[ RadSafe ] Nuclear techniques applied to Da Vinci painting research

[stewart farber]

Hi all,
Neat story below [which may be of interest to some]  of what is referred to 
only as  'a so-called "nuclear accelerator" device' used in fascinating 
research on painting techniques of Leonardo Da Vinci. Another example of 
nuclear technologies being used to the benefit of man.

Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
[203] 441-8433 [office]
email: radproject at sbcglobal.net
============================

Da Vinci's Painting Technique Uncovered
By Silvia Ognibene,
Reuters
Posted: 2007-09-01 01:41:30
Filed Under: Science News
FLORENCE, Italy (Sept. 1) - Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci avoided the 
palette and mixed colors directly on the canvas, Italian researchers said 
after they reconstructed his work step by step "as if watching him while he 
painted."

Researchers have announced several Da Vinci discoveries over the last year. 
In July, Slavisa Pesci claimed he found hidden figures in Da Vinci's famous 
15th-century mural painting "The Last Supper."
Using a scientific device to analyze Leonardo's "Madonna  of the Yarnwinder" 
painting, researchers at the University of Florence said they were able to 
pinpoint virtually every stroke made by the famous Italian artist on the oil 
masterpiece.

That showed the Leonardo avoided mixing colors on a painter's palette like 
his contemporaries did. Instead, he applied thin layers of paint directly on 
the canvas in different colors one on top of the other to create a rich 
texture.

"That Leonardo used the "velature" technique is already known, he himself 
wrote that in a treaty, but for the first time we have managed to 
reconstruct his work step by step, like as if watching him while he 
painted," said Cecilia Frosinini, one of the researchers.

"We have been able to understand what type of painting materials he used, 
how many layers of colors were applied and in what thickness and sequence."

The painting scrutinized belongs to a collection in New York that has been 
dubbed the "Ex-Reford" version, the researchers said. It is the only one of 
several versions of the image credited to the artist himself, they said.

The researchers used a so-called "nuclear accelerator" device that launches 
particles at high speed to decipher the painting technique used by the 
artist.

Leonardo is considered among the greatest painters of all time, renowned --  
among other things -- for his "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper" masterpieces 
that are among the most imitated and reproduced paintings in history.


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