Tuesday, November 07, 2006
New York Times article by Miles Unger about “Prayers and Portraits: Unfolding the Netherlandish Diptych,” an exhibition of 15th- and 16-century paintings by masters of the Northern Renaissance opening on Nov. 12 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Not just a show of beautiful paintings, but an examination of the physical history of each piece, thanks to the use of x-rays, infrared light, binocular microscopy and dendrochronology (counting the rings in the wooden panel on which the image was painted). An extract:
"Probing the surface with X-rays or infrared light or dating the work by dendrochronology . . . can reveal much about how a work was actually made: the struggles endured before an artist settled on a satisfactory composition, the extent to which assistants and apprentices were used to speed up production, and the various market forces that drove those decisions. Such analysis can also uncover many twists and turns in the long trip from the artist’s studio to the museum wall."
Read the rest of the article here.