Back in 2017, I arranged a interview with Sean Robinson, the owner of ‘The Anguished Man painting’ . There are so many tales of this painting online. We wanted to meet Sean and ask him about it ourselves. Since our meeting, Sean as recently given me more details, which Ive combined in this blog
History of the painting
Sean:
”It was my grandmas painting, She didn’t like it so she kept it locked away. My first memory of it, was when I was about 10/12. Then just before she passed away. She moved into a home and she gave me the painting at this time. In 2000, I got the painting but I stored it in the cellar as nobody in the family but me liked it.
In 2009, I got it out the cellar. The reason I took it out was because we had experienced a really bad flood and our cellar was flooded, so I went down and the only thing was wasn’t damage was The Painting.
My grandma told me on a family holiday once, when I questioned her about where the painting had came from, that the painting had been passed to her and that the artist who had painted it had used some of his own blood mixed in with the oil paints.
A lot of people dub it as the painting that was painted with blood, but you couldn’t paint a full painting with blood, its just the oils used had blood mixed in with it. My grandma then went on to tell me that when the artist had completed the piece he went on to commit suicide. The person who passed it on to her, had given her these details of its story and she then wanted to pass the story on to me.
My grandmother had it in the attic and had one point at it in the garden in a concrete shed, but she didn’t want to risk losing it or it being sealed so she put it back in the attic but when it really used to get to her she would put it in there. Well away from the house. Most of the time it was in the attic, she used to tell us how she would sometimes see things at the corner of her eyes, shadows at the stairs and she genuinely felt it was evil. She would tell me more what would happen as I was fascinated with horror films and is the reason why she gave it to me. The rest of the family wouldn’t have wanted it but she knew I would look after it.
I’m not sure who named the painting ‘The Anguished Man’, my grandmother had said it was the name that came with it. Maybe the painter had given it that name after painting it.I know nothing of who the painter was. I suspect he is no longer with us, that is the main reason why I posted it up first originally all them years ago to see if I could gain any information on him but nothing materialised from it.
The painting has been analysed for the rumour its been painted with blood, the results of this analyse came back ‘inconclusive’, therefore it could not be determined weather it had or it hadn’t been painted with blood in the oils. It was suggested to me that the results may have come back inconclusive because the blood Is old.
My personal view is that it is painted in blood. I believe my grandmas story of the painting and I believe it gives off a negative energy.
My Mam would never talk about it but recently she has told me a few extra details. Apparently the painting was painted in the late seventies or early eighties and given to my Grandmother not long after because when she was younger, she had a lot to do with the Church and they thought she may help.”
New Information on the Artist I now know
“My mam either has forgot the artist’s and families name or she won’t tell me. I think they are all deceased and were probably related, although distantly. Maybe my Grandmother asked her not to tell. She is the last living person that remembers the painting other than me and what I know.
However, She has since opened up a bit about it. The artist did indeed have severe mental health problems, he was schizophrenic apparently and had been dabbling with an interest in the occult! He was only in his early twenties when he painted it and committed suicide but my Grandmother accepted it and told the family (boy’s mother) I think, she would look after it. I think she totally believed the story. I think when she died she wanted me to be the one to look after it. My Mam has never mentioned the painting before but although she will sometimes give me information about it she doesn’t ever want to see it again. I can’t press her about the painting, she’ll only speak about it when she wants. Locking it away stops the activity only when it’s locked away from people, in fact there’s no way of knowing because nobody is ever present, maybe I should lock it up on it’s own and try recording it. So locking it away in total isolation is the only way to stop any activity or of course, keeping it another house away from us, but that would just cause problems for other people! I do have plans for the future but can’t reveal them yet, in the meantime I can only hope my Mother remembers more details or is willing to tell me more. I can’t press her because of her age. I don’t know what’s attached to the painting, it’s either the young artists spirit or something he wanted inside the painting. The one thing I know for certain was that the artist was a very troubled young man, information I didnt know at the time of recieving the painting.
Before I received the painting, I was a bit sceptical. I had seen things in the past but had rationalise what I had seen. I think something could be attached to this painting because of the blood link. I think whoever it is attached is with the painting purely because of this link.
Various other mediums who have read the picture believe it to be a self portrait and that the painter is a tormented soul, who had mental health issues. Others have reported that they believe he may have been a prisoner of war. Some do even believe it may have been used for a ritual. Some people see sadness around it and others feel its nasty. From the experiences I’ve had with it I think its nasty and evil and wrong.”
