Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most famous artists of all times, and one could expect that this amazing genius would have left for future generations a rich and huge collection of his art works. Yet we only have today about 15 works that are almost surely fully or mostly his work, as several others have proven to be the works of his apprentices or imitators. There is a simple, yet rather disturbing reason for this: da Vinci was one lazy painter. He began working on some painting, then he grew bored and simply abandoned it. Also, he experimented with strange and (for his time) unusual and bizarre techniques and materials, and often the resulting work simply didn't last over time. And most important he wanted the work to be simply perfect. And when Leonardo da Vinci thought that the end result had not to his expectations, he simply destroyed it. When you are a young painter, but truly believe that you are a talented artist, you might not have a lot of patience. You can't wait for the day when your works will be presented in the most famous galleries and museums, and time seems to pass way too slow. Some young painters simply give up, others try to find an original way of becoming famous. Andrzej Sobieban, a young and at the time unknown Polish painter went a little further than that. In 2012, not wanting to wait, he simply visited the National Museum in Wroclaw, Poland, hang around the halls and admired the paintings, then, when the guard wasn't paying attention, he just hung one of his own works on the wall. Then exited the museum and went home. Surprisingly, it would take about three days before a curator noticed that the museum's collections were enriched by another work, signed by an unknown artist. So Sobieban became famous, as he wanted, as free and amusing publicity is the best kind. And the museum not only kept the work, but also put it up for auction. Sometimes the simplest, most daring sollution is the right one.
With a short life and just two years spent as a full time artist, Congo was a prolific painter, who began working when he was just two years old. By the time he was four his portfolio comprised about 400 paintings and drawings, and some of them were actually very impressive, according to critics and fellow artists. Even Picasso had one of Congo's paintings in his studio, and if that is not a guarantee we don't know what is. And decades after his death - Congo passed away in 1964 - his works are still being sold at auctions, and often faster and a little more expensive than the paintings of better known artists. Yet Congo was not a child prodigee, not matter what you would think. He (or it) was a monkey, a chimpanzee at the London Zoo, who started painting and drawing almost by accident. Congo loved art so much that he went into a frenzee if you tried to take away an artwork that wasn't yet completed. But at the same time, once the artist was satisfied with his painting, nothing could make him return to it, even for a few minutes. Great artists have their quirks, as it is often said.
Photo: leonardodavinci.net
