Sunday, June 26, 2022

Artful Doppelgängers

I came across a painting that strongly reminded me of a certain afternoon I spent in Scotland... good gravy... fifteen years... ago.  It reminded me of doppelgängers, "biologically unrelated look-alikes, or doubles, of living people." 
 
Since my memory has nothing to do with living people, I'll save it for another day, but I do have an example of a doppelgänger involving humans. Whom, you might ask? Denis. Want to take a look?
 

On the left is a photo of my husband, Denis, taken shortly before we were married. Imagine my surprise when I was skimming through a book of art by one of my favorite artists (James Tissot) to find his 1872 painting of "Gentleman in a Railway Carriage."

I know, I know... that gentleman in the railway carriage is no longer living, but still... doppelgängers! Don't you agree?
 

16 comments:

  1. Wow! That's uncanny, Cathy! How interesting that they look so very much alike! And they're no relation or anything. They say we all have someone like that - makes me wonder who mine might be...

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  2. Yes, I was in a restaurant years ago and there was a painting of an Elizabethan man on the wall. It could have been my art teacher at school so uncanny was the likeness. It was so weird I couldn't take my eyes off it. I don't want to sound a bit bonkers but it makes me wonder about reincarnation.

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  3. Crazy how similar they are! :D

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  4. There is definitely a resemblance. An unknown ancestor perhaps?

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  5. I once worked with a guy who seemed vaguely familiar, though we'd never previously met. Then one day, reviewing memories of a trip led me to a self-portrait painted by Raphael, and the answer became clear.

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  6. Oh, gosh, it took five tries to sign in. But I see those two pictures and I admit I don't see that much similarity. Denis is a much sunnier personality right off the bat. The other guy looks pale and depress, not how your spouse looks at all.

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    1. You do have a point, which means that Denis probably resembles the painting much more now. Extreme pain does that to a person. :-(

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  7. Oh, that's sad. Maybe after he's home and has less discomfort and goes outside, he won't be as pale. That ::"Gentleman" looks like he's never been outside a darkened room.

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    1. He's doing well in rehab, I'm happy to say.

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    2. Good to hear. Rehab has been good for everyone I've known who has been in a facility. Soon the two of you will be the Kittling Rodeo Riders.

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    3. Rodeo Riders? No, thank you. My bucket list already has "getting bucked off a horse" crossed out. *wink*

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  8. I don't think you'll get bucked off a horse on your ramps. But you two might get a little wild getting outside on those new ramps with a few "yippees" said.

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