn is one of the founding fathers of the American state, who founded a refuge colony for free-thinking Europeans, which he named Pennsylvania in his honor.

The giant bronze colossus of the founder of Pennsylvania was erected in 1894 at the very top of the Philadelphia City Hall clock tower.

The height of the bronze idol, laughing at the top of its lungs at the long-suffering residents of the city, is almost 11.28 meters, which puts this monumental creation of human hands in first place in the list of the tallest statues installed on top of buildings.

What do the founding father and the male reproductive organ have in common?

When traveling around the USA, be sure to look into the beautiful town called Philadelphia and ask this immodest, but so tormenting question to one of the local residents... it’s better, of course, to choose a guy or a group of guys who are healthier - they certainly should know.

Your interlocutor, flushed with shame and embarrassment, will certainly send you to hell, but not before pointing his middle finger up in the direction of the majestic statue of William Penn, waving his... You won't believe it, giant bronze penis.

However, when you come closer to the statue, you will understand that your perverted imagination has played a cruel joke on you - no, the founding father is really waving at you, but not with his manhood, but with his right hand.

The sculptor of this monument was Alexander Milne Calder, who most likely thought that the city residents would look up at his creation, standing under the clock tower.

However, the best view of this statue opens up to pedestrians walking along 1 Penn Square, who shyly drop their gaze at the sight of the founding father's protruding belongings.

See what William Penn's hand looks like from JFK Plaza:

We can only guess whether the hand-penis was the author’s idea or whether the degradation of modern society, which catches a hint of genital organs in all objects with phallic shapes, is to blame.

2. Playful little hands or secret passions of Rembrandt

This is, of course, complete crap that smacks of homophobia, but some historians are convinced that Rembrandt was a homosexual and cite as proof of this the painting “The Night Watch” (De Nachtwacht), painted by him in 1642, in which, supposedly, the brilliant artist depicted the shadow of the hands of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, giving orders to the musketeers, reaching towards the groin area of Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch.

Despite all its absurdity, this ridiculous theory caused a lot of noise and was further developed.

Fans of historical secrets and conspiracies agreed that Rembrandt, who did not like the warrior, wanted to ridicule the customers of the painting, which, no matter how much he wanted, he could not refuse to paint.

Adding fuel to the fire is the girl standing in the background, on whose belt hangs a dead rooster, gently hinting at the unconventional orientation of the musketeers. In addition, ridiculing the narrow-minded mind of Captain Cock, Rembrandt depicted him with a smart look, holding another right hand in a gloved right hand glove. An x-ray of the painting also showed that the groin area of Reutenburg underwent the greatest number of changes during the painting of the canvas.

1. Crazy Horse Memorial by Korczak Ziulkowski

The sculpture by Korczak Ziolkowski depicts a famous episode in American Indian history when a pale man asked an Oglala Lakota warrior named Crazy Horse, “Where is your land now?” Crazy Horse responded. pointed into the distance and answered the conqueror: “My lands are where my grave is.”

In different cultures, hand gestures have different meanings, for example, what in Russia means a friendly greeting, among African tribes can be regarded as a challenge to a mortal fight.

Korczak Ziulkowski, in this case, depicted Crazy Horse with an outstretched arm and an extended index finger, which among the Indians is a rude gesture full of aggression, hatred and contempt, the softest analogue of which is the middle finger of the hand extended upward, accompanied by the phrase, beloved all over the world, “ FUCK YOU."

Thus, this gesture gives a completely different meaning to Crazy Horse's phrase, which all Native Americans quote as follows: “My land is where your graves are.”

“The essence of a historical picture is guessing. If only the spirit of the times is respected, you can make any mistakes in the details,” Vasily Ivanovich Surikov argued to critics of his masterpiece “Boyarina Morozova,” who blamed the painter for being slapdash: there is not enough room for the coachman, the noblewoman’s hand is too long and unnaturally twisted... How many other such mistakes have great artists made? “Secrets of the 20th Century” offers a closer look at famous paintings and a new look at the work of great artists...

