BeneathThe Blue Room(a piece painted by Picasso in the early 20th century) was a mysterioushidden portrait.
The History ofThe Blue Room
Pablo Picasso paintedThe Blue Roomwhile living in Paris in 1901.
The work ofDegasand Henri deToulouse-Lautrecexerted a strong influence on this picture, The Phillips Collectionexplains.
In 2014, its status was elevated even further, as it was thrown into the international spotlight.
In 1954, a conservator at the museum noticed inconsistencies inThe Blue Rooms brushwork.
Scientific Process
Uncovering the hidden portrait in 2014 required a team of scientists and several state-of-the-art tools.
Pablo Picasso, “The Blue Room,” 1901 (Photo:Wikimedia CommonsPublic Domain)
At Cornell, scientists used X-ray fluorescence intensity mapping to trace the distribution of pigments throughout the composition.
Then, in 2012, scientists back at Cornell used an XRF detector to supplement the infrared scans.
Finally, two years later, all of the project participants shared their findings at the Phillips Collection.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, “May Milton,” 1895 (Photo:Wikimedia CommonsPublic Domain)
The Aftermath
On June 17, 2014, the news aboutThe Blue Roombroke.
Our audiences are hungry for this, Dorothy Kosinski, the Director of the Phillips Collection, said.
It’s kind of detective work.
Detail of “The Blue Room”
The more we can understand, the greater our appreciation is of its significance in Picasso’s life.
