For every artist, a painting is his child, but if a child is very difficult to change, it is much easier to do with paintings. In art, there is a term "pentimento" when the artist makes changes to his painting. This is a fairly common practice that has been used by artists throughout history. Usually pentimento cannot be seen with the ordinary eye, and x-ray comes to the rescue. We offer you 5 classic paintings that hide incredible secrets, some of which are frightening.
Whale in Hendrik van Antonissen's "Beach Scene"
After the picture Dutch artist from the 17th century ended up in a public museum; its holder noticed something unusual about it. Why are so many people suddenly on the beach for no apparent reason? While removing the first layer of the painting, the truth came out. In fact, the artist originally painted a whale carcass on the beach, which was later painted over. Scientists believe that it was painted over for aesthetic purposes. Not many people would want to have it at home picture of a dead person whale
Hidden figure in Pablo Picasso's painting "The Old Guitarist"
Picasso had a very difficult period in his life when he did not even have money for new canvases, so he had to paint new paintings on top of the old ones, repainting them many times. This was the case with the old guitarist.
If you look at the painting very carefully, you can see the outlines of another person. X-rays showed that it was previously a painting depicting a woman with a child in the countryside
The mysterious disappearance of the Roman king
The portrait "Jacques Marquet, Baron de Montbreton de Norvin" by an artist named Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres is one of the most prominent representatives of political pentimento. On this canvas you can see a portrait of the chief of police of Rome, but earlier something else was written on this canvas.
Scientists believe that after the conquest of Rome by Napoleon, this canvas featured a bust of Napoleon’s son, whom he himself proclaimed king of Rome. But after Napoleon was defeated, the bust of his son was successfully painted over
Dead baby or basket of potatoes?
You can see in the picture French artist Jean-François Millet entitled "L" Angelus" 1859, two peasants who stand in the middle of a field and mournfully look at a basket of potatoes. However, when the picture was studied using x-rays, it turned out that previously in place of the basket there was a small coffin with a small child.
The X-ray was not taken by chance. Salvador Dali insisted on x-rays, claiming that the painting depicted a funeral scene. In the end, the Louvre reluctantly x-rayed the painting, and Salvador Dali's premonition was justified
The painting "Preparing the Bride" is not what it seems
The painting "Preparing the Bride" is actually an unfinished painting. This picture was part of a series depicting the traditions of French rural life by Gustave Courbet. It was painted in the mid-1800s and acquired by the museum in 1929.
In 1960, the painting was studied using X-rays and what scientists discovered shocked them. The painting originally depicted a funeral scene, and the woman in the center of the painting was dead.
--What is the method used to study the paintings of the classics?
— The basic principles of our approach are not new - this is X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), it is about 100 years old. It allows you to determine the elemental composition of the sample at a qualitative level. More advanced XRF technologies make it possible to quantify the content of elements in the object under study. About 20 years ago, XRF was used to quantitatively analyze the distribution of elements over the sample area - in in this case it is a painting, a work of art. (One of the first radiographically “rediscovered” paintings was Raphael’s “Lady with a Unicorn,” approx. "Newspapers.Ru".) We applied this method to study paintings by old masters and created special equipment that allows us to examine such large objects.
— How does XRF work to study paintings?
— The sample is examined by shining a focused beam of X-rays into the sample, point by point. The atoms in this extremely small region are excited by the primary beam. As a result of electron transitions between different energy levels the sample fluoresces, and the emission parameters are characteristic, that is, unique for each element. Thus,
Based on the wavelength of the radiation, the dyes used to apply the image can be determined with a high degree of probability.
The fluorescent emission intensity for each element is visualized as a black and white distribution across the image.
Thus, our method is fundamentally different from classical radiography (transmission). If in radiography the radiation passing through a sample gives only a picture of contrast, our method - it can be called color radiography - records the entire emission spectrum of each individual element.
—What do “layers under layers” look like?
— The illustrations show the results of visualization of hidden pictorial layers of several historical paintings; using them we can evaluate the capabilities of our method.
The first set of images is dedicated to the painting “Pauline im weißen Kleid vor sommerlicher Baumlandschaft” (Pauline in a white dress against the backdrop of a summer forest landscape). This painting is attributed to the brush of Phillip Otto Runge (a German romantic artist who lived 1777-1810). However, this opinion is not officially recognized, and a number of experts refute this assumption.