Activity while its been with me
“I have witnessed a lot, Noises was the first thing. At first we didn’t realise it may be the painting that was causing the activity, but over a fortnight we quickly established it was possibly the cause because it only started when I brought the painting from the cellar. I then one night seen a figure at the end of my bed. Another night, I had gone upstairs and I was surrounded by thick smoke. As quickly as it came it went.
So I set up a camera and captured numerous things over a few nights study. I left it recording for hours, this was around 2011. I captured EVPS, thick mist that suddenly changed direction. Its strange. On one video I have the painting of the bed and it falls over. On another I captured lights and like something passing the camera. Another time the door closed after a nights study, so the following night I set the camera up on both the door and painting and I caught the door closing.
I decided to get rid of the painting in a safe place when my son reported something had tried to push him down the stairs.
It is now in a safe place for my family’s safety and its own safety.”
Here is Seans first video of the painting from his study…
Chrissie Rising’s Feelings of the Painting
Chrissie stated she felt like a hanging sensation when Sean first revealed it to her. She had previously felt a pressure in the living room, she then received it again in both ears as painting was revealed to her. As Chrissie looked at it she stated she felt really heavy headed and felt lethargic as if she had been drained. She stated it was not a very nice feeling and she had started to feel anxious and unsettled.
Sean then stated that many people who had been in the presence of the painting had felt a strangling sensation.
Previously, other mediums had been given the name David with the painting. Chrissie said she didn’t want to dismiss this information at all but from what she was feeling on this day she felt the name ‘Stewart’ was also associated. She also felt that a female was lingering around who was laughing, has Chrissie touched the painting she reported having physical pain in her arm with the hand she touched it with. Chrissue stated, ‘I feel the women is associated to the man and not necessary contacted to the painting, but she is laughing. I believe its a self portrait and the man has drawn his feelings, his madness through the paint.
I think something could be attached to this painting because of the blood link. I think whoever it is attached is with the painting purely because of this link’.
Over the years, after Sean released his capture videos on YouTube, Mediums and teams had contacted Sean to work with the painting. The Anguished man painting was taken to numerous events by mediums to see what the general public experienced with it. From what I hear from guests who attended these events, the painting definitely convinced them what it had something supernatural about it. On one investigation at Chillingham castle in 2013, over twenty guests present witnessed a dark figure that reportedly manifested within the summoning circle. Guests was then stunned when large items of furniture began to move about the room, one of them items included a heavy wooden bench, which suddenly violently flipped over. I have personally spoke to many who have came into contact with this paintings on events who stated they witness the canvas moving during their investigation with it.
Lock Down with ‘The Anguished Man’.
I have recently spoken to Sean to see how hes been and if there is any updates with the painting.
He stated that the painting is still under a movie production, but since the latest COVID19 pandemic, he had to take the painting from its safe place and have it at home for a while.
Sean:
“I was actually in lockdown with the painting, just the two of us for a few weeks but I’ve got it somewhere safe now. I don’t know if it was just my imagination but I felt it was draining me, I felt like I had no energy or inclination to do anything. I always look at things from both perspectives though, so maybe it was jus met feeling ill. Although, I have been feeling a lot better now it’s gone. I also had a bad nosebleed while it was here, this has happened to other people many times but I can’t remember having ones this bad myself. The nightmares have returned to the extent I could barely sleep. I was always waking up in the middle of a panic attack. Also my bungalow is usually very quiet but I started hearing bangs and scratches throughout the night. I never saw anything this time though, but I did have a bad fall in the kitchen, this however could be purely down to my bad back. It was good timing for me to have the painting during the lockdown because my son couldn’t visit and I won’t let him anywhere near the painting now.”
I believe that over the years people have tried to make a replica of the ‘The Anguished Man’ painting, Sean and many others feel that only the original, can have the attachment if any, because of the tie with the blood in the oil, this is believed to be the tie between the entity and the painting. I have seen comments from people on social media who have been involved in making replicas of the painting and have stated that while involved they suffered with nothing but nightmares, at least 3 people one night all had the same nightmare which involved the painting.
Whether, people really and truly believe this painting is haunted or not, no body can deny that is not a interesting ghost story. The painting isn’t just cherished by Sean himself, it has been cherished and remembered by all those who have come into contact it – Something the painter – The man who may have been in anguish prior to his death- May have wanted and to be remembered as.
Have you seen the Harry potter movies and how Voldemort used Horcruxes? Not implying there is a long term plan of destruction associated with the maker, but use of blood ties it to the maker. The ill feelings felt around it and the activity are not kind or helpful. Burn it if you want to get rid of that energy.
I don’t think Sean will ever burn it. As much as he doesn’t like it I think he is also extremely protection of it.