The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
Czech art restorer Jiri Lauterkranc has been studying a painting called “La Crau with a View of Montmajour” for three years. He and his colleague at InsightART used a combination of a specialist X-ray scanner and traditional methods to analyse the painting. Lauterkranc believes the it is a genuine Vincent Van Gogh and is sending evidence to the Van Gogh Foundation for final verification.
The image illustrate some of the different analysis InsightART has used (from left):
1: “La Crau with a View of Montmajour” painting signed Vincent and possibly a Vincent Van Gogh, oil on canvas
2: Material-sensitive X-ray radiography showing lead-dominated pigments
3: Material-sensitive X-ray radiography, showing pigments dominated by zinc, chromium and cadmium
4: X-ray black and white radiography
5: Material-sensitive X-ray radiography of the painting showing a drawing of a female nude in the lower layers of the painting.
InsightART’s analysis led to the discovery of the under-painting of a nude female figure, in a style that is very similar to the models van Gogh drew and painted in classes at the local academy in Paris in 1886-88: this indicates that it could be a genuine Vincent van Gogh painting.
More information on this case here.