The picture was studied at the DORIS III synchrotron radiation source in scientific center DESY (Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron) in Hamburg (Germany). As a result, it was possible to separate the contributions of cobalt (Co, included in the paint "cobalt blue"), mercury (Hg, included in red cinnabar), antimony (Sb, included in the paint "Neapolitan yellow") and lead (Pb, included in composition of lead white). The result of the contributions of each paint in black and white is shown in the illustrations.
They clearly show how
Our method visualizes the hidden layers of the painting: as you can see, the woman in the portrait originally had blond hair with ribbons woven into it.
Their color was approximately similar to the color of the belt. We don't see this in the final image - it's a direct result of seeing the layers underneath the layers. These findings were published in the journal Zeitschrift fur Kunsttechnologie und Konservierung (a bilingual German-American art research journal).
— What secrets are hidden in the depths of the paintings?
- Most shining example- a painting by the great post-impressionist Vincent van Gogh “A Patch of Grass” from the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum (in the illustration for the note). Her X-ray fluorescence examination showed that under the paint layer on the canvas there was a portrait of a woman.
Van Gogh often painted his paintings on old used canvases. Visual examination of the “Patch of Grass” allowed only to notice the outline human head- and no more. Our study allows us to see the second picture of the distribution yellow paint. The results of the work were published in the journal Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry.
— What is the importance of such research for art historians?
— Of great interest is the artist’s technique and the process of creating the work. And the underpainting remaining in the lower layers of the painting is not visible to the eye. However, he is the first and one of the most important steps in creating a picture. This is the draft that guided the artist through the entire creative process. The Old Masters used underpainting to sketch out light, shadows and outlines.
Observing the hidden layers of the painting gives us the opportunity to “peek” at what the original intention of the author of the work was.
It is almost impossible to judge such things by looking at the final result.
— What paintings have already been studied using this method?
— The objects of the study were the works of Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, da Caravaggio, Peter Paul Rubens and other old masters of the 17th century.
— What practical benefits can this work bring?
“Using XRF, we hope to clarify the authorship of some works - either to dispel doubts about their origin, or to confirm that the paintings do not belong to the brush of the master to whom they are attributed. In general, this is a great chance to show that the world of art can interact with the world of chemistry. In general, chemistry is a comprehensive science. It is great that it can be shown that chemistry is not only the science of molecules and reactions, but also the study of such beautiful works art.
One of the most famous paintings in the world - the portrait of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci - never ceases to interest researchers.
In 2015, the Frenchman Pascal Cotte reported the results of studying the painting using his own proprietary methodology. He used the so-called layer amplification method: bright light, and the camera takes pictures, recording the reflected rays. After this, by analyzing the resulting images, you can study all the layers of paint.
- globallookpress.com
- Daniel Karmann
According to the researcher, under the portrait that is visible, there is another one hidden - and there is no smile on it: Kott was able to see a larger head, nose and hands. Moreover, he stated that there are more than two layers in the picture, and supposedly in one of the first versions you can also see the Virgin Mary.
Researchers at the Louvre, where the portrait is kept, have not commented on the alleged discovery. Other researchers have expressed doubts about Kott's findings. They are inclined to believe that there were no fundamentally different images on the canvas; the Frenchman simply managed to consider the different stages of work on one portrait. So, da Vinci, who painted a painting to order, could change it at will or at the request of the customer.
Portrait under flowers
IN late XIX century Vincent Van Gogh wrote famous painting"A patch of grass." Surprisingly, it also revealed an earlier layer of paint under the lush greenery.
- Wikimedia / ARTinvestment.RU
It turned out that the portrait of a woman, made in brown and red tones, was the first to appear on canvas. This incident hardly surprised scientists: it is known that Van Gogh was not recognized during his lifetime and, due to financial difficulties, often painted new paintings on top of old ones.
From an enchanted pose to philosophical motives
Painting Belgian artist Rene Magritte's The Enchanted Pose, painted in 1927, was considered lost five years later. Much later, an employee of the museum in Norfolk carried out a proper check before sending the painting “Man’s Lot” to the exhibition. On the edge of the canvas she noticed paint that did not fit into the overall color scheme. Then X-rays came to the rescue - thanks to it, researchers often determine what is under the top layer of the picture.
As it turned out, “The Human Lot” was written on top of one of the fragments of “The Enchanted Pose” - the creator cut it into four parts, and three of them have been discovered today. Art critics find consolation in the fact that, at least, Magritte did not simply destroy his creation, but painted several more works on its remains that were worthy of public attention. The sad thing is that a partially found work of art cannot be separated from a more later works. The reasons why the artist decided to deal with his painting also remain a mystery.
What's hidden in the Black Square?
