Slide 1
Infrared reveals some drawing beneath Tintoretto’s paint
Infrared examination reveals aspects of Tintoretto’s underdrawing beneath Saint George and the Dragon. It adds another view of the painting’s making.
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The visible surface of Saint George and the Dragon is not the only evidence of its making. Infrared examination reveals aspects of Tintoretto's underdrawing. Comparing the two views turns a finished composition into a record of decisions made before and during painting.
Slide 2
What becomes visible depends on the materials
Infrared radiation interacts differently with painting materials. Some underlying marks become detectable through certain layers; the technique cannot reveal everything.
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Infrared radiation interacts differently with different painting materials. Some paint layers allow underlying marks to become detectable, while others obscure them. The technique therefore reveals particular contrasts under particular conditions; it is not a universal way to see through an entire painted surface.
Slide 3
The National Gallery examined a grid and design changes
Its study of Saint George and the Dragon examines underdrawing evidence associated with a grid and changes to the design.
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The National Gallery's study examines underdrawing in Saint George and the Dragon, including evidence associated with a grid and changes in the design. The value lies in comparing recorded marks with the visible composition, rather than inventing a hidden narrative for every dark line.
Slide 4
A changed line does not reveal the reason for changing it
A revised contour can show that Tintoretto changed a design choice. By itself, it cannot establish his motive.
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A revised contour can establish that a visible choice differed from an earlier one. It does not, by itself, establish why Tintoretto changed it. Technical examination strengthens an account of the work's sequence while leaving private intentions and some workshop decisions beyond direct observation.
Slide 5
The surface preserves some earlier decisions, not every intention
Conservation imaging can distinguish the finished painting from some earlier decisions preserved beneath it. What the materials reveal sets the limits of that history.
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Conservation imaging expands what can be asked of a painting. It lets viewers distinguish the finished image from some of the work that preceded it. The result is a more precise history of making, bounded by what the materials and instrument actually reveal.
Sources
- Tintoretto's Underdrawing for 'Saint George and the Dragon'
National Gallery, Jill Dunkerton, Technical Bulletin 28 (2007)
- Infrared
National Gallery