There Are Actual Hidden Messages in These Famous Works of Art

There Are Actual Hidden Messages in These Famous Works of Art

Shannon Quinn - October 29, 2022

There Are Actual Hidden Messages in These Famous Works of Art
Portrait of a Woman had a hidden painting underneath. Credit: NPR

“Portrait of a Woman” by Edgar Degas

Like many other artists we have mentioned already on this list, Edgar Degas was yet another painter who was forced to paint over old canvases when money was tight. In 2016, Australian researchers discovered a hidden painting behind “Portrait of a Woman”. Through x-ray technology, they were able to uncover a secret portrait of a woman named Emma Dobigny, who frequently sat as a model for Degas’ portraits as well as other artists at the time. Her face was flipped upside-down when it was re-used for his new painting. It’s honestly stunning, and a shame that he decided to paint over it. The painting of “Portrait of a Woman” still hangs in the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Australia.

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