3 famous paintings and the hidden messages in them 

You don’t need to be an art connoisseur to know about some of the world-renowned paintings such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Monalisa or Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. In fact, most of us know these paintings by their pictures we saw in books or online. While Monalisa is placed in the famous Louvre Museum in Paris, New York’s Museum of Modern Art is the home to The Starry Night. Talking about well-acclaimed painting reminds us of some of the other notable artworks that have hidden messages located within. Wondering which ones are we talking about? Come take a look with us! 

The Last Supper 
Besides Monalisa, Leonardo da Vinci’s other world-renowned masterpiece is The Last Supper. It is depicts Christ’s last meal shared with his 12 disciples before betrayal by one of them (Judas) and his eventual crucifixion on Good Friday. But according to the revered Italian musician Giovanni Maria Pala, the painting was so much more than that. He said that the artwork contained a little musical melody. Where exactly? Well, he believes that the apostles’ hands and the loaves of bread in front of them on the table denote musical notes. In fact, if they are read from right to left (the way Vinci himself worked on them), the notes accumulate to form a mini 40 second hymn. Many believe the painting also contains the date on which the world will end. While one doesn’t know where exactly it is located, it is thought to be hidden inside the several numerical references within. Take for instance, the number three spread everywhere, be it the three windows behind Christ, shape of Jesus resembling the three sides of a triangle or the apostles sitting in a group of three. Dan Brown in his critically acclaimed novel also visited the idea of Mar Magdalene seated to the right of Jesus, who was his only female companion. In fact, many even people think that if you really pay attention, you can see a glaring ‘M’ letter in the centre, which of course stands for Magdalene.  

Sistine Chapel ceiling 
There is hardly anyone who do not know that the ceiling of Sistine Chapel in Rome was painted in fresco by none other than Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. In fact, it is a cornerstone artwork of Renaissance. Now almost everyone is aware that the masterpiece gives the glimpse of God giving Adam the first spark of life. Now, art historians have suggested over centuries that the flowing reddish-brown cloak behind God and the angels is in the exact same shape as that of a human brain. Fascinating, isn’t it? There even have been researchers who figured out certain specific parts of the brain such as the vertebral artery (symbolised by the angel right underneath God and his green-coloured scarf) as well as the pituitary gland. Not only that, there are quite a few theories as to why Michelangelo may have done it, that too consciously. Many believe he wanted to imply that the brain represents God imparting divine knowledge and wisdom to the first man, Adam. Others believe that depicting the brain secretly was the artist’s way of protesting against the Vatican church rejecting science as a whole.  

The Ambassadors 
In 1533, German-Swiss painter Hans Holbein the Younger drew a double portrait of two French diplomats Jean de Dinteville and George de Selve. Over the years the painting became famous and came to be known as The Ambassadors. Historians suggest that the artwork was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I’s mother Anne Boyle as a gift for both the ambassadors. Apart from being a portrait, the painting also contains still life of various objects meticulously depicted. One of them is a skull hidden inside the beige and black diagonal blob at the bottom that often seems redundant. But if you look at it closely from the bottom right or left, you can easily see a human skull. Experts believe the artist was just trying his hand at optical illusion.