Work in Progress
When admiring the beauty of an Old Master, it is often difficult to see how the painting was actually made. All the artist's preparatory work is hidden behind the confident brush strokes. However, modern methods sometimes make it possible to look behind the scenes.
Underdrawing
Before beginning a painting, artists generally drew a preparatory sketch on the usually white ground. This underdrawing might vary from a rough spontaneous outline to a detailed design based on preliminary studies. The actual representation would be
painted on top, in one or more subsequent layers of paint.
Naked eye
On some Old Master paintings parts of the underdrawing can be seen with the naked eye. This may occur on works in which the paint was used sparingly and only applied in thin layers. Alternatively, layers of paint may become transparent through the
years, allowing parts of the underdrawing to show through. One example of this phenomenon is the Army Camp in a Landscape by Pieter de Neyn. Showing around the trees, as well as the flag and the tavern signboard are the smooth sketch lines that
were used as guidelines. But there's more. In the background to the left, where the cloudy sky is painted thinly, brisk lines are visible that were not adopted in the final representation.
Infrared
A more complete view of the underdrawing is achieved with infrared research. This method - which has no adverse effect on the painting - uses infrared light. Depending on factors such as the type of pigments in the paint and the wavelength of the
infrared light, it is possible to see through the layers of paint. The white ground, with which old panels and canvases were generally prepared, reflects the light. If the underdrawing is in black chalk or some other carbon-based material, it absorbs the
infrared light and stops the reflection. The radiation reflected by the painting, invisible to the naked eye, is registered electronically by a special camera and then projected onto a screen. Where the underdrawing absorbs the infrared light, dark lines
appear on the screen.
Computer assembly
By linking the camera to a computer, a digital image can be shown on screen. To get the best results, only a small part of the painting is scanned per shot. Later, the separate parts are reassembled using a computer program, creating a clear picture of
the complete underdrawing.
Rough lay-out
The computer assembly of the painting by Pieter van Neyn provides a valuable addition to the information gained with the naked eye. Now for instance, the hill in the foreground, to the left - a dark brown area in the painting - is depicted with long,
undulating contours. It is also clear that the background design, on the left, originally reached further down. This sketch is so rough that it provides little information about what the artist had in mind. It resembles a farm or shed seen from the side;
a design often found in de Neyn's work. He presumably decided to abandon the structure while painting, to create space for a glimpse of the horizon.
Spontaneous inspiration
The sketch-like underdrawing and the changes while painting, suggest that the artist did not start with a definite plan. The underdrawing was little more than a spontaneous whim, simply a method of dividing the surface into preliminary areas. Only when
he actually started painting did the picture achieve its final form.
In fact the underdrawing was only meant for the painter. Today, centuries later, sophisticated technology enables us to view this sketch and glimpse behind the scenes in the artist's studio.