Post your crazy trivia about famous artists here!

[timpaatkins]

Ill go first.

Caravaggio was a master, but one crazy violent mo-fo! I was just watching a documnetary on him, and apparently he used to get in streetfights all the time. He even killed a guy once. Apparently in a duel over some dame, he tried to cut the other guys balls off, but stabbed him in the groin instead and killed him.

Then he was sent to Malta, having it off with a few of the Knights (he was bisexual) The Maltese Knights are said to have killed him in a conspiracy with the pope, because he was bringing art down to a more "earth" level, although they never found his body.

Anyone else?

[unknown_epiphany]

Alphonse Mucha and JC Leyendecker roomed together when they attended school together in Paris.

[Gory]

Some people say that Paul Gauguin was actually the one who cut off Van Gogh's ear. They were friends.

Apparently Gauguin was the type of guy who liked to show off how good he was with a knife when he was drunk. The whole sending his ear to this girl was an afterthought or something.


Euan Uglow was apparently a really intense guy. He once wanted to go swimming, but the lake (or outdoor pool, can't remember) was frozen over, so he cut a whole in the ice and dove in.

Antonio Lopez Garcia's famous painting of an intersection in Barcelona(?) was done from life. Apparently one could walk down that street every single day and find Garcia in the median painting away at it. Surrounded by a huge crowd of people, of course.

More on Uglow... this guy was nuts.

The painting "The Diagonal" had a model in possibly the most uncomfortable position in art history (seriously). Uglow only works from life. Apparently Uglow made the model get into position and didn't even LOOK at her let alone paint her for the first hour. The model got to keep the chair in return, apparently. (I'd post a picture of the painting, but his work is really hard to find online)

I guess the guy also fathered number of illigitimate children, (with his models, that is) since he took so long to complete his paintings.

It's late though. I can't think of any more.

[DSillustration]

Picasso fathered a child at the age of 80.

[vigostar]

Picassos the MAN!!!!! you go Pablo!

Frank frazetta could have played professional baseball. Also, at one point in his career he wasnt able to get anywork. So, he changed his style and became super famous. Maybe, I should do that?@!

[loomer]

bisexual) The Maltese Knights are said to have killed him in a conspiracy with the pope...
Anyone else?

That's still in question....the records are kinda unclear, but most sources say he died of a fever.


"Alphonse Mucha and JC Leyendecker roomed together when they attended school together in Paris."

This is always interesting..to see which artists hung out and stuff. Probably the high level of competition has something to do with how awesome they were. Edwin Austin Abbey and Sargent became good friends when they both started working on their murals. They might have even shared a giant studio for awhile to create these in Boston...I can't remember specifics.

I think Sargent was also friendly with Sorolla, Zorn, Mancini and Boldini. I'm guessing through correspondence mostly...since they are all from different countries. I also think Nicolai Fechin and Dean Cornwell became friends.

I believe I read that Robert Henri's (author of 'Art of Spirit') father murdered a man and their whole family moved and changed their names. 'Henri' is not his real name.

[fishw]

um, too many funny stories (all almost certainly made up) to tell in Vasari's "Lives of the artists". for instance...

on Filippo Lippi: " His lust was so violent that when it took hold of him he could never concentrate on his work. Because of this, when he was doing something for Cosimo de' Medici, Cosimo had him locked in so he wouldn't wander off.
After he had been confined for a few days, Fra Filippo's amorous, or rather animal, instincts drove him one night to seize a pair of scissors, make a rope from his own bedsheets, and escape through a window to pursue his own pleasures for days on end!"

on da Vinci: "Leonardo used to get the intestines of a bullock scraped completely free of their fat, cleaned and made so fine that they could be compressed into the palm of one hand; then he would fix one end of them to a pair of bellows lying in another room, and when they were inflated they filled the room in which they were, and forced anyone standing there into a corner"

the old joker.

[loomer]

I think Gustav Klimt had around 16-22 people claiming to be his children....
quite the ladies man supposedly

[strych9ine]

I heard Scott Altmann maintatined dominance over the 13 polar bears he lived in close quarters with for the later years in his life by performing displays of "sexual dominance" over them, vigorously humping the largest of the lot in front of the others to maintain order.

