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Delve into the captivating world of art as we explore two remarkable stories that have shed new light on iconic masterpieces.
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00:00You'll recognize him thanks to his famous self-portraits.
00:03The rest of his paintings are equally as popular, even though he wasn't a celebrated artist during his lifetime.
00:10But he's probably most famous for the fact that, at one point, he began to dislike his left ear.
00:16And things got out of hand.
00:19Let's look at some of the most fascinating facts about Vincent van Gogh,
00:23the man behind some of the most impressive paintings in history.
00:28Van Gogh actually started painting when he was 27 years old,
00:31which is pretty old in comparison to some prodigy artists.
00:35He also taught himself how to use a paintbrush.
00:38His first paintings were not as bright and colorful as the ones most people remember.
00:43When he first started his artistic work,
00:46he used a limited range of colors and painted some of the most difficult parts of life.
00:51Many of his early paintings showed people struggling with poverty.
00:55Despite being an artist for a short period of time, van Gogh was a very busy man.
01:01He only painted for about 10 years.
01:04But during that time, he created a staggering 2,100 artworks, 860 of which were oil paintings.
01:12Some art historians have even estimated that he must have created a new piece of artwork once every 36 hours.
01:19To top it all off, many of these pieces were art made in the last two years of his life.
01:26Despite enduring problems with his health and serious financial hardship,
01:30van Gogh really gave it all for his art.
01:33Van Gogh painted light differently than artists before him.
01:37He made it look like the sky was moving.
01:40For example, the sun shining on the water or twinkling stars in the night sky.
01:44When you look at these paintings, the light seems to flicker and move.
01:49That's because your brain not only spots different colors, but also sees them blending together.
01:55It tricks you into seeing different shades of light.
01:59One of van Gogh's most famous paintings is called The Starry Night.
02:04As the name implies, it depicts a full sky full of stars.
02:08The painting also shows a village with houses and trees lit up by stars.
02:13This artwork is celebrated for its vibrant colors and the way van Gogh captured the feeling of being out in
02:20the countryside at night.
02:22But was this painting original?
02:25Some other artists seem to think van Gogh actually drew inspiration from another famous artwork.
02:31Its name is The Whirlpool Galaxy by William Parsons.
02:34And if you compare the two images, you'll clearly see some similarities.
02:41It's not the only fascinating fact about this painting.
02:45Some art historians believe that Vincent van Gogh's painting, Starry Night, showed that he also was an amateur astronomer.
02:53The artist was interested in the stars above his head when he was painting his famous work in a mental
02:58facility in France.
03:00Now, if we were to compare an actual picture of the starry night and the painting itself, we would be
03:07amazed by the precision of this artist.
03:09The moon in the painting is where it would have been if van Gogh had painted the picture at around
03:154 a.m.
03:16And the bright object to the right of the cypress tree is where Venus would have been.
03:21The constellation Aries is at the top of the painting.
03:25Some specialists believe that the swirling part in the middle of the painting is a comet that van Gogh imagined,
03:32not something he actually saw.
03:34They also gathered some pages from a magazine that van Gogh read that had pictures of comets that looked like
03:41the swirling part in the painting.
03:44Years later, scientists used the Hubble telescope to look at a cloud swirling around a star, and it reminded them
03:51of van Gogh's starry night.
03:53How could van Gogh know how to depict such a precise image of space back in the day without using
03:59modern technologies?
04:01Well, little did they know that his painting would actually be very helpful in solving this mystery.
04:06They decided to study the artist's paintings more closely, and were astonished.
04:13Van Gogh's art looks as if it were painted using a pretty modern telescope, though there's obviously no chance of
04:19that ever happening.
04:21He was able to accurately depict what fluids looked like in space without having any knowledge of modern physics and
04:28astronomy.
04:29Other specialists were interested in studying van Gogh's paintings because of the swirling patterns in them.
04:35They believe they look like a spiral galaxy, which people first discovered some 40 years before van Gogh painted most
04:43of his pieces.
04:46These specialists were then set to find out if van Gogh had known about spiral galaxies, but they couldn't find
04:53any proof.
04:54However, their best guess was that van Gogh had known about the phenomenon and tried to include it in his
05:01art.
05:02Many people have heard the story of Vincent van Gogh, well, getting rid of his own left ear.
05:08While it's true that he did cause himself some pain, the reason why he did that is still up for
05:14debate.
05:15Some people say he got into an argument with his friend Paul Gauguin, another famous painter, which led him to
05:22this unfortunate decision.
05:23But others think that Gauguin himself was the one that caused van Gogh's harm during a fight.
05:30We don't know for sure what happened, but it seems likely that van Gogh only damaged part of his earlobe,
05:37not the whole ear.
05:39Van Gogh painted 43 self-portraits over a period of three years because he couldn't afford to hire models and
05:47didn't have many other people to paint.
05:48In these self-portraits, he often looks unkempt and has such features as sunken eyes, a weak jaw, and missing
05:56teeth.
