Many times, when we admire the paintings and works of the great masters, we believe the creative process was seamless and effortless. This image couldn’t be further from the truth: these great geniuses were people who made mistakes, spent countless hours drafting and sketching, sweating over each complicated brushstroke, crying, and even remaking the painting until reaching the level of perfection we all have come to admire. We don’t question their artistic capacity, but history, and above all technology, has allowed us to see with new eyes the paintings that forever changed history.
There are many myths that whisper of hidden messages left behind by these great masters for future generations. Suddenly, paintings become prophets voicing the forgotten wisdom of the past. These myths continued to circulate for years, since we lacked the capacity to explore these paintings without damaging them. However, cutting-edge technology can now help us confirm these mysteries, and finally we can unveil the secrets hidden within layers of colors and textures.
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An Old Man in Military Costume (1631) – Rembrandt
Rembrandt is without a doubt considered one of the Greats, given the realism he captured in his paintings at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The Baroque period would not have the recognition it enjoys today if it wasn’t for the intense application of chiaroscuro. Researchers have used conventional X-ray methods to see what lies behind the top coat, but it was far too difficult, since Rembrandt used the same paint for the underpainting and final version. Using more sophisticated X-ray techniques, researchers can look beyond the first layers and finally see what lies underneath. The Dutch master turned the panel upside down before painting over the original image with his famous portrait. The hidden portrait’s face is rich in mercury, suggesting the use of red pigment vermilion, one of the components used to create flesh tones. What is revealed? A glowering man with a voluminous coat on his shoulders.
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Patch of Grass (1887) – Vincent van Gogh
It may be that Rembrandt decided to recycle his canvas not to spend more money on a new one. This is hardly newsworthy, since many times fame and recognition did not translate into fortune. It must have been common practice to recycle a canvas to create a new work of art. Remembering the sad and tragic story of van Gogh, it is unsurprising that a face hidden is within his nature-themed painting. Delft University of Technology carried out an X-ray analysis to measure the chemical composition of the pigments, and they discovered an elaborate portrait hidden beneath the green pastures. It makes us wonder what went through his head that made him erase the portrait and opt for nature instead.
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Bacchus (1595) – Caravaggio
Caravaggio was known for his violent temper, lewdness, and the cold-blooded murder he committed. Little is known about his sense of humor, but it would appear that the painting of Bacchus reveals a sliver of a witty sense of humor. He represents the god of wine and agriculture with an innocent, benign face, but a recent restoration has revealed the outline of a man’s face in the jug of wine, which is believed to be a self-portrait of the artist. Caravaggio was a lover of wine, so it is apt his face would be swimming in this magenta liquid.
Many paintings have fallen victim to the clutches of technology. Now we are able to map out the brushstrokes, mistakes, and changes made. Everything comes to light sooner than later. The following gifs reveal the changes the artists made to their paintings. Some are quite obvious and others more subtle, all in an attempt to reach the aesthetic proportions the artists desired.
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The Old Guitarist (1903) – Pablo Picasso
Picasso’s painting shows a woman hidden behind one of the most melancholy characters of the Spanish painter.
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The Blue Room (1901-1904) – Pablo Picasso
One of the most famous paintings of Picasso reveals a figure —considerably larger than the final result— of a man leaning or lying down.
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Un bar aux Folies Bergère (1882) – Manet
This is perhaps the most famous painting of Manet and served as a fountain of inspiration for most of the impressionists. The changes are subtle, the only visible difference is that the girl’s hair was considerably shorter at the beginning.
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Portrait of Pope Julius II (1511 – 1512) – Raphael
This portrait of the pope by the Renaissance master, Raphael, shows that at the beginning, the Pontiff wasn’t wearing rings and the size of the head was considerably enlarged in the final version.
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Still Life with Meadow Flowers and Roses (1886) – Vincent van Gogh
For many years there were question marks surrounding this painting, “there were a lot of things about it that were strange —it couldn’t exactly be trusted as a piece by Van Gogh,” Teio Meedendorp from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam explains. This doubt was finally put to rest when an extensive research was conducted, which revealed two wrestlers grappling each other. It is known that Vincent painted wrestlers, and he even wrote about it in a letter in January 1886, “This week I painted a large thing with two nude torsos —two wrestlers.” The investigation concluded that the still life was painted on the same canvas fewer than six months later while in Paris. This was discovered because of the high levels of zinc white applied to the canvas, which takes a long time to dry. He immediately painted on top of it, which is why the painting has tiny cracks on it.
The art world is filled with secrets, and slowly, but surely we are unraveling each one. We now have the necessary technology to solve some of these mysteries and maybe soon we may uncover even more. Despite the great advancements of technology, we have to admit that keeping a halo of mystery is essential, since it makes these paintings even more wonderful and enigmatic. So, we hope some secrets remain untouched forever.
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