The Painted Word

I thought this was a great writeup of this classic painting La Loge (”The Box at the Theatre”).

Here is just a piece of the writeup in the Telegraph:

“Her gaze is unfocused, as though she is lost in thought, unaware of being observed. This last detail is important because it reinforces the idea that we are watching her from a distance through binoculars. Since she isn’t conscious of our interest, we can feast our eyes on her slightly blowsy beauty, which is set off to perfection by her ravishing dress, jewels and flowers.”

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Modern technology will be used to scan behind a wall at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence to possible discover a long lost unfinished mural of the Battle of Anghiari by Leonardo Da Vinci that was once considered his greatest work. The mural was assumed to be lost when the hall was renovated and redecorated in the 16th century.

The treasure hunters claim that the mural is preserved behind a wall that was built just in front of it and holds other newer artwork. As this artwork is also of great regard, it is difficult to get behind that wall and check and see if the Da Vinci work still existed without physically damaging the wall or the artwork.

To check, the treasure hunters will use a neutron generator and gamma ray detector. The neutron generator will be able to test behind the wall and look for pigment that would be consistent with the unique palate that Da Vinci would have used on the work.

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A Monet reproduction featured on an episode of Antique Road Show could fetch as much as $15,000 when it goes to auction on Friday.

Makes our reproductions look like a bargain!

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Paul McCartney is apparently obsessed with Vermeer’s ‘The Guitar Player’ but the Museum won’t sell the painting which has an estimated value of $100 million dollars. I think he should just buy a Vermeer reproduction.

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I usually come across these Da Vinci conspiracy articles every few weeks or so. There are so many new theories that I try to limit what I post here to a select few. So I happened to skip an article I saw back in August about mirror images of some of Da Vinci’s works and how these images show new and interesting works, including “The Face of God” in Da Vinci’s ‘Virgin and Child’ sketch.

Some further looking around led me to The Mirror Of The Sacred Scriptures And Paintings website which has great video images illustrating how these mirror images can be formed.

Some of these images are astounding. This is really worth checking out.

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Experts from Nottingham Trent University have developed a new portable multispectral camera system that picks up details invisible to the human eye. This will be used in conservation efforts of paintings as well as to see hidden details in the paintings themselves.

Apparently works by artists such as Botticelli have layers upon layers of information because of all the reworking and repairs that has taken place over the years to keep the works looking good.

“There is an increasing demand for the application of non-invasive techniques to the examination of cultural artifacts, due in part to the increased awareness of conservation ethics.”

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John Richardson’s third installment into the life of Pablo Picasso, A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years, 1917-1932 is getting rave revews.

This powerhouse of a book spans a dauntingly complicated time in Picasso’s life and in European history as well, taking us from World War I and Picasso’s adventures with Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes to the riotously erotic images of Picasso’s youthful mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter, and the darkening situation of the early 1930s.

I have yet to check out this book, has anyone read it yet?

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It seems like every week a new person has discovered a new hidden meaning in the last supper. In recent weeks its been extra people, hidden layers, etc. Is it possible people are just reading too far into this painting, or do you think there are all these hidden meanings in the work?

Using the hands of Jesus and the Apostles and the loaves of bread, he has reproduced a 40 second composition. See what you think here

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John Myatt, a notable forger, originally went to jail for fraud, by painting reproductions and profiting from their sale as originals. His works have fooled many experts and a few have hung in museums before they were decided to be fakes.

After going to jail, he has come back as a legitimate reproducer of famous painting and has found quite a market for his works. He currently sells reproductions of works by Monet, Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani amongst others and is finding a market that can fetch around $100,000 for a single painting.

Its great to see these reproductions valued so highly, but our painting reproductions start at just $120! Quite a bargain!

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Officials have recently put the last supper online in great detail, that which is 1600 times more powerful then a typical 10 mega pixel digital camera.

Even those who who visit Milan have a tough time getting to see the painting, with demand 3 or 4 times higher than the amount of people they can allow to see the painting and still preserve it:

“Visits have been made more difficult by measures to protect it. Twenty-five visitors are admitted every 15 minutes to see the painting for a total of about 320,000 visitors a year. Visitors must pass through a filtration system to help reduce the work’s exposure to dust and pollutants.” (AP)

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