you’ll never look at these masterpieces
the same way again witness the greatest
cover-up in human history welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 hidden
messages in famous paintings before we
begin this video is made in partnership
with Sotheby’s if you’re interested in
seeing more videos about iconic artists
subscribe to Sotheby’s channel on
YouTube for this list we’re choosing the
most interesting and daring secrets in
there possible interpretations that some
of history’s greatest painters snuck
into their work what is that you tell me
number 10
a modern Last Supper cafe terrace at
night Vincent van Gogh a troubled dutch
painter Vincent van Gogh is famous for
his bold and colorful interpretations of
rural and urban life his most well known
pieces featured flowers his own
possessions and dramatic countryside
scenes with swirling skies in other
words he’s not known for epic biblical
works though his art is still filled
with emotion and allegory at a glance
cafe terrace at night appears to be
little more than its title suggests but
look closer and you’ll notice there are
12 people dining around a long-haired
figure standing in their midst remind
you of anything to back up this claim
further scattered crosses can also be
found nestled throughout the painting
number nine fifty shades of Vermeer the
music lesson Johannes Vermeer even if
you’re unfamiliar with the name he’ll
almost certainly be familiar with
Vermeer’s work as a 2003 Scarlett
Johansson movie was inspired by his
acclaimed girl with a Pearl Earring
portrait as well as being a master at
his craft Vermeer was an expert at
embedding hidden meaning into his
paintings of domestic life the music
lesson seems to simply show a young
woman and her music teacher but that
instrument she’s playing is a virginal
her eyes are focused on him and a double
bass is the
chuckle music equivalent of the eggplant
emoji not someone isn’t now is it number
eight Lewinsky shadow portrait of
President Bill Clinton Nelson shanks
though it’s not considered a masterpiece
like the other works on this list
Nelson shanks portrait of former
President Bill Clinton has earned a
notorious reputation we just could not
leave out the piece had been hanging in
the Smithsonian’s National Portrait
Gallery for years until the artist
revealed to a journalist but he’d
included a cheeky reference to the
scandal that became synonymous with
Clinton’s time in office shanks
explained that the shadow to the left of
the president was from the blue dress
that Monica Lewinsky wore when the pair
had in his words sexual relations quote
I could never get this Monica thing
completely out of my mind shanks
admitted number seven the Devils in the
details
fresco in the Basilica of Saint Francis
of Assisi Giotto seven hundred years
after its creation the identity of the
artist behind the fresco in the Basilica
of Saint Francis was confirmed to be the
medieval master Chateau deboned oniy
after his initials were discovered by
restorers in 2012 that’s not the only
newly found detail though being located
inside a chapel the fresco depicts key
religious figures like the Virgin Mary
baby Jesus and Saint John the Baptist
but there’s also a not so saintly face
emerging from the clouds that art
historian Kiana foo Ghani is convinced
is demonic
why is Satan so near to heaven people in
the Middle Ages believed that demons
were sky dwellers who tried to stop
number six rockefeller defamed men
controller of the universe Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera is perhaps better known
today as the husband of iconic artist
Frida Kahlo but during their lifetime
Rivera was the more famous of the two in
the 30s he was commissioned by future US
vice president Nelson Rockefeller to
create a mural for New York’s
Rockefeller Center however when the
Mexican artist added communist leader
Lenin to the mural an angered
Rockefeller got rid of it
Rivera’s second version in Mexico City
went even further to offend the
politician not only did he make Lenin
even more obvious he also included
Nelson’s father John Rockefeller jr.
