Works of art can carry a certain hidden meaning, which sometimes can be deciphered. We offer you a selection of ten masterpieces of painting, in which we managed to find secret signs.
Mona Lisa: there is a hidden code in her eyes
Typically, Mona Lisa's power is attributed to the intriguing smile depicted on the woman's face. However, historians from Italy have found that if you look at the eyes of La Gioconda under a microscope, you can see letters and numbers.
Experts say that these subtle numbers and letters represent something like the "Da Vinci Code" in real life: the letters "LV" are visible in the right eye, which may well mean the name of the artist, Leonardo da Vinci, and there are symbols in the left eye too, but they have not yet been identified. It is very difficult to see them clearly, but most likely they are either the letters "CE" or the letter "B".
In the arch of the bridge in the background you can see the number 72, or it could be the letter "L" and a two. In addition, the painting shows the number 149 with an erased four, which may indicate the date of the painting - da Vinci painted it during his stay in Milan in the 1490s.
It is important to remember that the painting is almost 500 years old, so the hidden signs are not visible as clearly and clearly as they could be immediately after its creation.
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"The Last Supper": the picture contains mathematical and astrological puzzles and a musical melody
The Last Supper is the subject of much speculation, usually focusing on alleged hidden messages and hints encrypted in the painting.
Slavisa Pesci, an information technologist, achieved an interesting visual effect by superimposing a mirrored translucent version of the painting over the original. As a result, two Templar-like figures appeared at both ends of the table, and another person became visible to the left of Jesus - perhaps a woman with a baby in her arms.
The Italian musician Giovanni Maria Pala pointed out that the position of the hands and bread can be interpreted as notes in a piece of music, and if read from right to left, as was typical for Leonardo's writing style, they form a musical composition.
Vatican researcher Sabrina Sforza Galizia, said she deciphered the "mathematical and astrological" puzzle contained in The Last Supper. According to her, the artist predicted a global flood and the coming end of the world, which will begin on March 21, 4006, and end on November 1 of the same year - she believes that this will be the beginning of a new era for humanity.
"Creation of Adam": the divine origin of the mind
Michelangelo's Creation of Adam has stood the test of time, not only as the most famous fresco in the Sistine Chapel, but also as one of the most iconic images in human history.
Michelangelo is recognized as one of the greatest painters and sculptors of the Italian Renaissance, but it is not widely known that he thoroughly studied anatomy and, at the age of 17, dismembered corpses excavated in a churchyard.
American neuroanatomy experts believe that Michelangelo did use some anatomical knowledge when working on the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel.
Although some may consider this a coincidence, experts suggest that Michelangelo could hardly have written such a painting by chance: in the fresco you can even see the outlines of such complex parts of the brain as the cerebellum, optic nerve and pituitary gland. And in the very figure of Adam, stretching out his hand to God, one can discern the outlines of the bridge of Varoli and the spine.
Frescoes of the Sistine Chapel: some of them show parts of the human brain
As in the case of the "Creation of Adam", among the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, there is another mural with a figure of God, containing a secret message.
Experts noticed that God's chest and neck have anatomical abnormalities that no other human figure on the murals has. In addition, while most of the figures are lit diagonally from the lower left edge, the sun's rays fall on the neck of God at a right angle - the researchers concluded that the genius made such an inaccuracy on purpose.
If you superimpose the image of the strange neck of God on a photograph of the human brain, it becomes noticeable that the contours of both images almost completely coincide, and the strange rectangle of tissue extending to the center of God's garment may symbolize the spinal cord.
Michelangelo also depicted other anatomical features in some places on the ceiling, in particular the kidney, which was of particular interest to Michelangelo, as the artist suffered from kidney stones.
"Madonna and Saint Giovannino": UFO tracks
The Madonna and Saint Giovannino by Domenico Ghirlandaio has an interesting detail: a strangely shaped drop hovers in the sky above Mary's left shoulder.
In this place of the picture, a board-like object is clearly visible, perhaps brilliant - the artist depicted this object to the smallest detail, trying to place it in his work so that it catches the eye. In addition, on the right side of the picture, we see a person raising his right hand to his eyes, showing how bright this object is, and in the upper left corner we see an object that looks like the sun.
Madonna and Saint Giovannino is just one of many medieval paintings depicting strange, disturbing unidentified flying objects soaring in the sky.
The Prophet Zechariah: The Power of Religion
The tension between Pope Julius II and Michelangelo is documented in historical documents.
Historians note that Michelangelo portrayed the Pope in one of his paintings in the image of the prophet Zechariah, and one of the angels behind him makes an extremely obscene gesture.
The figure in which the fingers of an adorable little child are folded is called "fig", but its meaning is not at all as sweet as the name: holding his thumb between the index and middle fingers, he shows the gesture of the old world, which has retained its meaning to this day. In the West, the gesture is not so common, but in Russia its meaning is well known.
"David and Goliath": mystical signs of Kabbalah
Analyzing the arrangement of the figures on the 1300 km² ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, scientists have discovered shapes similar to the Hebrew letters: for example, the figures of David and Goliath form the letter "Gimel", symbolizing "power" in the mystical tradition of Kabbalah.
Researchers believe that Michelangelo became acquainted with Judaism during his stay at the court of Lorenzo Medici in Florence, and the entire Sistine Chapel, possibly built in the same proportions as the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, is a "lost mystical message of universal love" intended for decryption.
"Flemish Proverbs": the picture contains 112 Dutch idioms
"Flemish Proverbs" is an oil painting on an oak panel by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, filled with symbols related to the Dutch proverbs of the time.
In total, 112 idioms were found and decoded in the picture: some of them are still used, for example, "swim against the stream", "a big fish eats a small fish", "banging your head against the wall" and "arm yourself to the teeth."
Other proverbs point to human stupidity. Some symbols seem to represent the meaning of more than one figure of speech, for example, a man shearing sheep sits next to a man cutting a pig to the left of center at the bottom of the painting, and this scene symbolizes the expression “Someone shears sheep, and someone - pigs”, which means that one person has an advantage over others. Also, the scene can mean "Shears, but don't take off your skins", that is, it warns not to go too far when using your capabilities.
"Dinner at Emmaus": Christian vow of silence
"Dinner at Emmaus" is a painting by Caravaggio, an Italian Baroque artist. The painting depicts the moment when the resurrected Jesus incognito stays in the city of Emmaus, but meets two of his disciples there and breaks bread with them, after which they recognize him.
The picture is unusual already in that the figures of people are depicted on a dark empty background in full size, and at the very edge of the table there is a basket with food, which seems to be about to fall. There is also a strange fish-like shadow, which may indicate a vow of silence as mandatory for Christians.
"Portrait of Young Mozart": signs of the Freemasons
Of course, works of art have not spared the topic of Freemasonry: portraits of people hiding their hands can indicate dedication or a level of hierarchy. An example is the portrait of Mozart painted by Antonio Lorenzoni.