Most Incredible Secrets Hidden in Art Masterpieces

Bright Side

Some famous art pieces hide some seriously mind-blowing secrets. Like, in da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," there's a whole mystery around her smile - some say it changes depending on where you stand! And check this out - in Van Gogh's "Starry Night," those swirling clouds might actually be inspired by turbulent weather patterns he witnessed. Plus, there's this theory that Michelangelo's "David" sculpture might have hidden political messages carved into it. Oh, and don't even get me started on the hidden symbols in Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" - it's like decoding a whole ancient puzzle! Art is full of surprises, right?   Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

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00:00 Many of the world's most famous paintings are hundreds of years old.

00:04 But even after all this time, modern technology is helping us discover previously unknown mysteries hidden in masterpieces.

00:12 What secret does Mona Lisa have to tell us and what inspired Salvador Dali when he created one of his most famous paintings?

00:20 Let's find out these and other art secrets together.

00:24 The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous and enigmatic portraits in the world's art history.

00:31 Apparently, for a reason.

00:33 During its restoration, thanks to high-tech scans, experts spotted hidden letters in her eyes.

00:39 These letters might point at a different identity for the model.

00:43 But let's start from the beginning.

00:45 Even though it doesn't prove that the da Vinci code is real,

00:48 there's likely some kind of code hidden both in the eyes of Mona Lisa and in the background of her portrait.

00:55 Members of Italy's National Committee for Cultural Heritage found out that when you look at the painting under a microscope,

01:02 the letters L and V are visible in one of Mona Lisa's eyes.

01:06 There are also other letters in there as well, but they aren't as decipherable as these two.

01:12 As for the background, once you look really well, you can notice the number 72 on the arch over here.

01:19 Or perhaps that's the letter L and the number 2.

01:22 This is still a bit unclear.

01:24 After all, the painting is more than 500 years old.

01:28 Scientists are unsure of what all these symbols might mean.

01:32 LV could potentially stand for Leonardo da Vinci.

01:35 But then, what about 72?

01:38 Well, we might never find out.

01:40 Look at this picture.

01:42 It's called The Ambassadors, and it was painted by Hans Holbein the Younger.

01:46 At first glance, there isn't anything special about this picture.

01:50 Just two men of the Tudor court surrounded by musical instruments, globes, and the most high-tech gadgets of that time.

01:57 They look quite different with their life.

01:59 But here's the trick.

02:01 You should keep in mind that the European Renaissance is famous for its love of symbolism.

02:06 Do you see what I'm getting at?

02:08 Yep, even though the picture might seem to be a straightforward celebration of wealth and education,

02:13 the true story behind it is much more sinister.

02:17 Pay attention to this grey disc in the foreground.

02:20 It looks like something shapeless and distorted.

02:23 But when you glance at it from the bottom left corner like this,

02:27 this elongated object turns into a human skull.

02:31 We can probably compare it to a VR experience for viewers of those times.

02:36 This skull played the role of memento mori,

02:39 a reminder to everyone who saw it that even the wealthiest and the most educated were bound to pass away one day.

02:46 So, you must live your life to the fullest while you can.

02:50 You've probably seen this surrealistic painting before.

02:53 Some love it.

02:54 Others feel creeped out by the weird melting shapes, but it leaves no one indifferent.

02:59 It's The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali, created in 1931.

03:04 And the most well-known elements in this painting, the melting clocks,

03:08 were apparently inspired by the texture of melting camembert cheese.

03:13 The whole landscape in this picture is weirdly flaccid,

03:16 especially if we compare it with Salvador Dali's own vertical mustache.

03:21 The rumor has it that the idea of this painting drooped its way into Dali's mind

03:25 when he was looking at a plate of soft camembert cheese melting in the sun.

03:30 But the cheesy timepiece aside, what does the painting even mean?

03:35 This dream-inspired landscape makes you question how much of what you see is a dream and how much is reality.

03:42 As you might know, surrealists like to play tricks on their viewers' minds.

03:46 This technique of painting is known as trompe l'oeil.

03:49 As for Dali, he worked in a method he created which is called the panoramic critical method.

03:56 Well, yeah, I can definitely see some craziness here.

