The art secrets hiding in plain sight: Expert reveals the easy-to-miss details that are key to unlocking the meaning of some of the world’s most famous paintings (so did YOU spot them?)
- Kelly Grovier’s book, A New Way of Seeing, examines the secrets hiding within famous works across time
- Reveals an Easter egg hidden in Hieronymus Bosch’s famous The Garden of Earthly Delights from 1505-10
- Also points out a tiny symbolic rabbit in J. M. W. Turner’s Rain Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway
Cultural critic Kelly Grovier, who was born in California but now lives in Ireland, has explored every element of 57 different works of art to discover their secrets for his seventh book.
Source: New book reveals hidden details in world’s most famous paintings
By KELLY GROVIER FOR THE MAILONLINE
A new book has revealed the crucial hidden details you have missed in some of the world’s most well-known paintings.
A New Way of Seeing: The History of Art in 57 Works hopes to change the way people view these incredible pieces forever through recognising their hidden meanings.
From Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus to Edvard Munch’s The Scream, the book helps guide viewers to seemingly innocuous details that are actually bursting with meaning.
‘I wrote A New Way of Seeing because I wanted to understand what makes great art great,’ Kelly said.
‘I sensed there were hidden mysteries and strange depths to the paintings and sculptures that we all know by heart but never really look at. I wanted to help readers reconnect with those masterpieces that have the power to enrich our experience of the world.’
Here, Kelly reveals the details you might have missed in some very recognisable paintings…
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus
J. M. W. Turner, Rain Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway
Édouard Manet, A Bar at The Folies-Bergère
Gustav Klimt, The Kiss
Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights
Edvard Munch, The Scream