When you are a painter, stories of how famous painters accomplish their great works of art are of interest! New technology aids finding answers in old pieces of art without touching them.Photo credit: Wikipedia/Royal Library of Turin
The Economist covered the recent Angewandte Chemie International Edition article that described Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
The article says, "Louvre scientists led by Philippe Walter tried to solve the mystery using a hands-off technique called X-ray fluorescence, which can divulge details about the thickness and chemical composition of a painter’s individual brush strokes without damaging artwork...team found that the artist would first paint in the basic flesh tones. Then da Vinci applied up to 30 incredibly thin strokes of glaze above the flesh tone—many just a few micrometres thick. Glaze is mostly translucent, but da Vinci would also slip in small amounts of pigments, such as manganese and lead oxides. By applying many thin coats of this adapted glaze, he achieved the smoky shadowing he became famous for."
Read the full article here. Visit here learn more about the technology - a powerful synchrotron radiation - at A Light for Science.
The Economist covered the recent Angewandte Chemie International Edition article that described Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
The article says, "Louvre scientists led by Philippe Walter tried to solve the mystery using a hands-off technique called X-ray fluorescence, which can divulge details about the thickness and chemical composition of a painter’s individual brush strokes without damaging artwork...team found that the artist would first paint in the basic flesh tones. Then da Vinci applied up to 30 incredibly thin strokes of glaze above the flesh tone—many just a few micrometres thick. Glaze is mostly translucent, but da Vinci would also slip in small amounts of pigments, such as manganese and lead oxides. By applying many thin coats of this adapted glaze, he achieved the smoky shadowing he became famous for."
Read the full article here. Visit here learn more about the technology - a powerful synchrotron radiation - at A Light for Science.
