Essentials are invisible to the eyes but with a heart and a vision can be enjoyed
Already back in 2008 a secret portrait of a “Peasant Woman” was found by Dutch researchers Dik and Janssen using X-ray technology that they had developed. According to “The Guardian”, experts believe that approximately a third of Van Gogh's first paintings had secret compositions behind them. “Van Gogh was known to paint over his older works.”
Impressionist inspired artists on the Cote d’Azur seem to be attracted by this idea of a possibly hidden secret treasure. The art collective can be commissioned to creates an art experience, the feel, the touch, and the smell unique to one hundred-year-old paintings. Selected collectors and art investors now can have the genuine next best art experience created by a master performed on top of the solid foundation of a century old oil painting. For some true art lovers this may provide art with the potential for unexpected value appreciation and the impression of a masterpiece accessible and to possess, treasure and enjoy. Hiding the base with another aesthetically pleasing layer is the core of it and gives the art installation real personal meaning.
Edgar Degas, a French artist, frequently recycled his painted canvases when money was limited or the former piece had lost its charm, much like his contemporaries Vincent van Gogh. In 2016, Australian researchers revealed that they had recreated a previously undiscovered painting by Degas from the layers of paint beneath a later portrait that is currently shown in Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria.
It has long been recognized that the later portrait is a Degas cover for an earlier piece, and as the painting has aged, the original's lines have become more pronounced. The researchers were able to reveal the hidden image by using X-ray fluorescence and absorption studies on the artwork at the Australian Synchrotron facility in Melbourne. They also were able to pinpoint the subject as Emma Dobigny, a model who posed for Degas and other painters in the 1870s.
The secret behind a work of art lies in the connection between a collector and his collection. Down in the south of France that bond can be started for visionary art lovers. Purchasing into a 100-year-old oil painting and commissioning a unique impressionist top layer can bring joy in the visible and through the heart connect with the essentials beneath the surface, hiding from the eyes of the rest of the world.
And after all, “One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.” as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry writes in his novel "The Little Prince". In that scene the Prince is chatting to his new friend the fox while sobbing over his rose. The Prince is upset because he mistakenly believed that his rose was special but now realizes that he was mistaken after seeing a row of rosebushes and numerous other flowers. The fox however claims that because of their connection, his rose is special. That relationship is the bond of the heart, which cannot be seen with the eyes.
