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X-rays Uncover Hidden Van Gogh Painting
31-Jul-2008
Written by: Justin Zaremba
Using high-intensity X-rays, scientists have uncovered a previously unknown portrait by Van Gogh, of an older peasant woman, painted over by Van Gogh.
According to the BBC, scientists have revealed a previously unknown portrait of a woman by Vincent van Gogh, using a new X-ray technique, which was painted over by the artist.
The portrait of a peasant woman's face was hidden behind the work, “Patch of Grass,” which was completed by Van Gogh in Paris in 1887.
Using high-intensity X-rays from a particle accelerator, scientists Joris Dik and Koen Janssens scanned the painting and revealed the face beneath.
The high-intensity X-ray bombardment caused atoms in the picture's layers of paint to emit "fluorescent" X-rays of their own, indicating the chemicals from which they originate. As a result, a color map of the hidden picture was produced.
Van Gogh is known to have reused canvasses to save money.
The identity of the peasant woman in the painting is unknown.
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