The taking of images at different wavelengths, such as infrared, ultraviolet, and X-ray, has brought to light the nuances of the creative process of Candido Portinari (1903\u20131962). In collaboration with restorers and museologists, the team of the nuclear physicist M\u00e1rcia Rizzutto, of the University of S\u00e3o Paulo (USP), used different physico-chemical analysis techniques to study the painter\u2019s works and, in some cases, succeeded in pointing out the hidden strokes that had been sketched and later covered up by layers of paint by the artist himself. These findings are the result of studies of paintings from two collections of Portinari\u2019s works located in S\u00e3o Paulo: the murals in the Casa de Portinari Museum in Brodowski, the painter\u2019s native city, and the sacred canvas collection in the Senhor Bom Jesus da Cana Verde Sanctuary, the main church of Batatais. The studies also refined our scientific knowledge of the chemical composition of the painter\u2019s preferred colors called the pigment palette.<\/p>\n
Hidden details in a mural<\/strong>
\nImages of different wavelengths reveal cracks and how the painter created the figure of Saint Elizabeth<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>