Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Multispectral Photography

Leonardo daVinci was the archetype of the Renaissance Man;  artist, sculpture, inventor, musician, architect, engineer, and writer.  But the fact that I find most fascinating about daVinci is that he wrote almost all of his notes in mirror image.  He clearly was capable of thinking in ways most of us will never understand. 

Pascal Cotte's 240-megapixel multispectral imaging camera (Cotte's own invention) has uncovered a new awareness of daVinci's Mona Lisa (La Gioconda).  Using high definition ultraviolet and infrared shots this new technology shows the original position of the hands, eyes, and smile, but more importantly, it shows the original colors of this iconic work.  These original colors are more illuminating than the Mona Lisa I encountered in the Louvre in Paris, and I find that she seems to have a twinkle in her eyes, and that special smile seems even sweeter .

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