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Painting Beneath a Painting

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I find this technology amazing, where they can peer beneath the layers of an existing painting and see previous layers.

How do they know which layers begin and end a given painting, in this case, Van Gogh?

I saw a similar explanation in the movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," with John Cusak and Kevin Spacey. The latter was a rich art collector, showing Cusak a collection. And they brought out a black light to examine the canvas.

Like the fundamentals of music, I'm afraid the nuances of art will forever escape me.

I just know what I like to hear in a song and what I enjoy experiencing in a fine painting.

As for modern sculpture appreciation since 1960 or so - forget it.

Posted by Creechman on July 31, 2008 6:05 AM |

Comments

I've always found that fascinating, too. I've heard theories that artists did that because canvases were expensive or that they didn't like the first painting, so they did a new one over the "yucky" one.

Posted by: Ace | August 1, 2008 8:47 AM

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