Rendering on Painting №4

The article published on the website foxnews.com on January 28, 2013 is headlined “Nearly 400-year-old secret painting in Rembrandt masterpiece revealed”. The article reports at length that scientists may be one step closer to revealing a hidden portrait behind a 380-year-old Rembrandt painting.  It is very interesting to note that scientists had noticed that the masterpiece "Old Man in Military Costume" by Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn bears faint traces of another portrait beneath its surface, but couldn’t see it behind the top coat, largely because Rembrandt used the same paint (with the same chemical composition) for the under painting and the final version. Moreover, there is every reason to believe that new studies with more sophisticated X-ray techniques 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.

Speaking of the situation, it is necessary to note that Matthias Alfeld from the University of Antwerp said that their experiments demonstrate a possibility of how to reveal much of the hidden picture. Moreover, 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. It is necessary to point out 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.

Analyzing the situation, it is necessary to emphasize that "The successful completion of these preliminary investigations on the mock-up painting was an important first step," Karen Trentelman, of the Getty Conservation Institute, said in a statement. "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."

The article concludes by saying 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. What is more, 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 me, I think that Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn is one of the greatest masters of painting and it is rather important to find out more about him and his paintings with the help of researchers.