Leonardo-da-Vinci-John-the-Baptist-detail

The original painting has been buried beneath several coats of varnish which have been yellowed and darkened by oxidation through the years. To restore the painting to it original state is impossible because Leonardo (in order to increase the colour saturation and three-dimensionality) used several coats of glazing which too have oxidised. Should the restorer remove the glazing Leonardo’s own work would be lost and the painting would be visually flattened. A carefully conservative restoration of the masterwork has been done in 2016 (https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/leonardo-da-vinci-s-st-john-the-baptist-back-on-view-at-the-louvre-after-a-thorough-but-careful-cleaning ) but only succeeded in removing a small part of time’s ravages. The only way to uncover the original painting is by the use of digital processing. This is what I try to do in the uploaded image. I am happy with the result for it makes justice of Leonardo’s sense of perfection which we know from his better conserved works (and in particular his two Virgins of the Rocks), and because it reveals the idea behind unique interpretation: In art John the Baptist is usually depicted in a rough and hard manner that reminds one of repentance, but here Leonardo depicted him as the precursor to Christ, as the one who turns our eyes to the infinite beauty and joy which is Christ.