I don't recognize you in makeup!

Let's start the story with one of the greatest masters of the brush - Leonardo da Vinci. He made an involuntary mistake in the process of creating the famous “Last Supper”: if you look at it more closely, you will notice that Christ and Judas look alike.

Leonardo da Vinci, "The Last Supper"

The fact is that da Vinci quickly found a model for the role of Jesus - he became a church choir singer, but the search for Judas dragged on for three years. In the end, Leonardo came across a suitable drunkard, wallowing in the mud of an Italian street.

The artist took the tramp to the nearest tavern and began to sketch the appearance of Judas. When the drawing was completed, it turned out that in front of da Vinci... was the same singer who posed for him several years ago.

Another mistake (if you can call it that) was made by da Vinci in the painting “The Annunciation”, where the Archangel Gabriel received from the artist such small wings that he would hardly have been able to descend on them to the sinful earth without injury.

Leonardo da Vinci, "The Annunciation"

Leonardo justified himself by saying that his wings were anatomically correct, because they were copied from birds, but an unknown author later added solidity and width to the wings of the archangel. True, in the end the composition in the picture was disrupted, and the wings began to look bulky and somewhat grotesque.

Left! Left!

The semi-anecdotal story with the monument to Lenin, where the leader of the world proletariat poses with two caps - one on his head, the other in his hand - turns out to have a historical prototype.

Fragment of Rembrandt's painting "The Night Watch".

Harmens van Rijn Rembrandt in his painting “The Performance of the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg” (better known as “The Night Watch”) depicted the watch commander Cock with two right gloves: one on his hand, and the other in the same hand .

And the famous Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, when creating the canvas “The Union of Earth and Water,” for some reason endowed Venus with two right hands - the depicted left one, lying on Neptune’s hand, is not at all similar to the left one.

Peter Paul Rubens, "The Union of Earth and Water."

Another artist of the Baroque era, the Italian Caravaggio, in the painting “Supper at Emmaus” also imagined and depicted a basket filled with fruit and denying the laws of physics - standing on the edge of the table, it does not turn over. Perhaps because Jesus himself is sitting at the table?

Caravaggio, "Supper at Emmaus"

If we continue the topic of shapeshifters, then we cannot help but mention the mistake in Ilya Repin’s film “Barge Haulers on the Volga”: there the artel is dragging a barge on which the flag is for some reason turned upside down.

The face of Vincent van Gogh in his famous “Self-Portrait with a Cut Off Ear” also turned out to be upside down. There the eccentric artist is depicted with a bandaged ear, but in reality he injured his left ear - whereas in the picture his right one was injured!

Native birches

As for inaccuracies in the paintings of domestic artists, it seems that here we are ahead of the rest. So, when the same Ilya Repin, in the process of painting the painting “The Cossacks Write a Letter to the Turkish Sultan,” discovered that the surroundings and clothing of the characters did not quite correspond to reality, he abandoned the first draft and began to paint the painting again.

Ilya Repin "The Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish Sultan."

However, today it will be very difficult for a non-specialist to determine which of the options we can see on the Internet - correct or incorrect.

Several mistakes were made in Viktor Vasnetsov’s painting “Bogatyrs”. If we rely on historical data and take the age of Ilya Muromets as a standard, it turns out that at that time Dobrynya Nikitich should already be a grey-bearded, feeble old man, and Alyosha Popovich should be a little boy, whereas on the canvas they are depicted almost the same age. And Alyosha, who is right-handed (which is confirmed by the sword hanging on the left), for some reason hung his quiver to the left, making it very difficult for himself to pull arrows out of it in battle.

Emperor Nicholas I turned out to be a very strict critic of painting, for whom the Bavarian battle painter Peter von Hess undertook to paint 12 large paintings depicting the main battles of the Patriotic War of 1812.

