Rendering №4

The article “Nearly 400-year-old secret painting in Rembrandt masterpiece revealed” was published on January 28, 2013 on FoxNews.com. It discusses that scientists may be one step closer to revealing a hidden portrait behind a 380-year-old Rembrandt painting. It is an open secret that the masterpiece, "Old Man in Military Costume" by Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, resides at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The author, Megan Gannon, mentions that scientists had noticed the painting bears faint traces of another portrait beneath its surface. It is necessary to point out that researchers had previously probed the painting with infrared, neutron and conventional X-ray methods, but could not see the behind the top coat, largely because Rembrandt used the same paint (with the same chemical composition) for the under painting and the final version. Analyzing the situation it is necessary to mention that new studies with more sophisticated X-ray techniques that can parse through the painting's layers give art historians hope that they may finally get to see who is depicted in the secret image.

It is clear that Alfeld and an international team used macro X-ray fluorescence analysis to examine a mock-up of Rembrandt's original, created by museum intern Andrea Sartorius, who used paints with the same chemical composition as those used by the Dutch master. The reporter tells that when bombarded with these high-energy X-rays, light is absorbed and emitted from different pigments in different ways. It is an open secret that the scientists targeted four elements of the paint to fluoresce, including calcium, iron, mercury and lead, and got much better impressions of the hidden painting in the mock-up than they were able to before. It is interesting to note that the successful completion of these preliminary investigations on the mock-up painting was an important first step. Moreover, the results of these studies will enable us determine the best possible approach to employ in our planned upcoming study of the real Rembrandt painting.

In conclusion the author considers that this isn't the first time scientists have delved into Rembrandt's paintings. Previous research revealed why his art possesses such calming beauty, finding the artist may have pioneered a technique that guides the viewer's gaze around a portrait, creating a special narrative and "calmer" viewing experience. Essentially, the researchers found Rembrandt painted more detail in and around the eyes of his subjects, tapping into an innate human attraction to the face. As for my opinion, I think that the 21th century gives us lots of abilities to interpret and find out any pictures and any pieces of art. Rembrandt is a great painter and it will be interesting to analyze his works under the modern technology.