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| The Hands Resist Him - 1973 |
This is one of the few works thus far that I've been able to find a concrete artist's interpretation, so I'll provide that for reference and expound upon it.
First, we look at the boy. According to the artist, the image of the boy was based on a photo of him from when he was five. This adds another dimension of realism and personality to the painting. Given how much the boy stands out from the rest of the painting color-wise, making him look as real and human as possible adds to the overall impact of the painting.
Stoneham states that the door behind the boy represents the divide between the waking world and the world of fantasy and impossibilities. What is interesting about that interpretation is the way Stoneham has chosen to represent it in the painting. All that can be seen beyond the door is a crowd of hands pressing against the glass of the door (these have their own separate symbolic value that I'll get to later). Since we, the viewers are seeing into this realm from our reality, where the things beyond this door remain impossible, all we are shown is infinite blackness. Our world has no context for the wonders and/or horrors that lie beyond the door, thus, it stands to reason that from our perspective we would see nothing.
It is only with an escort that we in the world of things possible and concrete may venture through the door.
Enter the doll-girl. According to Stoneham, she serves as an escort to take the boy past the barrier of the door into the world of the impossible. Along with the very clearly sculpted joints on her arms, legs, and mouth, the design of the character seems very intentionally meant to emphasize the contrast between the two worlds. While the boy's face is full of life and character, as discussed above, the doll's face is, well, that of a doll: very little is expressed through the facial configuration, and in particular the eyes, which have been rendered as lifeless black beads. Even something as simple as a color scheme is used toward this end. The boy's clothes are much brighter shades of teal and green, while the girl's look dirty and worn.
The hands, Stoneham says, are meant to represent alternate lives or possibilities. This is especially effective given the nature of the door and the darkness behind it. It would be imposible for someone to know what their other selves would look like, which is why the rest of the figures fall of into the darkness, but a hand is very easily identifiable, and our real-world frame of reference is informed enough for us to be able to identify it.
And now for a fun fact: you'll recall I mentioned urban legends above. In February 2000, this painting was put up for auction on eBay by a couple in California. This couple believed the painting to be haunted, claiming to have caught it moving on camera. What they thought they saw was the doll-girl aiming a gun at the boy, which in reality was just the battery that the girl is holding and the segment of window pane behind it. Below is the item description as seen in the original listing, along with all relevant pictures:
"WHEN WE RECEIVED THIS PAINTING, WE THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY GOOD ART. A " PICKER " HAD FOUND IT ABANDONED BEHIND AN OLD BREWERY. AT THE TIME WE WONDERED A LITTLE WHY A SEEMINGLY PERFECTLY FINE PAINTING WOULD BE DISCARDED LIKE THAT. ( TODAY WE DON'T !!! ) ONE MORNING OUR 4 AND 1/2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER CLAIMED, THAT THE CHILDREN IN THE PICTURE WERE FIGHTING, AND COMING INTO THE ROOM DURING THE NIGHT. NOW, I DON'T BELIEVE IN UFOS OR ELVIS BEING ALIVE, BUT MY HUSBAND WAS ALARMED. TO MY AMUSEMENT HE SET UP A MOTION TRIGGERED CAMERA FOR THE NIGHTS. AFTER THREE NIGHTS THERE WERE PICTURES.THE LAST TWO PICTURES SHOWN ARE FROM THAT 'STAKEOUT'. AFTER SEEING THE BOY SEEMINGLY EXITING THE PAINTING UNDER THREAT, WE DECIDED, THE PAINTING HAS TO GO.PLEASE JUDGE FOR YOURSELF. --- BEFORE YOU DO, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING WARNING AND DISCLAIMER. ----WARNING: DO NOT BID ON THIS PAINTING IF YOU ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO STRESS RELATED DISEASE, FAINT OF HEART OR ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH SUPERNATURAL EVENTS. BY BIDDING ON THIS PAINTING, YOU AGREE TO RELEASE THE OWNERS OF ALL LIABILITY IN RELATION TO THE SALE OR ANY EVENTS HAPPENING AFTER THE SALE, THAT MIGHT BE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS PAINTING. THIS PAINTING MAY OR MAY NOT POSESS SUPERNATURAL POWERS, THAT COULD IMPACT OR CHANGE YOUR LIFE. HOWEVER, BY BIDDING YOU AGREE TO EXCLUSIVELY BID ON THE VALUE OF THE ARTWORK, WITH DISREGARD TO THE LAST TWO PHOTOS FEATURED IN THIS AUCTION, AND HOLD THE OWNERS HARMLESS IN REGARD TO THEM AND THEIR IMPACT, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED.------------ NOW THAT WE GOT THIS OUT OF THE WAY, ONE QUESTION TO YOU EBAYERS. WE WANT OUR HOUSE TO BE BLESSED AFTER THE PAINTING IS GONE, DOES ANYBODY KNOW, WHO IS QUALIFIED TO DO THAT? THE SIZE OF THE PAINTING IS 24 BY 36 INCHES, SO IT IS RATHER LARGE. AS I HAVE HAD SEVERAL QUESTIONS, HERE THE FOLLOWING ANSWERS. THERE WAS NO ODOR LEFT BEHIND IN THE ROOM. THERE WERE NO VOICES, OR THE SMELL OF GUNPOWDER, NO FOODPRINTS OR STRANGE FLUIDS ON THE WALL. TO DETER QUESTIONS IN THIS DIRECTION, THERE ARE NO GHOSTS IN THIS WORLD , NO SUPERNATURAL POWERS, THIS IS JUST A PAINTING, AND MOST THESE THINGS HAVE AN EXPLANATION, IN THIS CASE PROBABLY A FLUKE LIGHT EFFECT. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO BID ON THE ARTWORK, AND CONSIDER THE LAST TWO PHOTOGRAPHS AS PURE ENTERTAINMENT, AND PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THEM INTO CONSIDERATION, WHEN BIDDING. AS WE THINK IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO BLESS ANY HOUSE, WE STILL WELCOME INPUT INTO THAT PROCEDURE.
This auction is nearing the end. I want to thank the more than 13000 people that took the time to look at this image on Ebay. I appreciate the more than 30 suggestions, that I received regarding blessing the house, exorcising and cleansing. 7 e-mails reported strange or irregular events taking place, when viewing this image. And I will relay two suggestions made by the senders. First not to use this image as the background on the screen, and second not to display this image around juveniles or children. Last not least, thanks for appreciating the art as well."
My Opinion
I really enjoy this piece. There's a certain haunting starkness to its presentation, and the contrast between the boy and the girl works really well. While I don't personally feel the artist's statements on the piece totally line up with the tone of the piece, I can still understand them, and still find the piece incredibly evocative. Aside from all of that, the painting comes with a really interesting legend surrounding it that, if nothing else, certainly makes for an afternoon of interesting research.
Well that's all from my end! Hope you've enjoyed this creepier-than-usual entry! See you next time!
"And remember kids: ghosts are just wisps of your regrets, sent to remind you of what can never be..." - Anonymous
EDIT: I'm not sure what that last part is. I didn't type it and Blogger won't let me delete it.
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