the painting never spoke at all, did it?
It never said anything like "I, Vigo, the scourge of Carpathia, the sorrow of Moldavia, command you!"?

:D

Edit: oddly, my last dog (sadly now passed on) would sometimes sit and stare at a particular wall in my house, and very occasionally would bark at it and then run off as if a little freaked out. My current dog, still just a puppy who I've had for about 9 months, give or take, has taken up to staring at the same wall...
( theoriginalsteve <this space intentionally left blank>, Mon 11 Apr 2011, 16:06, Reply)