So, having examined the first painting “The Battle of Vyazma,” the sovereign ordered “to write to Kiel (the court painter) that... the emperor was extremely pleased with Hesse’s painting... but... the officers’ coats are buttoned on the left side in the picture, while in our country all officers are buttoned on the right side, and the number of buttons on each side should be only 6.

There should be no braid on a non-commissioned officer's overcoat. The cadet's sword belts do not use slings for wearing. Do not make white piping from under ties.” However, von Hess did not have to finish the work - the mistakes listed by the sovereign were corrected by professors and students of the battle class of the Academy of Arts.

Peter von Hess, “The Battle of Vyazma”

The painter also got it from the next emperor, Alexander II, who, having examined the next canvas, ordered “that in the picture depicting the battle of Klyastitsy, among the soldiers of the Life Guards Pavlovsky Regiment, which is in the foreground, Professor Villevalde rewrote the uniforms that existed in that time."

Fortunately for von Hess, neither Nicholas I nor Alexander II saw in the “Battle of Vyazma” in the hands of Russian soldiers rifles from the future, which were not yet in service at that time, and a monogram instead of an eight-pointed star from the Life Cuirassier Imperial Majesties regiments in “ Battle of Borodino."

“With the greatest curiosity we examined...“The passage of French troops across the Berezina in 1812,” wrote the famous Russian writer F.V. Bulgarin in the newspaper “Northern Bee”. - In this picture, in our opinion, there are half the beauties and half the flaws. All great artists and experts laugh at us, but we will frankly say that the first thing that caught our eye was a non-Russian matting on a Russian cart. Whatever you say, this trifle makes an impression.

Peter von Hess. Crossing the Berezina

The grass matting is light fawn, the kind in which coffee is brought to us from America, and is so large that it covers the entire cart. This doesn't smell like Russia! Why, we ask, where did the brand new open suitcase come from on the same cart? Let's ask how one of the travel strollers survived, with umbrellas and canes in leather cases tied to the back of the stroller? Where and why is this Kalmyk galloping in a close crowd of infantrymen? After all, he will pass them on..."

However, Bulgarin draws an unexpected conclusion from everything written: “The color, as in all of Mr. Hesse’s paintings, is pale, but the picture generally belongs to wonderful works of art.”

And you’re right, Thaddeus Venediktovich is right!..

Yuri DANILOV

This entry was originally posted at

“The essence of a historical picture is guessing. If only the spirit of the times is respected, you can make any mistakes in the details,” Vasily Ivanovich Surikov argued to critics of his masterpiece “Boyarina Morozova”, who blamed the painter for being lazy: there is not enough room for the coachman, the noblewoman’s hand is too long and unnaturally twisted... How many other such mistakes have great artists made? “Secrets of the 20th Century” offers a closer look at famous paintings and a new look at the work of great artists...

I don't recognize you in makeup!

Leonardo da Vinci, "The Last Supper"

Leonardo da Vinci, "The Annunciation"

Left! Left!

The semi-anecdotal story with the monument to Lenin, where the leader of the world proletariat poses with two caps - one on his head, the other in his hand - turns out to have a historical prototype.

Fragment of Rembrandt's painting "The Night Watch".

Peter Paul Rubens, "The Union of Earth and Water."

Caravaggio, "Supper at Emmaus"

Native birches

Ilya Repin "The Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish Sultan."

However, today it will be very difficult for a non-specialist to determine which of the options we can see on the Internet - correct or incorrect.

Peter von Hess, “The Battle of Vyazma”

Peter von Hess. Crossing the Berezina

However, Bulgarin draws an unexpected conclusion from everything written: “The color, as in all of Mr. Hesse’s paintings, is pale, but the picture generally belongs to wonderful works of art.”

And you’re right, Thaddeus Venediktovich is right!..

Yuri DANILOV

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Artists are those eccentrics, undoubtedly talented and who from time to time love to hide many interesting Easter eggs on their canvases for us, contemplators.

website shares with you interesting but subtle details in the paintings of famous artists that will surprise, make you laugh and make you reconsider your view of art.