cavorting with a prostitute and added a
reference to syphilis do not mess with
an artist
number five beauty is in the eye of the
beholder Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci the
Mona Lisa is a work of art that needs no
introduction created by Leonardo da
Vinci one of the greatest masters in
history hers is a painted smile that
everybody knows and yet she’s still
managed to keep secrets from us for
hundreds of years if you were ever able
to get close enough to stare into a
right eye you might just be able to make
out the artists initials in her pupil if
you had access to reflective light
technology you’d also be able to see
another woman underneath the surface
this was either a botched first attempt
by da Vinci
or he just reused the canvas a common
money-saving technique just a reminder
to subscribe to Sotheby’s channel for
more videos featuring iconic artists
like da Vinci and amazing pieces of art
from throughout history
number four the 600 year old selfie the
Arnolfini portrait yawn van Eyck selfie
is of course shorthand for self-portrait
and artists have been making them for
hundreds of years before duck faces and
cameras were invented for proof look no
further than one of the most famous
portraits ever made the Arnolfini
portrait by Dutch artist Yann van Eyck
two figures are Giovanni de Nicola
Arnolfini and his wife and if you peer
into the mirror behind them you’ll find
a third figure van Eyck waving at us
from the reflection he even scrawled
yawn van Dyck was here 1434 in latin on
the wall around a century later italian
master Caravaggio did the same thing in
a wine jug reflection in his painting
Bacchus number three a grim reminder The
Ambassadors Hans Holbein the younger
this incredible optical illusion has
fascinated viewers for hundreds of years
since its creation from most angles it
looks like a strange smear of paint
ruining the bottom of a portrait of two
French ambassador’s but if you stand to
the far right or left of the painting
this blurry smudge reveals itself to be
a skull in art Theory the skull
symbolizes the term memento mori and
it’s inclusion is supposed to remind the
viewer of how fleeting life is though it
is a widely used artistic prop the
reason why Hans Holbein used it here in
a painting marking these ambassador’s
trip to London remains a mystery did
Holbein know something they didn’t
number two science versus religion the
Sistine Chapel ceiling Michelangelo
Michelangelo’s mural for the ceiling of
the Sistine Chapel is one of the most
celebrated masterpieces in Western art
from one of its most celebrated masters
it illustrates the biblical story of
Genesis split into parts and took
Michelangelo who is better known as a
sculptor at the time four years to
complete though it looks like a devoutly
religious work scientists have
discovered scandalous scientific
references built into
elements the shape around God in the
creation of Adam for instance matches
the outline of the human brain which
Michelangelo allegedly studied science
and religion have a historically rocky
relationship and the artist may have
been sneakily stoking the fire right
under the church’s nose number one one
painting many secrets the Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci few paintings are more
recognizable than da Vinci’s
interpretation of Christ’s final meal
thanks to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code
the artists work has more recently
become a magnet for conspiracy theories
is there really a disembodied hand in
the painting was st. John originally
Mary Magdalene another strange secret
has been linked to the bread rolls on
the table which when combined with each
apostles hand correspond to music notes
da Vinci was musically gifted after all
the most sinister message was discovered
by a vatican researcher who reckons
there’s a code through the window above
jesus’ head that predicts the earth will
be flooded on March 21st four thousand
six and reborn on November 1st this
video is made in partnership with
Sotheby’s click the link to subscribe to their channel for more cool videos
the same way again witness the greatest
cover-up in human history welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 hidden
messages in famous paintings before we
begin this video is made in partnership
with Sotheby’s if you’re interested in
seeing more videos about iconic artists
subscribe to Sotheby’s channel on
YouTube for this list we’re choosing the
most interesting and daring secrets in
there possible interpretations that some
of history’s greatest painters snuck
into their work what is that you tell me
number 10
a modern Last Supper cafe terrace at
night Vincent van Gogh a troubled dutch
painter Vincent van Gogh is famous for
his bold and colorful interpretations of
rural and urban life his most well known
pieces featured flowers his own
possessions and dramatic countryside
scenes with swirling skies in other
words he’s not known for epic biblical
works though his art is still filled
with emotion and allegory at a glance
cafe terrace at night appears to be
little more than its title suggests but
look closer and you’ll notice there are
12 people dining around a long-haired
figure standing in their midst remind
you of anything to back up this claim
further scattered crosses can also be
found nestled throughout the painting
number nine fifty shades of Vermeer the
music lesson Johannes Vermeer even if
you’re unfamiliar with the name he’ll
almost certainly be familiar with
Vermeer’s work as a 2003 Scarlett
Johansson movie was inspired by his
acclaimed girl with a Pearl Earring
portrait as well as being a master at
his craft Vermeer was an expert at
embedding hidden meaning into his
paintings of domestic life the music
lesson seems to simply show a young
woman and her music teacher but that
instrument she’s playing is a virginal
her eyes are focused on him and a double
bass is the
chuckle music equivalent of the eggplant
emoji not someone isn’t now is it number
eight Lewinsky shadow portrait of
President Bill Clinton Nelson shanks
though it’s not considered a masterpiece
like the other works on this list
Nelson shanks portrait of former
President Bill Clinton has earned a
notorious reputation we just could not
leave out the piece had been hanging in
the Smithsonian’s National Portrait
Gallery for years until the artist
revealed to a journalist but he’d
included a cheeky reference to the
scandal that became synonymous with
Clinton’s time in office shanks
explained that the shadow to the left of
the president was from the blue dress
that Monica Lewinsky wore when the pair
had in his words sexual relations quote
I could never get this Monica thing
completely out of my mind shanks
admitted number seven the Devils in the
details
fresco in the Basilica of Saint Francis
of Assisi Giotto seven hundred years
after its creation the identity of the
artist behind the fresco in the Basilica
of Saint Francis was confirmed to be the
medieval master Chateau deboned oniy
after his initials were discovered by
restorers in 2012 that’s not the only
newly found detail though being located
inside a chapel the fresco depicts key
religious figures like the Virgin Mary
baby Jesus and Saint John the Baptist
but there’s also a not so saintly face
emerging from the clouds that art
historian Kiana foo Ghani is convinced
is demonic
why is Satan so near to heaven people in
the Middle Ages believed that demons
were sky dwellers who tried to stop
number six rockefeller defamed men
controller of the universe Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera is perhaps better known
today as the husband of iconic artist
Frida Kahlo but during their lifetime
Rivera was the more famous of the two in
the 30s he was commissioned by future US
vice president Nelson Rockefeller to
create a mural for New York’s
Rockefeller Center however when the
Mexican artist added communist leader
Lenin to the mural an angered
Rockefeller got rid of it
Rivera’s second version in Mexico City
went even further to offend the
politician not only did he make Lenin
even more obvious he also included
Nelson’s father John Rockefeller jr.
