fresh bytes
Subscribe Now

Analysis reveals lost colors in Van Gogh’s ‘The Bedroom’

bd.png

Art experts have long known that The Bedroom isn’t the same painting it once appeared to be. In 1888, van Gogh described it in a letter to his brother Theo, saying, “The walls are of a pale violet. The floor—is of red tiles.” Those exact pigments have since vanished after more than a century of fading, but conservation scientists at the Art Institute of Chicago set out to prove they weren’t lost for good.

Using a macro x-ray fluorescence scanner, Francesca Casadio and her colleagues were able to determine the elements and minerals in the paint. They also used a process called surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy that makes molecules vibrate in a distinct way under laser light. But their biggest breakthrough came from something surprisingly simple: After flipping over a tiny sample of the painting under a microscope, a blue paint chip was revealed to be pale purple on the underside.
via Mental Floss

Continue reading 

Image: ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

Leave a Reply

featured blogs
Jul 1, 2025
I don't know which of these videos is better: humans playing games with water pixels or robots playing games....

Libby's Lab

Libby's Lab - Scopes out Littelfuse C&K Aerospace AeroSplice Connectors

Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Littelfuse

Join Libby and Demo in this episode of “Libby’s Lab” as they explore the Littelfuse C&K Aerospace Aerosplice Connectors, available at Mouser.com! These connectors are ideal for high-reliability easy-to-use wire-to-wire connections in aerospace applications. Keep your circuits charged and your ideas sparking!

Click here for more information

featured paper

AI-based Defect Detection System that is Both High Performance and Highly Accurate Implemented in Low-cost, Low-power FPGAs

Sponsored by Altera

Learn how MAX® 10 FPGAs enable real-time, high-accuracy AI-based defect detection at the industrial edge without a GPU. This white paper explores a production-proven solution that delivers 24× higher accuracy, 488× lower latency, and 20× lower power than traditional approaches, with a compact footprint ideal for embedded vision systems.

Click to read more

featured chalk talk

Reliability: Basics & Grades
Reliability is cornerstone to all electronic designs today, but how reliability is implemented and determined can vary widely by different market segments. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Sam Accardo from the YAGEO Group explore the definition of reliability for electronic components, investigate the different grades of reliability offered by the YAGEO Group and the various steps that the YAGEO Group is taking to ensure the greatest reliability of their components.
Aug 15, 2024
53,603 views