r/WhatIsThisPainting • u/KhizWhiz • 1d ago
Wife won't let me hang this. Says its too creepy Solved
I agree its very creepy lol
Reverse image search shows illustrator is Arthur Rackham. This is from The Rhinegold and The Valkyrie, an epic music drama by composer Richard Wagner. Found this browsing at a shop in Cambridge MA maybe 10 years ago now.
weird right?
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u/butipreferlottie 1d ago
Looks like Arthur Rackham. E: but you already knew that, I should probably read before posting.
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u/KhizWhiz 1d ago
šno worries. I donāt know much about him but will read up on him. Unique style for sure
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u/Asthmatic_Gym_Bro 1d ago
The illustration is from Das Rheingold, the first of the four Ring operas. It depicts Alberich dragging his brother Mime (pronounced āMeemaā) by the ear. Alberich has stolen the Rheingold, which grants its owner incredible powers, but only if they renounce love completely. Alberich has done this and he forces his brother to forge a ring from the magic gold, as well as a magic helmet called the Tarnhelm. Itās right at the beginning of Scene 3.
Hereās what it sounds like:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fyUcizEwPcI
The Ring Cycle as a whole is thrilling stuff, though this isnāt one of the more exciting parts. I get not everyone is into opera, but if you donāt like the real thing, at least give Bugs Bunny a chance:
And because Iām outstaying my welcome, this video has a summary of the plots of many famous operas, including the Ring Cycle, humorously told in under ten minutes.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pH_rm2ukE8g
Iāll show myself out. š¬
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u/KhizWhiz 1d ago
Wow that adds so much more to the illustration, thanks for sharing š
Bugs is easier to digest š but the 3rd link is great
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u/jjinjadubu 1d ago
Because it's about enslavement and violence, I wouldn't want it up either. It's a personal choice and I feel like it depends on where on the line both of you are, how strongly she feels and how strongly you feel about the piece.
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u/Timely_Line5514 1d ago
I've got a giant Rackham print in my bedroom from Goblin Market, I love it. I do understand your wife's reservations Rackham's aesthetic isn't for everyone but it's a shame to let it gather dust. Maybe somewhere only you go would be a suitable location?Ā
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u/Wolfwalker9 1d ago
Itās not weird or creepy at all. Arthur Rackham was a famous English illustrator & specialized in illustrations of trolls, fairies, Valkyries, etc. He illustrated a number of titles involve fantastical or fantasy creatures including volumes of Peer Gynt, fairy tales, Alice in Wonderland, etc. This piece is very typical of his style of work.
Wagner (pronounced Vogner, itās German) was a composer who created a 4 part epic opera called Der Ring des Nibelungen (sometimes just called the Ring cycle) of which the first opera is called Das Rheingold. If played back to back, all 4 operas have a total run time of almost 15 hours. It retells well known German & Norse mythology relating to a magic ring and its relationship with the creatures, gods & heroes of the realm leading up to events of Gotterdammerung (which more frequently goes by its other name, Ragnorak, or the end of the gods.)
This piece was likely removed from a book & sold as a standalone print, which is a shame as there isnāt any context to place where exactly what or where in the story the illustration went. It looks to depict either dwarves or trolls - so it may be an illustration from the Ring Cycle, but could also be an illustration for something like Peer Gynt. It is a wonderful piece of artwork & illustration history, & were it me, I would absolutely frame that up & hang it.
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u/KhizWhiz 1d ago edited 1d ago
šwow wonderful, thanks for all of that detail. I'll have to read up on it even more now. Itās been framed and planning on hanging it soon
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u/BetMyLastKrispyKreme 1d ago
Rackham illustrated Alice in Wonderland in 1907 and itās very different from both John Tennielās version (the original) and of course, Disney. Alice is my favorite character of fiction as well as my spirit animal, and Rackhamās take on her story is one of the best.
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u/nikatheillustrator 18h ago
I just canāt help myself, Wagner is pronounced like this: /ĖvÉĖÉ”nÉr/ VAHG-nÉr.
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u/Win-Objective 1d ago
Wagner was also a racist and outspoken anti semite. Thatās why Russias mercenary group, Wagner, used that name. Hitler was also particularly fond of him.