cavorting with a prostitute and added a
reference to syphilis do not mess with
an artist
number five beauty is in the eye of the
beholder Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci the
Mona Lisa is a work of art that needs no
introduction created by Leonardo da
Vinci one of the greatest masters in
history hers is a painted smile that
everybody knows and yet she’s still
managed to keep secrets from us for
hundreds of years if you were ever able
to get close enough to stare into a
right eye you might just be able to make
out the artists initials in her pupil if
you had access to reflective light
technology you’d also be able to see
another woman underneath the surface
this was either a botched first attempt
by da Vinci
or he just reused the canvas a common
money-saving technique just a reminder
to subscribe to Sotheby’s channel for
more videos featuring iconic artists
like da Vinci and amazing pieces of art
from throughout history
number four the 600 year old selfie the
Arnolfini portrait yawn van Eyck selfie
is of course shorthand for self-portrait
and artists have been making them for
hundreds of years before duck faces and
cameras were invented for proof look no
further than one of the most famous
portraits ever made the Arnolfini
portrait by Dutch artist Yann van Eyck
two figures are Giovanni de Nicola
Arnolfini and his wife and if you peer
into the mirror behind them you’ll find
a third figure van Eyck waving at us
from the reflection he even scrawled
yawn van Dyck was here 1434 in latin on
the wall around a century later italian
master Caravaggio did the same thing in
a wine jug reflection in his painting
Bacchus number three a grim reminder The
Ambassadors Hans Holbein the younger
this incredible optical illusion has
fascinated viewers for hundreds of years
since its creation from most angles it
looks like a strange smear of paint
ruining the bottom of a portrait of two
French ambassador’s but if you stand to
the far right or left of the painting
this blurry smudge reveals itself to be
a skull in art Theory the skull
symbolizes the term memento mori and
it’s inclusion is supposed to remind the
viewer of how fleeting life is though it
is a widely used artistic prop the
reason why Hans Holbein used it here in
a painting marking these ambassador’s
trip to London remains a mystery did
Holbein know something they didn’t
number two science versus religion the
Sistine Chapel ceiling Michelangelo
Michelangelo’s mural for the ceiling of
the Sistine Chapel is one of the most
celebrated masterpieces in Western art
from one of its most celebrated masters
it illustrates the biblical story of
Genesis split into parts and took
Michelangelo who is better known as a
sculptor at the time four years to
complete though it looks like a devoutly
religious work scientists have
discovered scandalous scientific
references built into
elements the shape around God in the
creation of Adam for instance matches
the outline of the human brain which
Michelangelo allegedly studied science
and religion have a historically rocky
relationship and the artist may have
been sneakily stoking the fire right
under the church’s nose number one one
painting many secrets the Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci few paintings are more
recognizable than da Vinci’s
interpretation of Christ’s final meal
thanks to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code
the artists work has more recently
become a magnet for conspiracy theories
is there really a disembodied hand in
the painting was st. John originally
Mary Magdalene another strange secret
has been linked to the bread rolls on
the table which when combined with each
apostles hand correspond to music notes
da Vinci was musically gifted after all
the most sinister message was discovered
by a vatican researcher who reckons
there’s a code through the window above
jesus’ head that predicts the earth will
be flooded on March 21st four thousand
six and reborn on November 1st this
video is made in partnership with
Sotheby’s click the link to subscribe to their channel for more cool videos
Please follow and like us: