Han van Meegeren was a painter with a problem. He tried to sell artwork under his own name, but the critics of the 1920s weren’t keen on it. They were excited by newer, abstract forms of art, like cubism or surrealism. Van Meegeren, on the other hand, painted in a very traditional, realistic style.
The Dutch artist decided to trick the art world. He wanted to prove that he could paint just as well as any of the famous old masters.
Van Meegeren became an art forger. A forger creates art but claims a famous artist made it. He or she may sell this fake work for lots of money. Van Meegeren was one of the most successful art forgers of all time.
A Vermeer Is Born
First, which artist to forge? Van Meegeren was particularly fond of Dutch painters from the 1600s, like Rembrandt van Rijn and Frans Hals. But wait. There was another Dutch painter: Johannes Vermeer. Only about 35 of his paintings were known. Van Meegeren couldn’t directly copy one of those, as the owner of the original painting might point out the copy. But how about producing a whole new “Vermeer”?
Vermeer’s history happened to have a gap. Scholars weren’t sure what the painter was up to during that time. So maybe van Meegeren could produce a painting from that period. Scholars suspected Vermeer had gone to Italy. Van Meegeren could make it look like his painting had been influenced by old Italian masters. He could also give his Vermeer a religious subject matter, so it would seem like it came from a “lost religious period” in the artist’s work.
With Vermeer on the brain, van Meegeren got to work.
The Long-lost Supper
In 1937, van Meegeren was ready to reveal his masterpiece, called Supper at Emmaus. He first showed it to a friend, who didn’t realize it was fake. He then got the friend to show it to art expert Abraham Bredius. Not only was Bredius an art expert, but he was also the expert on Vermeer. He had long suspected artwork from that blank time period existed, and he was eager to be proven correct.
この記事は Muse Science Magazine for Kids の July/August 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は Muse Science Magazine for Kids の July/August 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
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SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
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THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
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What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.