03:59 The artist induced this feeling by starting with a single object

04:02 and then responding to it through some kind of irrational subconscious associations.

04:08 Now, look at this famous painting by Pieter Bruegel.

04:11 The official title of this masterpiece is "Netherlandish Proverbs."

04:15 Kind of weird for the painting that seems to be an extremely detailed portrait of a busy Dutch street.

04:21 But, true to the name, there's so much more than that in this picture.

04:26 Lots of different proverbs are hidden here. Let's try to find them all.

04:30 We'll go clockwise starting from the left.

04:33 Do you see this globe?

04:35 It's turned upside down and stands for the proverb "The whole world is upside down."

04:40 Now, let's move on to this man who's running as fast as he can,

04:43 probably trying to put out the fire raging on his behind.

04:47 That's the saying, "Run like your backside is on fire."

04:51 Over here, a man is warming himself at a house fire.

04:55 This symbolizes not caring who's hurt as long as it benefits you.

04:59 It's like roasting marshmallows at a house fire.

05:02 Now, these three figures in the back standing in the line, they represent the proverb,

05:07 "The blind leads the blind."

05:09 This kind of situation happens when someone who knows nothing gets advice or help

05:14 from a person who also knows nothing about the issue.

05:17 Here, you can see a fish eating another fish.

05:20 The saying, "There's always a bigger fish," is concealed here.

05:24 This man holding a globe has actually got the world in the palm of his hand.

05:29 The man in armor with a knife in his mouth behaves weirdly because

05:33 he symbolizes the proverb "armed to his teeth."

05:36 And this man is hitting his head against the wall.

05:39 Quite a useless occupation, I'd say.

05:42 Have you spotted any other proverbs in this picture?

05:45 Share your finds in the comments.

05:48 The next picture and another secret.

05:51 A recent discovery has revealed the mystery behind this crowd of people.

05:55 They seem to be looking at something.

05:57 But what?

05:58 There's nothing here on this empty beach.

06:01 But how about this?

06:03 When the painting, "Schöviningen Sands," was created in the 1600s,

06:07 it depicted a group of beachgoers gathered around a beached whale.

06:11 But somewhere along the way, the animal was painted over.

06:14 This left the group standing around for no apparent reason.

06:18 Experts restored the painting at the Fitzwilliam Museum

06:21 and discovered something that looked like a person floating in the air.

06:25 But in reality, it was the fin of a beached whale.

06:29 Why was it painted over?

06:31 According to the restorer who worked on the painting,

06:34 the depiction of unalive animals in pictures was considered offensive

06:38 in the 18th to early 19th centuries.

06:41 That's when the whale was probably hidden.

06:44 Michelangelo's David is one of the most well-known statues in the world.

06:49 There are 30 life-size replicas of David all over the globe.

06:53 But if you think you know this masterpiece well enough, get ready for a surprise.

06:58 Depending on the angle at which you view David,

07:01 you can see two totally different stories.

07:04 You see, it's possible that Michelangelo never thought

07:08 that people would be able to see the statue's face head-on.

07:12 So when you look at it from below, as most people do,

07:15 David seems to have a calm expression on his face.

07:19 But when you look at him face-to-face,

07:21 his expression morphs into that of fear or perhaps even anger.

07:26 One paper even claims that Michelangelo left other clues to David's anguished state.

07:31 The veins in his arms are popping out and his brow is furrowed.

07:35 Michelangelo drew inspiration for this masterpiece from the story of David,

07:40 the tale of a young shepherd boy who protected people by getting rid of a giant named Goliath

07:45 by wielding only a sling and a handful of stones.

07:49 But even though this classic stars a feeble boy,

07:52 the great artist David is considered to be a pinnacle of male perfection.

07:57 The statue weighs nearly 12,500 pounds and is a staggering 17 feet high.

08:03 That's as tall as a two-story building or a grown-up giraffe.

08:07 The size of the statue is not the result of artistic ego but of simple logistics.

08:12 Originally, the statue was to be placed in a ceiling niche of the Florence Cathedral,

08:17 so it had to be large enough to be seen from below.

08:20 That's it for today!

08:21 So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity,

08:23 then give the video a like and share it with your friends.

08:26 Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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