Vasari's message. by Barbie Kunkelova

All the sciences are connected, sometimes in very complicated manners, sometimes in obvious ways. And, according to this, scientists can benefit on each other's results and knowledge. Biologists help doctors, psychiatrists help lawyers and chemists help artists … Recently, historians benefitted on such interconnection (precisely, on medical and military innovations). Thirty years ago, speculations about one more unfinished fresco (that has never been revealed) painted by Leonardo Da Vinci (now one of the most popular artists thanks to Dan Brown's 2003 thriller fiction novel The Da Vinci code) in 1505. Its location is supposed to be under Giorgio Vasari's painting made several decades later. It is thought to be unfinished because Leonardo left Florence in 1506. Scientists believe Vasari's message on a tiny flag on his mural "Seek and you shall find" refers to the fresco underneath. Historians at the University of San Diego are examining bricks (by neutron analysis) that have been hauled to them in order to get an idea about the structure of the wall. They are already pretty familiar with the ingredients of Vasari's paint. Once they know the composition of the wall and the upper-painting, it should be no problem to subtract them from each other and get the result & whether there is anything hidden in between these two at all. Newest technologies are used by this experiment, methods that should hurt neither of the murals. Even if they find out Vasari's message was referring to Rome (for example Michelangelo's Last Judgment) instead of Florence, the restoring experiment should be beneficial after all. As the engineer in charge, Maurizio Seracini, said for Yahoo! News, it will help scientists to understand the countless paintings that have been covered by whitewash and plaster.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071022/ap_on_re_eu/italy_lost_leonardo;_ylt=AsNofFWffS9NgTUSE_9l1M6s0NUE

by Barbie Kunkelova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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