Scientists recapture Renoir's reds

[dipsydoodle]

Researchers in Chicago have produced a visualisation of how they think a Renoir could have looked before its colours faded.

The picture of Madame Valentine Clapisson was painted by the great French Impressionist more than 130 years ago.

The original's impact has been degraded and dulled by the action of light.

But by using the latest analytical tools, conservators have been able to recover a sense of Renoir's rich reds.

"When we first brought this picture into the conservation studio for examination and removed the frame, we noticed that at the top and at the left-hand side there was a sliver of very intense colour," recalls Dr Francesca Casadio from The Art Institute of Chicago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26024351

[Demit]

1. It always fascinates me when artists don't know their paints, or colors

Or care, in Renoir's case. He knew Carmine Lake was a fugitive red. Look how much more beautiful this painting is with the color restored!

[siligut]

4. The article states that the artists loved carmine lake

And clearly from your statement, you do too. So do I for that matter.

So Renoir knew it wouldn't last, but he also knew it was beautiful at the time.

[brush]

2. Ahhh . . . they restored red to the background but . . .

what about to the back of the chair? It's also red, why didn't they enhance it as well.

It must have been even darker when originally painted.

[Igel]

3. I can't know that.

Some pigments fade with time. Some are inorganic and don't change much over the centuries. Carmine lake is apparently made from cochineal (who know?). It's the same red that gave Redcoats their red coats.

If the back of the chair was painted with a pigment that was stable while the background was made with a pigment that was unstable, one would fade and the other wouldn't.

I don't know what the back of the chair was painted with. So I can't know if that pigment was stable when exposed to light and air.

It's the same with soap making. Some brilliant organic-based hues are trashed by the lye in soap. Some hang in there for a while and gradually fade. Many inorganic ones are stable. Gotta know your pigments and their stability.