05:57Some of the self-portraits were even painted while he still had fresh bandages on his ear after injuring it.
06:04To save money, van Gogh also painted over his old pictures instead of buying new canvases.
06:10You can't help but wonder what else might be hidden under those hundreds of paintings he made.
06:15The celebrated painter also wrote a lot of letters.
06:19He wrote about 600 just to his brother Theo.
06:23These letters tell us about van Gogh's thoughts and his views on life and art.
06:28Theo kept all of the letters from his brother, but van Gogh had just a few from Theo.
06:34After they both had passed away, Johanna, Theo's wife, collected and edited the letters.
06:41They were published in 1914.
06:43Van Gogh also wrote to other people, like his friend Paul Gauguin and Emile Bernard.
06:49These letters are a good way to learn about his life and understand his views of the world.
06:55Many of Vincent van Gogh's paintings were lost because people who had them thought they were not worth keeping.
07:02It is said that even his own mother threw away some of his paintings.
07:06After his passing, most of van Gogh's paintings went to his brother Theo.
07:10Sadly, he too passed away just a half a year after his brother.
07:16Thankfully, Theo's wife, Johanna, inherited the paintings.
07:21She is credited for showing these pieces to the world.
07:25Johanna and Theo had been married for a short time before she became a widow in 1891.
07:30She had to take care of herself and her young son on her own.
07:34She also had to figure out what to do with all the paintings that Theo had left her.
07:40Theo wanted people to know about his brother's work.
07:43And Johanna wanted to honor her husband's memory by making this happen.
07:48To do this, she moved to Bussem in the Netherlands, where she started a guest house.
07:53There, she met many writers and artists who helped her learn more about the world of art.
08:00In 1905, van Gogh's sister-in-law organized a big expedition of the painter's art at a museum in Amsterdam.
08:09Over 480 pieces were shown.
08:12After the show, the value of Vincent's art increased quickly.
08:16A painting called Portrait of Dr. Cachet was sold for more money than any other van Gogh painting.
08:23This happened back in 1990 at an auction house.
08:26And the price was $83 million.
08:30This was the highest amount of money ever paid for a painting.
08:34If you adjust for inflation, it would be worth about $180 million now.
08:40It might come as a surprise that the most expensive piece of art in the world isn't the most famous,
08:45though they were both crafted by Leonardo da Vinci.
08:48Let's start with the one you've surely heard of, the Mona Lisa.
08:52About 10 million people gather to see it each year, curious about her intriguing smile.
08:57But it was another of his paintings, Salvador Mundi,
09:01that took the record for the most expensive art piece ever sold,
09:05$450 million at a Christie's auction.
09:10The buyer was a Middle Eastern prince,
09:12who decided to discreetly snatch this painting back in 2017.
09:17Probably because it's controversial.
09:20For starters, some experts have their doubts about whether da Vinci really painted it.
09:25They say it doesn't quite match the famous painter's usual style.
09:29Now, this doesn't mean that the Mona Lisa is cheaper.
09:32In fact, it's considered priceless.
09:34Some have said it might be worth over a billion dollars,
09:37but it's hard to make an estimate.
09:38Plus, the Louvre Museum, where it's currently displayed, would never let it go.
09:43They get loads of visitors each year, and most of them are there to see the Mona Lisa.
09:48So, eventually, they make way more money from all those visitors
09:52than they would ever make from one payment.
09:54They've even gone as far as skipping the high insurance costs of the painting.
09:58The strategy is to invest in preserving the artwork.
10:02In case it ever gets damaged, no amount of money could replace it anyways.
10:05Now, you may wonder, what makes art so valuable?
10:09It depends on who you ask.
10:11But there are some factors to consider when assessing the value of, say, a painting.
10:16Like its age, condition, popularity of the artist, or its backstory.
10:21Take the Mona Lisa.
10:23It used to be considered a mundane painting up until the 19th century.
10:27The fact that it was stolen from the Louvre at one point also added to its mystery and value.
10:33When you add the fact that Picasso himself was also called in for questioning regarding the painting's whereabouts,
10:40it's easy to understand why Mona Lisa gained so much popularity.
10:46The most expensive contemporary painting, however, was sold for a bit over $20 million.
10:52It's by a Dutch-American artist who crafted Interchange, this abstract landscape, back in 1955.
10:59The artwork features a large pink area that's supposed to look like a lady lying down.
11:05There are also splashes of blue, yellow, and orange, outlining the woman.
11:09By looking at these two paintings, the Mona Lisa and Interchange, we see obvious differences when it comes to style.
11:16Older paintings were more about a realistic look, making you feel like you got nature itself trapped on the canvas.
11:23Artists were good at classic techniques, like mastering the perspective and anatomy of characters.
11:29On the other hand, contemporary art is freer, combining different techniques.
11:34A good example is abstract painting, like the work of Picasso, for instance, which looks nothing like our reality.