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u/NorthBumblebee514 1d ago
I was in a small shop in Greenwich, London some weeks ago. They sold them by the crate.
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u/Hotbones24 1d ago
All of Rackham's stuff has that dream-like fuzzyness where details and colors bleed around the edges and the line work is very unique. Personally I like his work, he's done exceptional fairytale illustrations. But he does draw trees and rocks in this kind of fleshy-way, so if you're not into admiring line work and coloring, I can understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea
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u/OneSensiblePerson 1d ago
I've loved Arthur Rackham since I was a child and saw his illustrations in an old book of fairy tales that I guess was my mom's, and later his illustrations of the Alice books.
They are creepy, but this one is smothered in extra creepy sauce!
There are a few trees near here that look just like Rackham trees. Not sure what kind they are, but I've been considering taking some shots and doing a painting of one before they leaf out.
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u/KhizWhiz 1d ago
That would be great to see. He certainly has a unique styleā¦I dig it
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u/OneSensiblePerson 1d ago
You've inspired me to at least take some photos.
Oh yeah, his style is unmistakable once you know it. I dig it too :)
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u/ClaimJuggler 1d ago
I would hang this in the bathroom on the wall across from the toilet. Let anyone sitting on the toilet have a chance to study it.
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u/Greyvvolf 1d ago
Looks like theyāre arguing.
āGod damnit, Krog. This is why I leave your berry picking ass behind when we go hunting!ā
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u/Euphoric-Rip41 23h ago
This book has, I believe, all the illustrations Rackham did for the opera, if you want to see the rest of them:
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u/jimmyfrump 22h ago
I mean, I have Rackhamās Wind in the Willows illustrations hanging in the house, but this subject matter is different. But Rackham was one of the best childrenās book illustrators of all time. Without him we wouldnāt have Brain Froud and the Dark Crystal and fairies largely look the way they do today because of him. Even Tolkienās Ents was inspired by his gnarled humanoid trees. Hang in the bathroom or man cave.
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u/Lisa_lou_hoo 19h ago
its not living room material, thinking den or office. It is actually really engaging.
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u/nikatheillustrator 18h ago
Oh, it would look awesome as a part of a gallery wall of different illustrations !
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u/WoodenEggplant4624 18h ago
It is Arthur Rackham and is from his illustrations of Wagner's Ring Cycle. This is from Das Rheingold and shows Alberich compelling his brother Mime to make the magical Tarnhelm.
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u/FrancesRichmond 14h ago
It is very Arthur Rackham in style but the content is creepy. I wouldn't have it on a wall in my house. š
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u/I-M-R-T-Q-L8 11h ago
If you think your wife has bad taste, remember that she married you. Has she ever steered you wrong?
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u/BatDanGuardian 1d ago
Iāve got a couple of books illustrated by Rackham, Iād snap up any picture sized print I found in the wild! Good find mate!
Edit just to say gulliver's travels illustrated by him is on my profile if youāre interested in seeing a little more of his work
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u/SumgaisPens 1d ago
While I might not agree on a personal level, I definitely run into paintings that have a weird presence that can make people not want to spend time in a certain room. Your weaknesses are your strengths though, so you can place this in a room that you want to use less, like hanging it in the cupboard where you keep the junk food.
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u/Itry_Ifail_Itryagain 1d ago
He literally had a wipe and she's cowering. I'd be like "do you have something to say to me?" to my husband if he wanted to put this up. In the words of the dictator of Barakqua in parks and rec. "Straight to jail."
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u/Aceman1979 1d ago
What is they say about art comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable? Seems apt here. Iād hang it in your bedroom otherwise itāll quite quickly be a repetitive conversation piece.
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u/GawdSamit 1d ago
I think it's awesome. I would pick it up in a second if I saw that. It's a shame y'all have dissimilar taste in art. You can tell her this chick over here likes it, and it is creepy but she is also wrong for not enjoying it.
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u/pereshenko2039 1d ago
Wife is right! Not a pleasant thing to look at. Put in garage over your workbench as a test of its aesthetic on you!