What is the insane secret to this painting?

This was on Digg, and I think it's also been discussed on Something Awful.

[quote1a0e31329f]A Russian professor has posted a picture of a painting done by someone with a severe mental disorder. A single detail of the picture shows that they are insane, but in 15 years, only a single person has figured out what it is. Can you?[/quote1a0e31329f]

I'm beginning to suspect that it's a hoax, but the possibility that it isn't is driving [i1a0e31329f]me[/i1a0e31329f] insane.

Here's the original link

http//www.veryrussian.net/2006/could-this-be-the-new-da-vinci-code.html[]http//www.veryrussian.net/2006/could-this-be-the-new-da-vinci-code.html


Here's the Digg comments thread

http//www.digg.com/health/What_is_the_insane_secret_of_this_painting[]http//www.digg.com/health/What_is_the_insane_secret_of_this_painting


What's the secret?

Or is it a hoax?


Edit Links to the original and copied paintings here

Original http//www.veryrussian.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/maslenica.jpg[]http//www.veryrussian.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/maslenica.jpg
Replica http//pics.livejournal.com/shaltai_baltai/pic/00001ykp[]http//pics.livejournal.com/shaltai_baltai/pic/00001ykp

I don't know, but it was interesting reading all the theories and pondering upon for 30 minutes.

I find it odd that the people behind the driver on the sled are all looking at the viewer unhappily...although I doubt that's the answer. It could be a fear of falling, or high places since that painting is angled a little higher than the original.

The horses and people's faces do not match the scene. This is a holiday scene so you expect it to be happy, yet the horses look almost devilish and as mentioned about, the people aren't happy either.

Also, all the houses have bars, and most windows are dark. And as mentioned on one of those sites, how did the children build a snowman taller than they are?

On a side note the relocating URL (bar-of-soap.com) no longer works and goes to a search page

How does anyone know that the one thing, and only one thing, whatever it is, automatically shows the person is insane? You could make up this story for any painting, and no one would know the difference.

[quote84da8101b6="Crymson"]How does anyone know that the one thing, and only one thing, whatever it is, automatically shows the person is insane? You could make up this story for any painting, and no one would know the difference.[/quote84da8101b6]

Exactly. The professor might have only found one, but others might have found more reasons.

I'm guessing he's afraid of (huge) snowmen? shrug The hill in the replica looks like the top of a huge snowman; it's more rounded than the original. I'm thinking this since someone guess that the [icce03bb819]audience[/icce03bb819] is a strawman, and the prof. said that was close.

I also think the weirdest thing is how everyone looks pale and unhappy. Maybe they're escaping from something?

I guess we'll find out when the professor finally answers...

is it me or is the link not working? ?

[quote2cfbe1dea1="GCY"]is it me or is the link not working? ?[/quote2cfbe1dea1]

Our redirect is having issues at the moment. For the time being, just copy and paste the URLs into the address bar.

[quote34913ff9a3="Daggoth"][quote34913ff9a3="Crymson"]How does anyone know that the one thing, and only one thing, whatever it is, automatically shows the person is insane? You could make up this story for any painting, and no one would know the difference.[/quote34913ff9a3]

Exactly. The professor might have only found one, but others might have found more reasons.[/quote34913ff9a3]
Well, I'm assuming that this "one thing" matches whatever this insane person has been diagnosed with. If not, it's kind of disappointing.

[quote65d3211d29="hehehhehe"][quote65d3211d29="Daggoth"][quote65d3211d29="Crymson"]How does anyone know that the one thing, and only one thing, whatever it is, automatically shows the person is insane? You could make up this story for any painting, and no one would know the difference.[/quote65d3211d29]

Exactly. The professor might have only found one, but others might have found more reasons.[/quote65d3211d29]
Well, I'm assuming that this "one thing" matches whatever this insane person has been diagnosed with. If not, it's kind of disappointing.[/quote65d3211d29]

Right. The story isn't that the person was diagnosed on the basis of the painting; it's that the painting reflects his condition somehow.

they are afraid of dying

Notice how there are no doors, not even on the balcony of that middle house.

[quote35c6f80472="KeithA"][quote35c6f80472="hehehhehe"][quote35c6f80472="Daggoth"][quote35c6f80472="Crymson"]How does anyone know that the one thing, and only one thing, whatever it is, automatically shows the person is insane? You could make up this story for any painting, and no one would know the difference.[/quote35c6f80472]

Exactly. The professor might have only found one, but others might have found more reasons.[/quote35c6f80472]
Well, I'm assuming that this "one thing" matches whatever this insane person has been diagnosed with. If not, it's kind of disappointing.[/quote35c6f80472]

Right. The story isn't that the person was diagnosed on the basis of the painting; it's that the painting reflects his condition somehow.[/quote35c6f80472]

It would help if we remotely knew this guy's disorder. I mean, it is near-impossible to pinpoint what's wrong with the guy by just looking at the picture.

