The Hands Resist Him Painting
Painted in 1972 by artist Bill Stoneham, this painting is said to be cursed.
In February of 2000, it appeared on eBay where a seller who found the painting abandoned claimed the children in the painting came alive at night stating:
“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.”
According to a version of the story the seller placed a camera and caught the boy crawling out of the painting, of course, no evidence of this exists.
Others have claimed looking at the painting instills a sense of dread and can make you ill.
Artist Bill Stoneham has stated he doesn’t know why it’s considered haunted but recalled the original gallery owner and critic both died within a year of coming into contact with it. You can see his inspiration and explanation of the painting on his website here.
But what could really be going on?
The painting is definitely unsettling but as far as it being haunted or cursed, that belief comes from a few factors.
One, the painting itself is creepy in multiple ways, the doll of the girl immediately triggers an uncanny valley effect because it’s not immediately apparent it’s a doll. The uncanny valley is an emotional response of uneasiness you get when you see something that looks almost human but something about it feels off. It’s a physiological response that we still don’t quite understand.
The fear of the unknown also fuels the creepy factor of the painting. We don’t know why the doll is there, we don’t know why it’s so big, or what it’s holding. And then the main thing is the hands behind the boy. Why are they there? Who do they belong to? Why does he not seem phased by this?
Another reason for the belief the painting is haunted is the actual story from eBay. Despite no evidence being given that the characters come to life at night people still somewhat believe the story. The media even picked up the story after it appeared on eBay giving it more of a push to national audiences. Whispers of a haunted painting, stories starting with “I heard” or “I read” passed around, and then when you saw the painting you were more inclined to believe it because of how creepy it is.
Today these stories are passed around on the internet and social media meaning they won’t die anytime soon.
Since 2004 Bill Stoneham has painted three sequels and one prequel painting in the series.
The prequel painting “The Hands Invent Him” was created in 2017. The first sequel to “The Hands Resist Him” called “Resistance at the Threshold” was commissioned in 2004. “Threshold of Revelation” followed in 2012 and the final painting in the series “What Remains” was created in 2021
No word if any of these paintings are also haunted or cursed.
