What do physics and chemistry teach us about the Mona Lisa's smile? High-performance, mobile and non-invasive analysis techniques, using X-rays, lasers or ultraviolet, visible and infrared light, now allow us to better understand the role of materials and pictorial techniques in artistic creation. They also contribute to the expertise and restoration of works, in particular to restore the brilliance of the original colors. Inseparable from a multidisciplinary approach, physico-chemistry takes us back in time and gives us the secrets of artists' studios, going so far as to reconstruct the creative gesture. |