Buzz
Throughout history, haunted paintings have captivated the human imagination. There’s something uniquely captivating about certain artworks that seem to invite supernatural speculation. Whether it's the unsettling sensation of eyes following you or the eerie notion that the subject might spring to life at any moment, these paintings stir the imagination.
'The Hands Resist Him' is one such painting that has gained notoriety for its rumored haunting. At first glance, it's easy to understand why. This 36″ x 24″ oil on canvas features a young boy standing next to a doll with hollow eyes, while strange hands press against the glass doors behind them. The imagery conjures thoughts of supernatural connections, but many believe there's more to this unsettling work. Its chilling backstory was further amplified by the media and platforms like eBay. Read on for 10 intriguing facts about this unsettling piece of art to decide for yourself: is it truly haunted, or just another urban myth?
10. The Creator Behind the Art
'The Hands Resist Him' was created by William Stoneham. In 1972, Stoneham entered into a two-year contract with Charles Feingarten Galleries. Following this, he had his first solo exhibition in 1974. Art critic Henry Seldis of The Los Angeles Times remarked, 'William Stoneham’s paintings are at their best when at their weirdest. In those moments, the young artist almost invents the first truly neo-surrealist painting I have encountered that extends surrealist dreams into a contemporary context. The finest works here deserve the attention of traditional surrealism collectors who are open to many startling new twists.' The only painting to sell at the show was 'The Hands Resist Him,' marking the start of the painting's eerie tale.
In 1984, Stoneham paused his art career to work in the film and video game industries, collaborating with notable figures like Christopher Walas, ILM (Industrial Light & Magic), and, by 1992, LucasArts Entertainment. He eventually returned to his artistic roots. His latest work explores figurative and textural concepts, drawing inspiration from the urban environment and the social/political forces influencing the world. Using various media, he evokes feelings of despair and fear. Stoneham's artwork can be explored on Fine Art America and his own site, Stoneham Studios.
9. The Origin of the Artwork
The inspiration behind 'The Hands Resist Him' came from a childhood photograph and a poem. The photograph, taken when Stoneham was five, shows him with his adoptive family in his grandmother’s modest Chicago apartment. This photo served as the model for the boy in the painting. Additionally, a 1971 poem written by Stoneham’s first wife, Rhoann Ponseti, inspired the painting’s title.
Stoneham also attributes his connection to Carl Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious as a driving force behind the painting. Jung’s theory posits that humans inherit a collective knowledge from the past experiences of humanity, influencing deep-rooted beliefs and instincts such as spirituality, sexuality, and life and death. This knowledge is only accessible in moments of crisis and through dreams. As Stoneham explained: 'The hands represent 'the other lives.' The glass door is a thin barrier between waking and dreaming. The girl/doll is the imagined companion, or guide through this realm.'
8. The Auction
'The Hands Resist Him' was listed on eBay in February 2000 under the title 'Haunted Painting.' The listing quickly became a sensation, spreading across the internet. Within hours, the painting's story and link were shared widely, and the auction garnered over 30,000 views before it was sold.
The auction led to a new moniker for the painting: 'eBay’s haunted painting.' An excerpt from the auction listing reads:
“When we received this painting, we thought it was really good art… At the time, we wondered why such a seemingly fine painting would be discarded (now, we understand!). One morning, our four-and-a-half-year-old daughter claimed that the children in the painting were fighting and entering the room during the night.”
7. The Media
The painting received attention in a movie review on CNN in February 2019, followed by mentions on the Crawlspace podcast in December 2019 and the Empty Frames podcast in February 2020. Moreover, enthusiasts from paranormal forums such as 4chan’s /x/, Reddit’s r/creepy, Encyclopedia Dramatica’s creepypasta wiki, and other online communities dedicated to the eerie and inexplicable firmly believe the painting is haunted. The painting has even sparked a series of memes.
6. The Book
In May 2016, Darren Kyle (D.K.) O’Neil released a dramatized version of the painting's haunted history titled The Hands Resist Him: Be Careful What You Bid For. O’Neil’s book introduces a fictional family who wins the auction for the painting, along with a detective who uncovers a disturbing link between the haunted artwork and an ongoing investigation into a 28-year-old cold case involving a serial killer known as 'The Life Swapper.' The book is available on Amazon and holds a four-star rating. A film adaptation of O’Neil’s novel is currently in development.
O’Neil also had a chilling supernatural encounter with the painting:
“I first came across the painting online while I was living in Dubai. I printed it out and left it on a side table with other documents printed on the same printer with identical paper. After a month-long trip to Italy, I returned to find the air conditioning malfunctioning, causing everything to become covered in green mold—TV, sheets, my daughter’s cot and clothes, even my suits in the closet. Strangely, the only thing untouched by the mold was the printout of the painting.”
