Suddenly the conservatives came face to face with Vincent van Gogh. An X-ray of another painting revealed a sensation.
An unknown self-portrait was hidden on the back of the screen. The discovery was made when the painting “Head of a Peasant Woman” was examined with an X-ray before an exhibition. This is stated by the National Galleries of Scotland in a press release on 14 July.
The audience will see the sensational discovery in Edinburgh this summer. Through a specially made light box, the picture is shown in the exhibition “A Taste for Impressionism” at the Royal Scottish Academy from 30 July to 13 November.
–Used canvas on both sides
The self-portrait has been hidden for over a hundred years behind layers of glue and cardboard. The art experts believe the teams were put on before an exhibition in the early 1900s. Van Gogh often used his canvases several times to save money. Instead of painting over, he turned the canvas and used the back.
–It must be possible to remove glue and cardboard that now covers the portrait. The restoration will probably be demanding. Therefore, one examines how it is possible to bring out the self-portrait without harming “The Head of a Peasant Woman”.
For now, the world must look at the newly discovered painting through a ghostly X-ray. It shows a man with a beard. He has a wide-brimmed hat and a loose scarf. The gaze is intense and staring. The right side of the face is in the shade. The left ear is still intact and clearly visible. The painter cut off his ear in 1889.
–– An incredible gift
Frances Fowle is a senior curator of French art at the National Galleries of Scotland. She describes the discovery as an “incredible gift to Scotland”.
She says moments like this are very rare.
– We have discovered an unknown work by Vincent van Gogh, one of the world’s most important and popular artists.
Several such self-portraits and other works by van Gogh have previously been found painted on the back of canvases. They are in museums around the world.
–The condition of the self-portrait is not known. If it can be brought out, it will be able to shed new light on the enigmatic and enticing artist.
The picture was probably painted when he moved to Paris in 1886. He was strongly influenced by the French Impressionists and switched to bright, strong colors. The self-portrait was probably painted at this important time in van Gogh’s career.
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