According to comments on Digg, there have been several hints...

First, the professor said “don’t look for small details, look at the whole; if you figure out what the phobia was, you’ve got the answer; ask yourself what could have preceded this scene; think of what the place would look like with all the objects removed.“

Then someone made this guess The painting depicts the Maslenitsa (Shrovetide, the feast on the last day before the Lent — the Brazilian carnival is the same holiday). It’s one of the holidays with pagan roots, and the celebration involves burning a strawman — symbolising, if I remember correctly, the ending winter. Now, could it be that you’re the burning strawman?"

To which the professor allegedly replied, “not a strawman — but close.”

Also, he said the keywords are water and air.

Clearly the person has a phobia of power outages. That's why he shows the power lines going through the town.

You're welcome.

haha, nvm

[quote2ffab37d12="ulenie"]haha, nvm[/quote2ffab37d12]you just have to copy the link and paste it, cause the barofsoap redirects dont work

[quoteee6b3e1a64="bballp6699"]Clearly the person has a phobia of power outages. That's why he shows the power lines going through the town.

You're welcome.[/quoteee6b3e1a64]

Where would we be without you, roll

I think there's a little confusion in this thread.

The following is the painting done by the insane guy

http//pics.livejournal.com/shaltai_baltai/pic/00001ykp

It just so happens to be that he was making a replica of a painting by another artist, at the link below

http//www.veryrussian.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/maslenica.jpg

The key might be in noting the differences between the original painting (second link) and the replica made by the insane guy (first link).

One hint the professor gave was to imagine the scene with all the objects removed. If you ask me, it looks like a big white ass, so maybe the insane painter is a homophobe. wink

So why is there a line down the middle? It doesn't seem like is an accident.

[quotea123a65ca2]The painter was deaf, or afraid of becoming deaf.

Look at the pic - nothing is making noise. The horses' hooves weren't touching the ground, the ground is covered in a sound-muting blanket of snow, and it's night-time (which is usually attributed to tranquility).

The professor said, "Think of what the place would look like with all the objects removed".
That would leave an expanse of snow. Being deaf has been aptly described as "white noise", and many compare it to snow.

Being or becoming deaf also affects one's ability to sense motion and direction, as it creates problems with the inner ear. Many deaf people experience vertigo, or the feeling that they've lost their balance and are falling. That would explain the general spiral motion of the picture.[/quotea123a65ca2]

[quote7ec47be72b="ulenie"]So why is there a line down the middle? It doesn't like like is an accident.[/quote7ec47be72b]

Apprently it's a scanning error...comments at the blog and on Digg say to ignore that in your theorizing.

[quotecc950f678f="Daggoth"][quotecc950f678f]The painter was deaf, or afraid of becoming deaf.

Look at the pic - nothing is making noise. The horses' hooves weren't touching the ground, the ground is covered in a sound-muting blanket of snow, and it's night-time (which is usually attributed to tranquility).

The professor said, "Think of what the place would look like with all the objects removed".
That would leave an expanse of snow. Being deaf has been aptly described as "white noise", and many compare it to snow.

Being or becoming deaf also affects one's ability to sense motion and direction, as it creates problems with the inner ear. Many deaf people experience vertigo, or the feeling that they've lost their balance and are falling. That would explain the general spiral motion of the picture.[/quotecc950f678f][/quotecc950f678f]

Ya, but this is a mental disorder.

I would be disappointed if this ends being something that is based shearly on interpretation.

There are what looks to be little kids in all the sleighs? Maybe he's a child predator...

Some guy claiming to be the student who got it right (the only one in fifteen years) posted the following as the answer to the insane painting riddle

[b0f6f4136a3]“In this painting, we are Spring. You can see water, melting snow, in the lower left corner. The people are looking at us, afraid that their little world is about to melt down. They’re escaping from us, from Spring, in those sleds. It’s also why all the doors of all the houses are shut.”[/b0f6f4136a3]

If that really is the answer, I'm unimpressed.

How does that show a mental disorder?

It's looking like a hoax...kinda suspected it would turn out to be one...

http//www.veryrussian.net/category/russian-blogs-and-web-culture/the-painting/[]http//www.veryrussian.net/category/russian-blogs-and-web-culture/the-painting/

[quotee3c403b783="KeithA"]It's looking like a hoax...kinda suspected it would turn out to be one...

http//www.veryrussian.net/category/russian-blogs-and-web-culture/the-painting/[]http//www.veryrussian.net/category/russian-blogs-and-web-culture/the-painting/[/quotee3c403b783]

Darn, it was really interesting to see people, myself included, over analyze this picture. I guess it is just odd that there isn't much information on the artist.