1. Van Gogh's hidden paintings

For quite a long time, there have been disputes between eminent art historians regarding the authorship of the painting “Still Life with Meadow Flowers and Roses,” which has been kept in the collections of the Dutch Kröller-Muller Museum since 1974.

Only now, thanks to modern technology, have specialists been able to identify the author of the painting, and it turned out to be Van Gogh. During the examination, it turned out that hidden under the still life was another work by Van Gogh, which depicts two half-naked wrestlers. Scientists know that the artist quite often painted wrestlers, painting them over afterwards.

2. Hieronymus Bosch “The Garden of Earthly Delights”

In his triptych called The Garden of Earthly Delights, Bosch hid many different symbols for us. The picture is conventionally divided into Heaven, Hell and the Earthly Idyll, each panel of which contains many entertaining Easter eggs. But the man from the side of Hell who has music notes on his buttocks has gained particular popularity. These notes were “voiced” and called “Melody from Hell.”

3. Nude Mona Lisa

It is impossible not to notice the similarities between the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci and a little-known sketch called "Monna Vanna", which depicts a naked girl. Previously it was believed that the first painting was painted by the little-known artist Salai, a student of da Vinci. However, researchers from the Louvre, after a series of examinations, refuted this theory, proving that the canvas entirely belongs to the hand of the eminent artist.

4. Michelangelo's Revenge

The Pope's master of ceremonies, while inspecting the almost completed Last Judgment, insulted Michelangelo's work, pointing to naked bodies and saying that such a place belongs only in taverns and public baths.

For this, the wounded Michelangelo depicted a man on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the form of the god of hell with donkey ears, which means stupidity, and with a snake biting in the groin.

5. Marc Chagall “Above the City”

In his painting “Above the City,” Marc Chagall depicted a couple soaring above the village - himself and his beloved Bella Rosenfeld, elevating his feelings above ordinary human needs. Imbued with romantic trends, the artist, however, did not forget, in the form of self-indulgence, to introduce notes of everyday prosaicism into his creation, as if comparing the sublime and the ordinary. So, in contrast to the lovers, a man appeared on the canvas, relieving himself.

6. Jacques-Louis David “The Oath of the Horatii”

The heroes of David’s painting swear allegiance to their homeland, raising their hands in a gesture that is known to everyone as a fascist greeting, popularly called the “zig”.

Therefore, art historians boldly suggest that Jacques Louis David is considered the “discoverer” of this gesture, which is made by the Horace brothers in his famous painting. Only after a while did Mussolini borrow this gesture from the French artist.

7. Norman Rockwell "People Read Stock Reports"

Norman Rockwell was a terrible workaholic and during his life he painted about 4,000 canvases about the life of average Americans.

However, when creating the painting “People Read Stock Reports,” he lost his vigilance and gave the man a third leg. Taking a closer look, you can see that both legs on the canvas are straight, and the half-bent one, on which the hand rests, turns out to be the third. The artist himself noticed the mistake only a few months later and was shocked by his inattention.

8. Portrait of Bill Clinton

20 years after painting the portrait of Bill Clinton, author Nelson Shanks admitted that the shadow over the fireplace symbolizes the events surrounding the sex scandal between the 24th President of America and White House employee Monica Lewinsky. While working on the painting, the artist took a mannequin dressed in a blue dress, which cast a shadow on the fireplace, as well as on Clinton's reputation.

On December 3, 1961, a significant event took place at the New York Museum of Modern Art - Matisse’s painting “The Boat,” which had been hanging upside down for 46 days, was properly rehung. It is worth saying that this is not an isolated funny incident associated with paintings by great artists.

Pablo Picasso painted one of his famous portraits in less than 5 minutes

Once, one of Pablo Picasso’s acquaintances, looking at his new works, sincerely said to the artist: “Sorry, but I can’t understand this. Such things simply don’t exist.” To which Picasso retorted: “You don’t even understand Chinese. But it still exists." However, many did not understand Picasso. Once he invited the Russian writer Ehrenburg, his good friend, to paint his portrait. He happily agreed, but before he could sit down in a chair to pose, the artist announced that everything was ready.

