A gallery in Scotland mentioned on Thursday it was “thrilled” to announce the invention of a beforehand unknown self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh, along with his ear intact, hidden behind one other portray.
The portrait was discovered on the again of the canvas of the Dutch post-Impressionist’s 1885 work Head Of A Peasant Woman, coated by layers of glue and cardboard.
It exhibits a bearded sitter in a brimmed hat with a neckerchief tied loosely on the neck. It was accomplished earlier than Van Gogh lower off his left ear in 1888.
Visitors to the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh will be capable of see it at a forthcoming exhibition, as an X-ray picture by means of a specifically designed lightbox.
Longer time period, curators are engaged on safely extracting it from the overlaying canvas with out damaging the work.
Lesley Stevenson, senior work conservator on the National Galleries, mentioned they have been “thrilled to bits” on the discover.
“When we noticed the X-ray for the primary time in fact we have been vastly excited,” she mentioned.
“This is a big discovery as a result of it provides to what we already learn about Van Gogh’s life.
“There is a lot to consider as regards to the following steps, however for us it’s one other little nugget to get us a little bit bit nearer to an unbelievable artist.”
Curators imagine the portray is certainly one of a sequence of experimental self-portraits. Five comparable works are displayed on the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, painted earlier than he moved to Paris in 1886. – AFP
