Posted on 01/22/2020 8:19:59 AM PST by Red Badger
"There are no words to express the result" was the beaming reaction of Belgium's Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, after a 15th-century masterpiece -- painted over shortly after completion -- was restored to its former glory.
And they were right -- commentators have been left speechless by one particular aspect of the newly revealed painting.
The latest panel of the "Ghent Altarpiece," a large work by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, was unveiled in December as part of an ongoing project to restore the painting to its original design.
The painting -- also known as "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" -- depicts a lamb, representing Jesus, being sacrificed on an altar.
And it's this holy lamb that's giving viewers nightmares.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
The lamb’s muzzle looks more like that of a lion than a sheep...................
The “new” one actually was the original. It was repainted a couple of centuries later to give it a more sheep-like look.
I think people are reading way too much into this. If you look at many paintings of the time, you will notice that painters, even good ones, simply did not get the eyes and face shape right on a lot of animals.
Paint-by-numbers ping!..................
They didn’t take liberties with it...they restored it from an earlier restoration to the original, and this is the way the sheep looked in the original.
I tried painting once.
Couldn’t stay within the lines................
-—The “new” one actually was the original. It was repainted a couple of centuries later to give it a more sheep-like look.-—
Thank you! The whole point of the restoration is to get back as close as possible to the original, and that includes removing ham-fisted restoration attempts at later times where “improvements” are made by later artists.
That is no restoration
It is a recreation
It is a different interpretation of the face of a lam
So it is probably just a difference in preference.
I also admire Leonardo da Vinci for his math and science. A true genius as an artist and a scientist.
As art it’s blah, at best.
I thought that might be the case. I wonder how they “peeled back the layers” to find out what the underlying original face looked like. The article probably explains it, but this is FR.
you’ve got to wonder what your face would look like if you knew you’re about to be sacrificed...
Exactly what I thought of when I read this story! Long Live Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean).
When hundreds of years have passed it is old work. This new painting may more closely resemble earlier underpaint it is still a new painting. It wasn’t simply removing old paint to reveal older paint, was it?
The restoration lamb looks less herbivore and more carnivore.
Bean’s Mother?
The first restorer was obviously a better animal painter than the original artist, which is probably why he got the job. lol.
Yes, the muzzle of a lion......................
...and also The Black Adder!....................
The ayes...I mean eyes have it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.