Ehrenburg expressed surprise at the speed of execution of the work, because not even 5 minutes had passed, to which Picasso replied: “I have known you for 40 years. And all these 40 years I have been learning to paint portraits in 5 minutes.”

Ilya Repin helped sell a painting he didn’t paint

One lady bought at the market for only 10 rubles a completely mediocre painting, on which the signature “I. Repin” proudly flaunted. When the art connoisseur showed this work to Ilya Efimovich, he laughed and added “This is not Repin” and signed his autograph. After some time, an enterprising lady sold a painting by an unknown artist with the autograph of the great master for 100 rubles.

The bears in Shishkin’s famous painting were painted by another artist

There is an unspoken law among artists - professional mutual assistance. After all, each of them has not only favorite stories and strengths, but also weaknesses, so why not help each other. Thus, it is known for certain that for the painting “Pushkin on the Seashore” by Aivazovsky, the figure of the great poet was drawn by Repin, and for Levitan’s painting “Autumn Day. Sokolniki" the lady in black was painted by Nikolai Chekhov. The landscape painter Shishkin, who could draw every blade of grass and needle in his paintings, could not create bears when creating the painting “Morning in a Pine Forest.” That’s why Savitsky painted the bears for Shishkin’s famous painting.

A piece of fiberboard, over which paint was simply poured, became one of the most expensive paintings

The most expensive painting in the world in 2006 was Jackson Pollock's Number 5, 1948. At one auction the painting went for $140 million. This may seem funny, but the artist didn’t really “bother” with the creation of this painting: he simply poured paint over a piece of fiberboard laid out on the floor.

Rubens encrypted the date of creation of his painting using the stars.

For a long time, art historians and scientists could not establish the date of creation of one of Rubens’s most famous paintings - the painting “The Feast of the Gods on Olympus”. The mystery was resolved only after astronomers took a closer look at the picture. It turned out that the characters in the picture were located in exactly the same order as the planets were located in the sky in 1602.

The Chupa Chups logo was drawn by the world famous surrealist

In 1961, Enrique Bernata, owner of the Chupa Chups company, asked artist Salvador Dali to come up with an image for a candy wrapper. Dali fulfilled the request. Today this image, although in a slightly modified form, is recognizable on the company's lollipops.

It is worth noting that in 1967 in Italy, with the blessing of the Pope, a unique version of the Bible with illustrations by Salvador Dali was released.

The most expensive painting Flour brings misfortune

Munch's "The Scream" was sold at auction for $120 million and is the artist's most expensive painting today. They say that Munch, whose life path was a series of tragedies, put so much grief into it that the picture absorbed negative energy and takes revenge on the offenders.

One of the Munch Museum employees somehow accidentally dropped a painting, after which he began to suffer from terrible headaches, which led this man to suicide. Another museum employee, unable to hold onto the painting, was involved in a terrible car accident just a few minutes later. And a museum visitor who allowed himself to touch the painting, after some time, burned alive in a fire. However, it is possible that these are just coincidences.

Malevich's "Black Square" has an "older brother"

“Black Square,” which is perhaps the most famous painting by Kazimir Malevich, is a canvas 79.5 * 79.5 centimeters, on which a black square is depicted on a white background. Malevich painted his painting in 1915. And back in 1893, 20 years before Malevich, Alphonse Allais, a French humorist writer, painted his “black square”. True, Allais’s painting was called “Battle of Negroes in a Deep Cave on a Dark Night.”

Last Supper. Leonardo da Vinci.

Once on the street the artist saw a drunkard who was unsuccessfully trying to get out of a cesspool. Da Vinci took him to one of the drinking establishments, sat him down and began to draw. Imagine the artist’s surprise when, having opened up, the drunkard admitted that he had already posed for him several years ago. It turned out that this was the same singer.