When the National Gallery of Art closed in 2020 researchers took the opportunity to look deep, very deep, into some Vermeer’s. They used advanced techniques that let them see underlayers and potential rough brush strokes.
Senior imaging scientist John Delaney and imaging scientist Kate Dooley, internationally recognized for their groundbreaking analysis of art and artists’ techniques, use technologically advanced equipment to generate hundreds of chemical images that allow them to “see” into the paint layers and better understand the painting process. The scientists and their colleagues can then analyze the resulting data to reveal how the artist worked—how and where he applied the different and complementary colors, paint layers, and drying agents. It is something like creating a detailed chemical map of the artist’s creative technique.
Every Tuesday is Art Tuesday here at Adafruit! Today we celebrate artists and makers from around the world who are designing innovative and creative works using technology, science, electronics and more. You can start your own career as an artist today with Adafruit’s conductive paints, art-related electronics kits, LEDs, wearables, 3D printers and more! Make your most imaginative designs come to life with our helpful tutorials from the Adafruit Learning System. And don’t forget to check in every Art Tuesday for more artistic inspiration here on the Adafruit Blog!