Art critics Tretyakov Gallery found hidden images under one of the most recognizable paintings in the world - “Black Square” by Kazimir Malevich. The artist hid the inscription under black paint. It was deciphered as “battle of the blacks at night.” As for the painting, which Malevich probably first tried to create, what was painted on it was able to be partially restored. The earliest and most thorough layer of paint compared to later ones represents a work that, according to researchers, is close to the author’s cubo-futuristic works.
- RIA News
It should be noted that at first the picture was much brighter than final version. The painted image was discovered back in the early 1990s. At the same time, quite a lot of methods were used that made it possible to draw such conclusions. The painting was studied in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum, macro photography and X-ray photography was carried out, and the pigment was analyzed using a microscope. Nothing is known about the reasons that prompted the author to create a black square on this particular canvas. The main versions of art historians boil down to the fact that in the process of work the artist’s plan gradually changed.
Continuous transformations
Individual elements in the paintings changed no less frequently. For example, the story of one of Raphael’s paintings is truly amazing.
- Wikimedia
Around 1506, Raphael Santi painted a portrait of a girl with a dog in her arms. And then, many years later, he painted a unicorn on top of the dog (scientists saw the dog by X-raying the picture). But the main thing is the painting, known as “The Lady with the Unicorn,” which was previously generally called “St. Catherine of Alexandria.” The fact is that after the death of Raphael, other artists added the attributes of a martyr to the “lady” and provided her with a cloak. It was only in the 20th century that scientists removed the finished layer and restored the painting. True, the unicorn remained in the hands of the “lady”: according to experts, attempts to get to the “original” dog are very risky and can lead to damage to the work of art.
Modern art historians are increasingly resorting to studying paintings by old masters using fluoroscopy, using the well-known property of lead white: to block x-rays. An X-ray image obtained by transilluminating a particular painting can show compositional changes made by the artist, alterations of individual details of the painting, corrected errors and other features of the artist’s technical process.
Using this method, it was established, for example, that Dutch painter Rembrandt, when creating “Self-Portrait” in 1665, initially made the mistake of giving a mirror image of himself on the canvas: he had the brush in his left hand and the palette in his right. The artist noticed this only after the painting was completely finished. Having covered his hands with a thick layer of paint on the canvas, he painted them again. Now the brush was in right hand, and the palette is on the left.
Second example. The Flemish painter Rubens (1606-1669) changed the original composition of his painting "Portrait of Francesco Gonzaga" (kept in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna) after it was completed. Compositional changes are clearly visible in the above x-ray.
Also, quite recently, with the help of X-rays, it was possible to find out which of the two paintings by the artist Van Dyck “Saint Jerome and the Angel” (on the title of the article) is genuine, and which is just a copy (albeit an excellent one).
P.S. Spirits broadcast: And even when studying some antique paintings You may be surprised to discover that their paints contain the same components as maxilift cosmetics. Maybe this is the secret of the quality and durability of this cosmetics? By the way,
Which artist was the first to come up with the idea of using in his work, history contemporary art is silent. But he helpfully demonstrates those works that were created precisely with the help of this technique, which is still unusual and new for creativity. We remember Matthew Cox, in the work of Hugh Turvey, from X-ray images of shells and, compiled from clear images. Italian artist Benedetta Bonichi also uses x-ray machine as a tool for creativity, “painting” your pictures with its rays.
Despite the fact that the plots of the “X-ray paintings” do not indulge in originality, and whether they ordinary drawings or photographs, they would not arouse any interest in the viewer; in the light of X-rays, everything looks completely different. And we don’t just see characters in the paintings, we seem to be looking through them, as if a door was opening to us into another “present”, where none of us had been before, but only guessed about its existence.
So, instead of a cheerful wedding feast, we see two feasting skeletons, they look like ghosts and two lovers, whose tongues caress each other, a creature similar to the female version of Koshchei the Immortal examines his bald skull in the mirror, an old woman turns into a disembodied figure, peacefully swaying in her chair... All the unusual x-ray paintings of Benedetta Bonichi were made in this style. All these people are actually alive, they just look as if they came from the other world to remind their family and friends about themselves, or to complete something that they could not complete during their lifetime.
First exhibition works of art Benedetta Bonici took place in 2002, for which she was awarded a silver badge of honor by the Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi for the development of modern Italian art. The artist’s paintings are presented in art galleries, museums and exhibitions in Paris, New York, Rome, cities in Germany, the USA, Great Britain, and are also in private collections of connoisseurs of custom art around the world. You can get acquainted with the author’s work on her website.