Crying boy (1 picture + text) Bashny.Net

Crying boy - a reproduction of the painting by the Spanish artist Giovanni Bragolina (also known as Bruno Amadio). Superstitious people considered to be a reproduction of the damned, and causing a fire in the room where it is located.



artist paintings, the father of the boy, creepy way scoffed at his son. The fact that the boy madly afraid of fire, and his father to give a picture of naturalness and brightness in his face lit match, causing him to cry. Unable to withstand the humiliation, the boy called out to his father, "Burn you yourself!" A month later, the child died of pneumonia, and even a couple of weeks o6uglennoe 6ylo found the body of the artist in his own house next to surviving in the fire picture crying boy.

September 4, 1985, the British newspaper «The Sun» published an article «Blazing Curse of the Crying Boy». In the article a couple Ron and May of Hull Rotherham (South Yorkshire) claimed that after a fire burned in their house, in the midst of the destruction on the wall remains undamaged cheap reproduction of a picture with a crying boy.

In addition it was reported that the brother of Ron Peter Hull works in Rotherham fire station, and one of his colleagues, Alan Wilkinson argued that very often on big fires firefighters found undamaged reproduction "Crying boy».

The article was accompanied by a reproduction of a photograph with the caption «Tears for fears ... the portrait that firemen claim is cursed» (Tears for fears ... the portrait that firemen say cursed). Although the fire did not use in his story the word "curse", the article was written in a style that readers had no doubt that this is so. Also, the article comes with a brief reference to the fact that in Britain's stores sold more than 50,000 reproductions of paintings that differed mainly in working class areas of Northern England.

In the mid-1980s, The Sun led an active struggle for the readers. Kelvin MacKenzie, editor of the newspaper, saw the article as it needs to attract the public sensation. His staff, he said that this story with great potential and will last long.

September 5, 1985 in The Sun published an article that the editorial office after the last message of the portrait entered the mass of information from readers about similar circumstances. The article extensively used words such as "curse", "bringing bad luck", "fear", "terror". The article also cited messages of this type: "In case of fire all my paintings were destroyed by fire, except for Crying boy" and "Those are my relatives and friends who purchased a reproduction of the painting was damaged by fire»

The article also done the conclusion that the existence of a reproduction seriously increases the risk of fire or serious injury. So, Rose Farrington of Preston in a letter to the newspaper wrote: "I bought the portrait in 1959. Since then I have died my husband and three sons. I often ask myself, maybe they were cursed? "In another letter, reported that when one of our readers tried to burn the reproduction it is not burned, even though it was on fire for over an hour.

The allegation that the reproductions are off once again reminded the public about the interviews with firefighters. Although Alan Wilkinson said that most of the fires, which appeared "Crying boy" had a quite rational reasons related to the violation of fire safety rules, he could not explain how the portrait remained relatively intact, although the entire environment burn out. The Sun, however, was not at all interested in the rational explanation, and therefore ignored his comments, saying that "the fire does not have a logical explanation of a number of recent incidents.»

It soon became clear that the pictures that participated in the various incidents are not copies of one picture. Some of the paintings attributed to the Spaniard Giovanni Bragolinu, part - Scottish artist Anne Zinkayzen (Eng. Anna Zinkeisen). In total there was about 5 different versions of a picture that only two things in common: they were depicted children and they are sold in large quantities in the English department in the 1960s and 1970s.

The journalists, referring to the experts on the occult, expressed the view that the possible author of the original portrait mistreated the child model, and the fires may be the result of the curse of the child, his revenge.

Rotherham Soon there was another fire in the home was also present a reproduction of the painting of Anna Zinkayzen. A lot of rumors and speculation forced the South Yorkshire Fire Department to make a statement. It was due to a fire last violation of fire safety rules, and that the reproductions are not affected by the fact that they are printed on very heavy paper, which is very easy to ignite. The general picture of the situation was due to a coincidence: it sold very many copies of pictures, it is not surprising that they sometimes find themselves in homes where there is a fire.

However, this statement could not exert much influence on public opinion, fueled edited The Sun. After another fire, which hit the Italian restaurant, the newspaper issued a statement: "All right, enough. If you're worried that the picture of "Crying boy" is in your home, immediately send it to us. We will destroy it and save you from the curse ».

Soon, the local version of the reproductions was littered with a whole room. It was soon discovered that the editor Kelvin MacKenzie is prone to superstition. When one member of the editorial board on the wall hung a reproduction, Mackenzie saw it, stopped, turned pale, and then ordered to remove the picture and remove it: "It's not good»

Similarly, react and fire Alan Wilkinson. Although he said he was not superstitious, but not given to him I took reproduction. Another firefighter Mick Riley, makes a statement on the "debunking curse" also took the picture, saying that his wife believes that the reproduction does not fit into the interior. Another reproduction, presented to him, hung Wilkinson at the fire station, but a few days later was instructed to remove it. However, this story had a sequel: a few days on the stove burned all lunches fire.

By the end of September, The Sun decided to arrange the promised destruction of reproductions, staged a mass burning them. The initial plan was to arrange a fire on the roof of the office of the newspaper, but firefighters have banned such action by refusing to cooperate in a cheap show to the public. As a result of the reproduction were taken outside the city and burned it, and in the newspaper appeared corresponding article about this.

Gradually a mention in the press about the "curse" came to naught.

Since then, however, the press, and then the Internet periodically old story revived, and in a variety of ways: for example, with allegations that if a reproduction handle well, the boy on the contrary will bring good luck to owners, or about that such fires occur in other places in the world.