If this was true, I'd say the phobia was for non-symmetry.

Everything (to a pretty close extent he has changed to be as symmetrical as possible).

In the original, the flame on the back of the sled was on the far right, he placed it in the middle. There were three people on the right originally, he changed it to two to mirror the two on the left. There were just random buildings in the original, in the replica there are two yellow on the left, two yellow on the right. One brown on the left and one brown on the right. Two bunches of trees on the back-left, two bunches of trees on the back right.

If you take all the objects away you're only left with snow, and snow on it's own isn't symmetrical.

I'm guessing because there's a baby carriage in the blistering cold or that the painting was done in two pieces.

EDIT

Or the people skiing in town in the top left, or the fact that the middle sled seems to be emitting flames?

The severe mental disorder is us all trying to analyze the portrait and finding something that isn't really there.

[quotede2830afe5="bruman"]The severe mental disorder is us all trying to analyze the portrait and finding something that isn't really there.[/quotede2830afe5]

I don't think there's such a mental disorder which makes other people analyse pictures or paintings under false pretenses.

/me could be wrong though. shrug

I heard on 4chan that it was a burning desire to return to the womb.

shrug

We are the season "Spring", and the melting snow on the bottom left signifies it. The people are looking at us because they want Winter to last forever and are trying to escape from us. They are also hiding from us, which is why the doors are closed.

I already posted that hours ago.

I didn't read it up there haha. I got it straight from the link too -.-

I still don't get how "not wanting the winter to end" is an indicator of a mental disorder. confused2

Yeah, if that's it, that's dumb as hell.

[quoteeb64e23a87="Dr. Doom"]I still don't get how "not wanting the winter to end" is an indicator of a mental disorder. confused2[/quoteeb64e23a87]

It may be because the Winter is seen as a time of dreary, wet, cold, dark, misery where only the fittest survive, trees die or show no colour etc.

Not wanting to come out of that kind of lifestyle is probably considered "mental" because they have no hope. shrug

umm is it a hoax for sure? I dunno if anyone else noticed but the sled with people on it are almost the same height as the horses..it could just be the angle but if they're on the ground wouldnt you see like drag marks from the sleigh or at the least the horses hoove-prints or whatever.

Maybe the dude is crazy cuz he painted flying horses? But thats not crazy cuz Santa has flying reindeer so I guess it must be a hoax =/

I think the only thing crazy about this painitng is all the people looking at it to find a meaning. With a BS in Art History I see nothing in this painting to support the fact that the painter is insane, but thats just my two cents.

I liked reading the interpretations and opinions from everyone. Certain comments brought my attention to a concept would have never considered.

I dont know about determining mental disorder from one element in a painting though.

In the Rorshac (i know that is spelled incorrectly, but the ink blot test), there is a card that basically looks like a butterfly or mask. Thoise are the common answers. In the explanations of the answers from psychiatrists and psychologists, they say that a high percentage of scitzophrenics say "oil lamp" instead of butterfly. High enough that it is not a coincidence.

But I dont know.

When analyzing any art I think you can make it into anything. You can randomly post several pictures that are detailed/have a lot going on and somthing can be twisted into depression, anger, something hidden, crazy, fearful.



http//i113.photobucket.com/albums/n214/Dave1982p/insanity1.jpg[" alt=""/imgc5920f738c]


If you went on the internet and picked a detailed image and posted and asked us to tell us why that painting represents insanity, we all could get creative and list reasons.

Obviously it's because the guy in the red jacket is about to take a piss on the baby...He's gonna pull an R Kelly.

insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting a different result.
insanity is believing in an idea or thought after being shown exclusive proof of its denial.
judging insanity by a painting is impossible by medical definitions.
you could add any detail by accident or on purpose and to some it could be thought of as insane and others as purposeful and rational.
i think something abnormal is the fire coming out of the second sled, although it could be a cape ;)

Definitions of insanity on the Web

relatively permanent disorder of the mind
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Insanity (sometimes, madness) is a semi-permanent severe disorder of the mind, typically as a result of mental illness.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insanity

strictly a legal term, not a clinical term, the definition of which varies by jurisdiction. In most jurisdictions, this legal concept means a severe mental illness extant at the time the crime was committed such that the illness substantially impaired the defendant's capacity to understand and appreciate the moral wrongfulness of the act. A small minority of jurisdictions differentiate moral and legal wrongfulness. ...
www.psychologyandlaw.com/Definitions.htm

A degree of mental illness that negates criminal culpability.
www.iejs.com/glossary/Glossary_I.htm