11:40He's the pioneer of an art movement called cubism.
11:44Imagine painting like you're making a puzzle with shapes and colors.
11:47You may have a face in the artwork somewhere, but instead of eyes, nose, and mouth in their usual places,
11:54they're scattered like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
11:56It's as if you're seeing different sides of a person all at once.
12:05Even the subject matter is now different.
12:08Older paintings show us things from history or representations of well-known myths.
12:12Meanwhile, contemporary art touches other subjects, too, like social issues or first-hand experiences.
12:19Take Frida Kahlo, for example.
12:21She's famous for her autobiographical paintings, where she shared with the world different struggles from her life.
12:27In fact, she started painting when she was a teenager, after a bus accident left her with serious injuries.
12:33Confined to bed, she used a mirror that was placed above her to capture her own image,
12:38expressing her pain and emotions through vibrant colors and surreal self-portraits.
12:44Back when da Vinci was painting his artworks, it was the rich who were mostly influencing artists.
12:49Most of the time, people with means would commission paintings to send out a clear message or simply out of
12:55vanity.
12:56Contemporary artists can paint whatever they want.
12:59The problem is gathering an audience and selling your pieces.
13:04And it's not just the paintings that have changed over the years.
13:07If you're a fan of sculptures, you might have noticed a difference, too.
13:11Take sculptures made in ancient Greece and Egypt.
13:15Sculptors back then were focused on perfection and ideal proportions.
13:19They also used materials like marble and bronze and crafted their pieces through carving and casting.
13:25Today's sculptors have a larger variety of materials.
13:28Plastic, fiberglass, resin, you name it.
13:31If you're feeling creative, you can try all sorts of different art challenges at home, too.
13:36Browse through some YouTube videos featuring art challenges to find ideas.
13:40And while you're at it, be sure to like this video and subscribe to this channel.
13:45After that, you can try making cardboard sculptures,
13:48castles using just some sand you found at the beach,
13:51and even miniature statues using magnets.
13:54Also, why not use Legos?
13:56Although, to top the current record for the biggest Lego sculpture,
13:59you'll need more than 5 million of those tiny pieces.
14:02The artwork depicted a replica of the Tower Bridge and was over 42 feet high.
14:10What about music?
14:12It's one of the oldest ways of artistic expression.
14:15Archaeologists found ancient bone flutes that were over 40,000 years old.
14:20In ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, for example, music was popular, often used in important ceremonies.
14:26Back then, they used instruments like lyres, harps, and pan flutes.
14:30During the Baroque era, composers like Bach were the equivalent of pop idols.
14:35And for good reason, since their music is still famous today.
14:39Bach, for instance, still has millions of monthly listeners on popular streaming platforms,
14:44centuries after his passing.
14:46The 20th century brought music you're a bit more familiar with,
14:50like jazz, blues, rock and roll, hip-hop, and electronic.
14:54But unlike paintings, where the older it is, the more expensive a piece of art can get,
14:59when it comes to music, things are a bit more complicated.
15:02Figuring out the greatest song of all time is hard,
15:05especially since we don't have a lot of data from previous centuries.
15:09Rolling Stones magazine claims Aretha Franklin's song, Respect, should take the crown.
15:14But not everyone agrees.
15:17The most recorded song in history?
15:19Some might say The Beatles' Yesterday, with 4,000 versions,
15:23or 6,600 recordings of Amazing Grace.
15:26But both of those pale in comparison to a tune by George Gershwin called Summertime,
15:32recorded over 67,000 times.
15:37These days, you can use artificial intelligence to create music yourself.
15:41And here's how this software works.
15:43Most of it relies on deep learning.
15:45This teaches the computer to compose music by showing it loads of tunes that already exist.
15:51The computer then figures out the patterns and structures in the information provided.
15:55After that, it starts putting out brand new compositions.
15:59Once these AI music makers have had enough training,
16:02you can give them all sorts of info to make music, like tempo, key, and genre.
16:09Now, literature isn't what it used to be, either.
16:12Ancient Greeks, for instance, used hexameters, a kind of poetic tempo.
16:16It was during this time that the legendary Homer wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey.
16:21The Greeks also invented drama, as in the theatrical genre.
16:24They started this tradition in Athens around the 6th century BCE.
16:28Even back then, such performances had exquisite costumes, dances, and amazing stage setups.
16:35Contemporary literature includes stuff that's been written after the 1950s.
16:39A lot of interesting techniques have been used in novels ever since,
16:43like stories that jump around in time,
16:46and characters you don't know if you can trust.
16:49Authors today are also not afraid to break the fourth law by directly addressing the reader.
16:54When it comes to the best-selling book of all time,
16:57things get a bit complicated to estimate as well.
16:59But for most people, their best guess is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
17:05Some reports claim it's been sold over 200 million times all over the world.
17:10Not to mention it was translated in over 100 languages.
17:13Hey, read all about it!
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