Delphine Lalaurie Haunted Portrait, (2003) Oil Painting by New Orleans Mardi Gras Artist Ricardo Pustanio.
This commissioned painting of the infamous Madame Delphine Lalaurie was done in 1997 by Mardi Gras Parade artist Ricardo Pustanio. Nothing strange about it in it's creation or reasons for being painted." At the time I used what ever image of her I could fine to do the work from," said Pustanio.
Pustanio was asked to do the work by a resident of the actual Lalaurie Haunted House. The felt they wanted to have her portrait in the apartment they rented as a touch with the buildings past. Besides it would make a great conversation piece.
To say this painting of Lalaurie is haunted is wrong, the actual painting is more like being haunted by unseen hands haunting it. The resident of the apartment use to invite friends over all the time. And would show off his prized work of art. Over time people actually believed it was an original to the house. For Pustanio had antiqued it for his client per their request.
The resident began to hold seances for his friends and even tourist and paranormal investigators who always are trying to get a glimpse inside the haunted mansion. To their astonishment the painting would actually rock on the wall and even fall loose from the wall hitting the floor with a great thud.
In time the resident began to get very frightened because things began happening that just unnerved him. He ended up moving out and giving the painting to another tenant. She in turn hung it in her apartment and immediately was spooked by strange sounds and occurrences that started happening that very day.
The painting actually scared her so much she sought out Pustanio and gave the large painting back to him. She told Pustanio the eyes would follow her and she actually heard it sigh. She also claimed that the painted Lalaurie moved, and changed expression. Every morning, she claimed, the painting was crooked. She would straighten it, and the next time she looked at it, it would be crooked again.
Pustanio said nothing strange ever happened to him nor did he ever have anything occur when it was in his presence. The painting of Delphine Lalaurie is now in a private collection and the new owners refuse to discuss its present whereabouts or of any paranormal things that happen in it presence.
"I've done a lot of things in my life that people say are haunted," says Pustanio. " I personally don't think I am haunted." Nor what I do attracts ghost, or was intended to be haunted" "I just think out right some people connect with artist because we put strong emotions into our works." " And isn't a haunting basically supposed to be, just that, strong emotions of the dead manifesting themselves."
READ MORE ABOUT DELPHINE LALAURIE AND HER HAUNTED MANSION HERE:
