Between food time and play time, at least Grampa had fun this weekend.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Those blasted bombs
Around the world, people have always loved their art. I know I do. I've been to museums in a dozen cities, just to look at my favorite paintings. I am definitely not the only one, either.
Forgers like art as well. In fact, some forgers even make a more-than-excellent living forging someone else's work. And when caught, some of these forgers aren't even prosecuted. This story of Ken Perenyi is one recent example. Mr. Perenyi made millions of dollars over 30 years with more than 1,000 forgeries. His work is extremely good - so good in fact, that many museums and galleries spent top dollars to purchase his work (unknown, of course, as a forgery).
There are many ways to detect forgeries, and curators are always looking for new methods to detect a forgery. Scientists recently discovered a new way to detect forgeries, all based on nuclear bombs.
Prior to the first nuclear bomb detonation in July of 1945, isotopes such as strontium-90 and cesium-137 did not exist in nature.
These isotopes were created by the massive neutron bombardments that occur during a thermonuclear explosion. Since those isotopes didn’t exist in nature prior to 1945, paintings created prior to 1945 could not contain them originally.
From 1945 to 1963, 550 nuclear bombs were detonated. This was during a time when most nations agreed not to test nuclear weapons any longer (yet did not live up to that agreement). The isotopes created during this period bind with the types of crops that are used to produce oil based paints. Therefore, oil paintings created after 1945 will contain trace amounts of these new isotopes.
If someone is trying to pass a work that is dated prior to 1945, but it contains these isotopes, it's very likely that work is a fake. Tests like this one can lead to the discovery many museums are not thrilled about making, yet at the same time, have an obligation to.
Facts from NPR and The Art Newspaper
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| Perenyi forgery, original by Gilbert Stuart, 1804 |
There are many ways to detect forgeries, and curators are always looking for new methods to detect a forgery. Scientists recently discovered a new way to detect forgeries, all based on nuclear bombs.
Prior to the first nuclear bomb detonation in July of 1945, isotopes such as strontium-90 and cesium-137 did not exist in nature.
These isotopes were created by the massive neutron bombardments that occur during a thermonuclear explosion. Since those isotopes didn’t exist in nature prior to 1945, paintings created prior to 1945 could not contain them originally.
From 1945 to 1963, 550 nuclear bombs were detonated. This was during a time when most nations agreed not to test nuclear weapons any longer (yet did not live up to that agreement). The isotopes created during this period bind with the types of crops that are used to produce oil based paints. Therefore, oil paintings created after 1945 will contain trace amounts of these new isotopes.
If someone is trying to pass a work that is dated prior to 1945, but it contains these isotopes, it's very likely that work is a fake. Tests like this one can lead to the discovery many museums are not thrilled about making, yet at the same time, have an obligation to.
Facts from NPR and The Art Newspaper
Saturday, November 03, 2012
Please do not disturb
It's a cozy place to keep warm at night apparently, but the porch light was too bright.
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Autumn leaves with friends
Is there anyone who doesn't love jumping and rolling in the fall leaves?
Not in this house there isn't.
Not in this house there isn't.
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