Whenever a discovery is made concerning the artwork of the legendary Vincent Van Gogh the art world goes wild and a recent discovery gave everybody a reason to celebrate over at the National Galleries of Scotland. A simple X-ray uncovered a self-portrait behind Van Gogh’s Head of a Peasant Woman. It has been there for over a century undetected.
The Head of a Peasant Woman painting had been on display for over 50 years at the National Galleries of Scotland and nobody had a clue what was hiding just beneath the top layer of paint. Now, however, both paintings will be exhibited at A Taste For Impressionism, which will run from July 30-November 13 2022 in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh’s a long way from Dublin, but you can appreciate the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh right now, right here, in Dublin! There’s an immersive Van Gogh Exhibition[/trackLink] that uses innovative 360-degree projections to bring to life the Dutch painter’s artwork.
It’s the perfect way to really engage with one of the Dutch masters with the help of modern technology. Who knows, maybe you can uncover some of Van Gogh’s secrets yourself with the help of this informative and exciting exhibition!
So, as anyone and everyone who owns a Van Gogh painting moves to have it X-rayed (lucky people), the new discovery will be displayed in Edinburgh with the help of a light box. It has been suggested that maybe one day the original painting could be uncovered entirely but that would obviously be a very delicate process.
You may question why Van Gogh would paint over one of his self-portraits (complete with both ears) but he was known to re-use canvases. After all, he was not commercially successful in his lifetime and canvases are pricey even today!
However, Professor Frances Fowle, Senior Curator of French Art at the National Galleries of Scotland, does say that: “Moments like this are incredibly rare. We have discovered an unknown work by Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most important and popular artists in the world. […] What an incredible gift for Scotland, and one that will forever be in the care of the National Galleries. We are very excited to share this thrilling discovery in our big summer exhibition A Taste for Impressionism, where the x-ray image of the self-portrait will be on view for all to see.”
If you can’t make it to Edinburgh in time to check out the exhibition then make sure you head to the Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience exhibition right here in Dublin this summer. It certainly won’t disappoint!