Pentimento

Pentimenti (plural, pentimento of Italian, "repentance "; Germanized also Pentiment ) is a name given to the marks on the prints and paintings, which show that during the production corrections on the picture made ​​or even other images were painted over. This is a by no means unusual way of working represents the overpainting become apparent by the age of transparency of the color layers, one can prove with the help of UV light and X-rays. They represent an essential source of art history by showing the working process of an artist.

Examples

In the picture Rembrandt and Saskia in the parable of the Prodigal Son ( Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden) by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn are several bodies have been painted over and canvas was circumcised, or also added. On preliminary drawings are two more female characters. Behind Rembrandt and Saskia, there was a lute player, which is now hidden by the feathers of the peacock pie and could be detected in X-rays. This, as well as surviving in the picture symbols such as a Anschreibetafel on the left side are clear evidence of a pub or a brothel scene, which is seen as a biblical parable of the Prodigal Son, in its role shows the artist himself. He celebrates with harlots in the tavern, where he squandered his inheritance.

• Painting