Friday, October 17, 2014

The Secrets of Paintings Are Revealed Thanks to Imaging Technology. What You Can See Is Pretty Cool.

A painting can tell you a lot about the subject, the artist and the time and place it was made. Sometimes, they seem like perfect windows into another world. But what about how they were made? A painting is meant to be seen as a finished product, and the process of their creation is largely lost.


Now, thanks to x-rays, multi-spectral imaging and laser scanning, we can see a painting’s past. The revisions, mistakes and edits are revelaed.


Because of that, sometimes some interesting history is discovered as well.



Isabella Medici gets a makeover.


Isabella Medici gets a makeover.


Evolution of a unicorn


Evolution of a unicorn


A finally visible portrait


A finally visible portrait


Old girlfriend


Old girlfriend




A change of clothing


A change of clothing


Another hidden portrait


Another hidden portrait


The secret of Mona Lisa


The secret of Mona Lisa


Keep the arm


Keep the arm


Elizabeth I usurps a painting


Elizabeth I usurps a painting




Haunted pope


Haunted pope


Artists get homework, too


Artists get homework, too


No dead whales, please


No dead whales, please


Crabby Madonna


Crabby Madonna


A new ‘do.


A new


These incredible new ways of looking a paintings can teach us a lot about the artists and their worlds. The next time you go to a museum, consider that every painting might be hiding a story under its surface.



The Secrets of Paintings Are Revealed Thanks to Imaging Technology. What You Can See Is Pretty Cool.

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