After the researchers illuminated the canvas with X-rays, they came to the conclusion that two more paintings are hidden in the "Black Square" by Kazimir Malevich. It turned out that there were two more images under the layer of paint on it. Made in the style of Suprematism.
This direction in painting was invented by the artist himself. It is based on three figures: a square, a cross and a circle. For a long time it was believed that the "Black Square" is an artist's attempt to depict the foundation of his art, but during the scanning, the inscription "Battle of the Negroes in the Dark Cave" was found on the canvas. What is it? Is the second title of the work or does this sentence have a hidden meaning? Art critics are now looking for answers to these questions.
What other works of artists have a "double bottom"? How do geniuses encrypt hidden messages for future generations?
Kazimir Malevich and "Black Square"
In fact, Malevich's Black Square is neither black nor square, as it turned out two more paintings are hidden under the top layer of paint. How did they get there?
You can even see the hidden paintings with the naked eye. If you look closely, the black square literally shimmers with other colors.
In the cracks on the canvas, it shines through, then green, then pink. Maybe Malevich just experimented with color and the result of these experiments was a black square?
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Scientists admit that the pictures found under the "Black Square" are not an encrypted message, but a simple economy. canvases at the time of the artist were not cheap material. How then did the inscription end up under the layer of paint? What does the author's signature "Battle of the Negroes in the Dark Cave" mean?
According to art critics, this may be a reference to the playful painting by Alphonse Allais, which was a completely black rectangle.
The researchers hope that their discovery will finally put an end to numerous discussions about the meaning of Malevich's legendary painting. More often, the opposite happens, secret images generate more questions than answers.
Portrait of Isabella de Medici
Recently, art critics have come across a kind of picturesque Photoshop, a portrait of Isabella de Medici, painted in the 16th century.
For centuries, people thought the Duchess looked like this.
However, under the top layer of cracked paint, experts discovered a different image of an aristocrat with an ugly face and disproportionately large hands.
It is likely that the duchess was made younger and prettier, so that the painting would be more in demand and could be sold at a higher price.
Van Gogh and "The Fighters"
By the way, money was the main reason why new layers of paint appeared in Van Gogh's paintings. It is known that only a few works were sold during the artist's lifetime. Suffering from lack of demand and lack of money, Van Gogh often painted one picture on top of another, so at first the painting Wrestlers (on the right) was painted, and later Still life with meadow flowers and roses (on the left).
"Portrait of Madame X" by John Sargent
Sometimes it was not poverty or impulsiveness that forced the artists to change their images, but the fear of scandal.
Portrait of Madame X by John Singer Sargent, painted in 1884, immediately became the subject of controversy and condemnation. The picture was considered indecent, because the lady depicted on it, the famous socialite beauty Virginie Gautreau, was in a dress with a strap that had fallen from her right shoulder.
The insulted family demanded that the painting be removed from the collection of the Paris salon where it was exhibited. Fearing that his work would be destroyed, Sargent drew a shoulder strap in the right place. Now the portrait is on display at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, whose specialists showed the world the previous version.
Thanks to modern technologies, the hidden becomes apparent and the canvases of famous painters acquire a new history and meanings.