5. The Reactions
Many individuals reported strange physical sensations after viewing the haunted painting. One eBay buyer mentioned that 'he fainted at the sight of the painting,' while another claimed 'it felt like her throat was being squeezed by an invisible force.' Another buyer shared that their monitor turned white and emitted a burst of heat upon viewing the painting, followed by inexplicable tears. Some even reported hearing a voice reminiscent of something from The Exorcist, and one person described a 'new Epson printer that devoured and mangled page after page' while attempting to download images of the painting.
Other viewers reported difficulty breathing, sudden illness, or general unease, while some parents said their children became unruly and screamed at the sight of the painting. On August 23, Reddit user Jupiknight posted, 'I still refuse to look at/study this picture for more than like 5 seconds... It creeps me the f––k out.' In response, snoos_my_dog added, 'I actually bought a print of this painting from his website. I displayed it in my living room, and man, it made everyone who saw it uncomfortable... People actually stopped visiting because of it. I eventually took it down because everyone demanded I do so.'
4. The Gun
A key selling point in the eBay auction was the seller’s recounting of strange events. According to the story, the sellers placed the painting in their 4½-year-old daughter’s bedroom. One morning, the child claimed that the figures in the painting 'did not let her sleep at night.' To investigate, her parents set up a motion sensor camera, which captured some truly frightening supernatural occurrences.
The photographs taken showed the boy seemingly crawling out of the painting, 'as if he’d been threatened by the doll.' In other images, the doll’s face appears angry, and she is holding a gun instead of the dry cell that had originally been depicted in the painting.
3. The Sequels (and Prequel)
'The Hands Resist Him' inspired three sequels and a prequel. The first two sequels were commissioned by a private collector. 'Resistance at the Threshold,' created in 2004, portrays the boy and the doll after many years. They stand at the glass door, but the boy has aged into an old man, and the doll has transformed into something entirely different. The second sequel, 'Threshold of Revelation,' released in 2012, continues the journey of the old man and the doll in a new setting.
The prequel and final sequel were completed more recently. 'The Hands Invent Him,' created in 2017, was also commissioned and shows the young boy standing on the opposite side of the glass door. The third and final sequel, 'What Remains,' completed in 2021, ties together the entire series. These sequels and the prequel can be found on Stoneham Studios and Fine Art America. No reports of strange occurrences have been associated with these later paintings, nor do they seem to provoke the same unsettling reactions or generate the same level of internet excitement.
2. The Current Location
The painting known as 'eBay’s haunted painting' was purchased by gallery owner Kim Smith. It is currently displayed in the back room of Smith’s Perception Fine Art Gallery in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This location was chosen at the request of Smith’s sons, who didn’t want to keep 'the most haunted painting in the world' in their own home.
Smith has only publicly displayed the painting six times. While he has not experienced any supernatural occurrences himself, he has been inundated with prayers, scripture quotes from a man of faith, and advice from a Native American Shaman in Mississippi on how to rid his home of the supposed evil spirit. Additionally, reports have come in from people who felt repulsed, physically ill, or even experienced blackouts or mind control sensations. Despite a recent six-figure offer, Smith has no intentions of selling the painting. 'Nothing has ever happened that would make me seriously consider it,' he said. 'It’s developing its own mystique here.'
1. The Deaths
'The Hands Resist Him' is said to be linked to the deaths of three individuals who were associated with the painting at the time of its initial sale. The first was Henry Seldis, an art critic who had reviewed Stoneham’s work in 1974. Authorities concluded that Seldis took his own life in 1978 after his body was found in his apartment. The second was Charles Feingarten, the man who had contracted Stoneham’s work and whose gallery hosted the debut art show; Feingarten died in 1981. Lastly, there was John Marley, the actor who originally owned the painting. Marley passed away in 1984 following open-heart surgery, although he had sold the painting prior to his death. Marley was famously known for his role in 'The Godfather,' where he wakes up in bed with a horse’s head.
Following the deaths of these three men, the painting vanished until it was later rediscovered by the same family who eventually listed it on eBay. When Stoneham learned of this 26 years later, he dismissed it as nothing more than coincidence. However, Stoneham has remarked on the enigmatic nature of paintings, stating, 'We live in an age of science, revelation, and hard facts, but we are still drawn to the mysterious… And what is more mysterious than paintings? More than any other object, paintings are unique creations made by someone with their hands.'
