Strange and bizarre paintings are nothing new. Dating back as far as the 1400’s Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, would qualify as strange.
Magdalena Ventura with Her Husband and Son
Photo: 1631, Museo Fondación Duque de Lerma, Toledo, Spain. The Guardian.
Two men?
The figure in the front is none other than the Bearded Woman of Abruzzi! Jusepe de Ribera was not a fan of the beauty found in the Renaissance so she created her own which made her famous. She depicted her breastfeeding her son to show she had female anatomy.
Magdalena’s husband standing in the shadows appears much older and more feeble. The positioning alludes to Magdalena’s overshadowing him turning the typical marital balance upside down.
The Ugly Duchess
Quinten Massys, The Ugly Duchess, c. 1513, National Gallery, London, England, UK.
For years scholars thought this painting and its partner, Old Man were satirical statements. Thanks to science and an analysis reveals that this woman actually suffered from advanced stages of Paget’s disease, which deforms the bones.
Saturn Devouring His Son
Francisco Goya, Saturn, 1821-1823, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain.
The story behind the painting according to the myth-’ the titan, Saturn, had been told via prophecy that one of his sons would usurp him and take his power, Saturn was not fond of that idea. He liked his power and wanted to keep it.’ So, Saturn ate one of his sons not knowing, Rei, had hidden her youngest son, Zeus. In the end, Zeus ended up conquering the titans.
Medusa
Caravaggio, Medusa, 1595-1598, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.
I think most are familiar with the story of Medusa as the beautiful woman with live snakes for hair or her ability to turn people to stone at first sight. That is, until Perseus beheaded her, using a shield he borrowed from Athena.
Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters
Fontainbleau School, Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters, c. 1594, Louvre, Paris, France.
‘While this painting has been interpreted as a fetishistic piece of homo-erotic art by many for quite some time, history would tell us we should pull our minds out of the gutter. Gabrielle, the pinchee, was mistress to King Henry IV. Oddly enough, many art historians have interpreted the Duchesses’ gesture as an announcement that Gabrielle is pregnant with the King’s illegitimate son. In this case, the nipple pinching is not as naughty as it would seem. Oddly enough, in this setting, it represents fertility, which is reinforced by the figure sewing baby clothes in the background.’
The Vegetable Gardener
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, The Vegetable Gardener, 1587–1590, Museo Civico Ala Ponzone, Cremona, Italy.
Arcimboldo, ‘for a painter working during the Renaissance, his paintings are quite bizarre. Despite his unusual style, Arcimboldo’s work became synonymous with Mannerism and the Renaissance obsession with riddles, puzzles, and the strange and bizarre. Maybe that’s why Emperors Maximilian II and Rudolf II added quite a few of his strange paintings to the Kunstkammer (cabinet of curiosities).’
Photos and stories courtesy of Daily Art Magazine.