Uploaded January 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

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From hidden people you might not have noticed, to hidden meanings that have been lost to time, join us as we explore 9 secrets hidden inside of paintings.
9. The "Wrong Ear"
If you know the history of art, then the name Vincent Van Gogh will no doubt be one that you remember. While he was mocked in his own time for his unique art style, it was his work that helped shape much of what we know as art right now (ignore that whole banana and duct tape thing, that was just weird). And yet, when you think about one of his most famous portraits, one that has Vincent Van Gogh drawing himself in three quarters style with his ear cut off...you notice something rather odd.
8. God and the Brain
On the top of the Sistine Chapel is a very beautiful portrait of God giving the "spark of life and knowledge" to Adam, the first human every made. This portrait by the esteemed Michelangelo is revered as one of the most important paintings in this history. And is of course one of the key art pieces in all of the Sistine Chapel.
But here's the catch, if you look REALLY closely at the portrait, you're going to see something that you can't really explain at first. Look closely at God and the angels behind him in the painting.
7. The Woman Behind The Man
The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso is one of his very classic paintings, and is a part of his 'blue period' that further helped his career. However, if you look really closely at the background to the portrait, you're going to swear that there is something there, something that honestly shouldn't be there in the context of this painting. Mainly, it looks as if there is a woman behind the man in the painting. What is going on here?
A good question, but the mystery gets deeper and more fun. Because the Art Institute of Chicago decided to do an X-Ray of the original portrait (without damaging it just to be clear)
6. Down With The Pope
Remember Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel? Well, like we noted, he had a very tenuous relationship with the Catholic Church, and especially those that ran it. True, he did work for them, and even did the Sistine Chapel for them (which showed a lot of restraint and the desire to make art above all else), but it also gave him a chance to get back at those he felt was making the world a worse place. Which ironically included the Pope.
Pope Julius II was the man who commissioned who commissioned the Sistine Chapel..
5. From Night To Day
If you look at The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch by Rembrandt, which is known to many as the "Night Watch", you can see that one of the big reasons for its naming is that it's very dark. It looks like this militia group is going out in the dark to get a job done, and that's why the "Night Watch" moniker has stuck for all of these years. But there's a fundamental problem with that moniker, and it's one that was hidden right in front of everyone's eyes...until it got wiped off.
4. Man In the Mirror
Jan van Eyck was an artist from the 15th century, and he was very much a guy who liked to put in intentional secret messages into his paintings. For proof of this, you need to look no further than his very famous portrait known as the Arnolfini Portrait. Most people know that in this portrait there is a message that states "Jan van Eyck was here 1434". You can find it behind the two people in the portrait.
3. The "Strength" Of David
Thought we were done with the Sistine Chapel? Oh no, we still got a lot of secret messages in there. Which makes me wonder what to think of Michelangelo if he was willing to do all of that...whatever! Anyway, this time, the message is a little more subtle, and honestly not means spirited.
2. The Musical Last Supper
We're going to end this list with two entries featuring works from Leonardo Da Vinci, and the first of them comes from his piece known as The Last Supper. This is a reference to the Biblical tale of Jesus Christ having a meal with his followers one last time before his arrest and Many people have claimed to have "found secrets" hidden with the painting that gives clues to all sorts of things.
1. The Mona Lisa
Before you say anything, NO, we are NOT talking about The Da Vinci Code. That book is fictional, and does not have a bearing on things here. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean that the Mona Lisa doesn't have a few secrets left to hold. After all, many people still wonder who the Mona Lisa is painted of. Including some wild theories that Da Vinci painted a female version of himself. Which would be both hilarious and creepy.
Anyway, onto the secrets. There are two hidden in the Mona Lisa's portrait