The Chilling Account Of The Anguished Man

The are many legends of cursed items or treasures. Ancient relics that bring with them strange occurrences and terrifying consequences. Not all of these items date back to antiquity, however. A painting of the contemporary era is perhaps one of the most chilling of these apparently cursed efforts.

The painting The Anguished Man

Known as ‘The Anguished Man’, the painting’s current owner, Sean Robinson is convinced the morbid piece of artwork is haunted, by its creator no less. The phrase of “putting one’s soul” into their work has never been more appropriate it would seem. As we will see, for reasons unknown, the artist would “mutilate himself” throughout the painting’s creation. This bizarre and shocking background make for some interesting theories.

Indeed, if there is any truth to the account, and this particularly gritty piece of artwork does contain the soul of its creator, or of some other “entity”, then it would seem appropriate for further and deeper study into realms unknown.

Before we look at this particular piece of art, check out the short video below. It looks at ten of most haunted paintings.

A Gruesome Background

The artist behind ‘The Anguished Man’ remains a mystery, ^[1] as does the actual age of the painting. According to the aforementioned Robinson, the strange piece of art came into the family via his grandmother in 1985. She didn’t place it on the wall. Instead, she would keep it out of sight in the attic and would tell strange tales about it to her family.

According to the legend, the painting contained the blood of the artist within it, and in turn, was “haunted by the tortured soul” of the person who created it. Even more chilling, the artist apparently committed suicide as soon as the macabre picture was complete.

Further still, according to Robinson, his grandmother would state, quite seriously, that “screams of pain” would often be clearly audible in the attic.

Strange then that Robinson should be so keen to have such a piece in his home. However, when his grandmother passed away in 1999, the morose painting was his to take. According to Robinson, he was one of the few close family members who his grandmother let see the painting. Despite its obviously harrowing background, Robinson would appreciate something in it.

He did indeed take ‘The Anguished Man’ with him to his home in Maryport, England. It would be a decision that would appear to have prolonged and far-reaching consequences.

Strange Incidents

It didn’t take long for strange and numbing incidents to begin happening in the Robinson home following the painting’s arrival. A sudden feeling of dread would come over the home’s occupants, as would nausea and dizziness. This was something also experienced by the many paranormal investigators who would visit Robinson’s home.

Robinson would state that for all his interest in the painting, he simply didn’t believe the legends. He would claim to merely be a horror film fan who found the painting’s backstory appealing. His wife, however, didn’t share her husband’s enthusiasm for the artwork. In fact, she would insist that the painting was placed in the cellar.

It would remain there until 2010, when, on an impulse, Robinson would retrieve it and place it on a wall in the family’s spare room. It was at this point when the apparent influence of ‘The Anguished Man’ would begin.

Sean Robinson

Immediate Activity And A Change Of Mood

According to Robinson, a strange atmosphere began to take up residence in the family home. Footsteps and creaking noises would be heard almost immediately after the painting went on the wall of the spare room. Much like his grandmother had told him, screams and cries of pain would also sound out. Loud bangs would awaken the family in the middle of the night, and bizarre mist would form out of nowhere and then disappear.

“This wasn’t imagination or noises from outside,” Robinson would state later, “this was real!”

He would recall how most of these incidents would occur between 3 am and 4 am. Might this time be of importance? If the creator really did commit suicide upon the painting’s completion, might it be that this happened somewhere between 3 am and 4 am?

When Robinson began to regularly witness a strange, red figure at the bottom of the bed, things began to take an even more ominous turn. After having gotten up early one morning and leaving his wife to sleep, he suddenly heard a blood-curdling scream. He would race upstairs to find her in a total state of distress.

She would tell him of how someone climbed into bed beside her. She believed it to be him, but when she turned over to speak, a horrifying red-faced man was next to her. The man from the painting.

After Robinson’s son, Kenan, was pushed down the stairs by two invisible hands in the back, Robinson would place painting back into the cellar.

A Plethora Of Theories

Despite the seemingly obvious connection between the painting’s presence on the wall and the sudden increase in paranormal activity, Robinson would find himself repeatedly thinking about the bizarre piece of artwork. So much so, that he would soon take it back from the cellar, and place it against the wall. This time, however, he would obtain proof of the painting’s haunting nature.

His footage did appear to capture several strange incidents, including the presence of mist, an apparition, and the painting falling flat on the floor of its own accord.

You can view one of these videos made by Sean Robinson below.

There are several theories from investigators who have researched Robinson’s case. Some researchers believe it to be a case of an “intelligence haunting” – essentially a poltergeist that can communicate with the living, and even physically attack.

Others have voiced opinions that the mysterious artwork somehow opens a portal to another realm or dimension. One that allows the strange and menacing presence to interact with the Robinson family. Might the brutal circumstances under which the painting supposedly came to fruition have provided the correct conditions for this? Even if the creator was unaware of it?

As you might imagine, not everyone buys into these theories. Some even assert the claim to be nothing more than a hoax. Robinson, perhaps unsurprisingly refutes this notion. For his part, he has returned the painting to the family cellar. As long as it remains there, the strange activities, it would appear, have stopped.

Check out the video below. It features the television show “Weird or What” and their feature on ‘The Anguished Man’.