[sve]

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born in a very aristocratic french family. Probably because marriages between cousins were common in his family he had a genetic disorder, very weak bones and distorted body. in 12 fell and broke both his legs which stopped growing after that. Lived on Montmartre In Paris and was a very loved by his friends and not so by women. Spent most of time, I would even say most of his life in dance halls, circuses, racetracks, night clubs, brothels. Lived in the last ones for weeks, even getting his breakfast there and depicted in his pastels the most famous actresses, singers of the light genres, famous models, prostitutes, sportsmen and many other regulars in bohemian part of Paris. Was heavy drinker. Died being 37 years old. Great, very sensitive artist. Was friends with Vincent van Gogh, but 11 year younger than he. Was a wonderful cook and knew a lot about wines and culinary art.
http://staratel.com/pictures/lotrek/pic1.htm

Ilja Repin. Was always accurately dressed. Became a vegetarian under influence of his second wife. Did eat hay because there was a very popular theory in this time about wonderful healing qualities of it. Was capable to adore someones art for years, writing him wonderful letters, calling him a god and one day see some other artwork of this artist and starting to hate him.
Was very honest. Once one high society dame came to him and asked his opinion about artistic talent of her little son. Repin was very suave (he liked to see new art always), readily agreed to look at the child drawings. The boy started to draw some animal outline and soon covered the paper with numerous figures which all looked exactly the same, always starting from the ear and finished with tail. Repin got all red in his face and screamed at the boy's mother: "Murderer".

[loomer]

I heard Scott Altmann maintatined dominance over the 13 polar bears he lived in close quarters with for the later years in his life by performing displays of "sexual dominance" over them, vigorously humping the largest of the lot in front of the others to maintain order.

Is that why you always wear that adorable polar bear costume every time I see you?

[strych9ine]

http://www.anniescostumes.com/mus21013.jpg

You busy this weekend?

[loomer]

:perv: :perv: :perv: :perv: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:

[Qitsune]

I'm happy I'm not famous so ppl don't gossip about me.

[0kelvin]

I heard Scott Altmann maintatined dominance over the 13 polar bears he lived in close quarters with for the later years in his life by performing displays of "sexual dominance" over them, vigorously humping the largest of the lot in front of the others to maintain order.

I hear that's how Jason controls the guys at Massive Black.



0kelvin

[Redder]

I'm happy I'm not famous so ppl don't gossip about me.

Qitsune, for the "Pink Palace" piece, wrote to over 1,500 furniture and building supplies asking for free samples. Qitsune told the donors they could then brag that their goods were in the outlandish pink mansion. The pitch worked, and Qitsine received over $150,000 worth of free merchandise.

[Elwell]

OMGCodyandScottareclosetfurries!!!!!!!

[DavePalumbo]

Antonio Lopez Garcia's famous painting of an intersection in Barcelona(?) was done from life. Apparently one could walk down that street every single day and find Garcia in the median painting away at it

and he spent something like 9 years on it. it's a totally amazing painting.

[CaptainInsano]

Bouguerea was only 4'11. He married once in his early 20's and had 3 children. His wife and 3 children all died within a few years of sickness. He never married again until he was 69 years old. He was the richest painter of his time (acummulating 2 million dollars in 1890, adjusting to inflation, would be like 500 millionaire).

Lawrence Alma-Tadema was a little-known dutch painter. After adding "Alma" to his last name, it put his name at the top of gallery lists in aphabetical order, which made more people see his paintings. He was good friends with John Singer Sargent, and the two often painted portraits of each other. He married one of his students and had a couple daughters. One of his daughters became an accomplished painter herself. Tadema's wife and daughters are often seen in his paintings and modeled after them. A lot of Tadema's paintings re-use the same people, sometimes in the same pose.

John Sargent never married, never was in a relationship with a woman. Rumored to be gay, but most likely wasn't. He may have been completely a-sexual. He was American, but only visited America twice, and was offered a knighthood in England but turned it down.

[DSillustration]

Rumored to be gay, but most likely wasn't.
hmmmm....
i'm not sure i would bet on that.
http://www.jssgallery.org/Paintings/Nude_in_Trees.jpg

[loomer]

OMGCodyandScottareclosetfurries!!!!!!!

HAAAhaahAAA!! I mean..Oh crap...:x

As for Sargent..i have this great little book Parker D, called
"the Male Nudes" You can get it on Amazon I'm sure (only a few years old)
Sargent was absolutely amazing at keeping his private life secret...especially for such a high profile figure. Maybe I am reading into it...but these drawings lead me to believe Sargent was anything but a-sexual.

boug- 4'11"? - damn

[Jason Manley]

matisse never made it through bouguereau's foundation program....something about not being able to draw well enough. ;)

[unknown_epiphany]

Even if Sargent was gay he still owned with a brush and paints. Same with Leyendecker and a few other prominent artists.

If i recall correctly..

[JERI]

Madster is a actually a chick

[NoSeRider]

Madster is a actually a chick

I'm still getting over that.

[vigostar]

Does anyone have a copy of that Antonio Lopez Garcia's painting we can see?

[CCThrom]

Dunno if this counts as wierd trivia or not...

Carel Fabritius was a fantastic and supposedly prolific painter... who might have had a heavy influence on the post-Rembrandt art scene in Europe... except that almost his entire body of work was destroyed in a warehouse fire. Today art history knows him from only 8 surviving paintings. Now that really sucks.

[vigostar]

Is this the painting you guys were talking about?

http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd6/138208/4DPict.jpeg