PARANORMAL PALETTES Stories of haunted paintings and ghostly apparitions have long wrapped their icy fingers around the world of art. Creepy tales include 1972’s ‘The Hands Resist Him’ by American Bill Stoneham, which is also known as the ‘eBay Haunted Painting’. According to legend, the painting’s characters – a little boy and girl – have been witnessed moving during the night, with the boy attempting to flee the artwork entirely. Bragolin’s ‘The Crying Boy’, which has been blamed for a spate of fatal house fires. Don’t mind us; we’re just cowering behind our easels. Further spooks include Italian painter Giovanni
HUE’S THAT GIRL? While male artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso and Monet may have dominated much of history, the role of women in art cannot be brushed to one side. In fact, according to the Roman writer Pliny the Elder, the first-ever drawing was by a woman named Dibutades, who traced the silhouette of her lover on a wall. And although often dismissed as ‘craft’ rather than fine art, needlework and embroidery have played an important part in the weaving of our art history. Famous examples include the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry: a colossal 230-ft textile document which reveals the past of medieval Britain. Art has also provided women with a voice, with feminist artists and photographers such as Frida Kahlo, Eve Arnold and Mary Beth Edelson changing the art landscape forever.
Elizabeth I (bottom left),
Caroline Shotton
Marilyn Taking
Direction - The Misfits, 1960 (right), Eve Arnold
A ROYAL COLLECTION In an age of Instagram selfies and Snapchat filters, it may seem incredible that meticulously painted portraits were once the only way to document one’s visage. Historically reserved for the upper classes, this tradition is particularly associated with royalty. The first royal portrait is believed to be that of King Henry VII, which was painted by an unknown Netherlandish artist in 1505. Today’s reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has been painted by some of the world’s most famous artists – including Lucian Freud and Andy Warhol.
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