Recent X-Ray tests show that a layer of varnish posthumously added to Vincent Van Gogh's painting, Flowers in a Blue Vase, is deteriorating the artist's work.
Contained within the varnish is a compound known as cadmium oxalate, which is causing the yellows to turn grey-orange instead of simply losing their vibrancy over time.
BBC News spoke to the University of Antwerp's Koen Janssen, who noted that "the contact layer between the varnish and the paint, where the cadmium oxalate is found, is micrometer thin."
"If we had not used methods that allow us to interrogate this very thin layer, we would never have noticed that there were oxalates there," he added.
Dr. Janssens explained that Van Gogh had an aversion to varnishes, which are ironically intended to preserve paintings. "He liked them, let's say, rough."
BBC notes that oxalates are usually found in "much older works, and in association with different pigments."
So, what are the implications for Van Gogh's other famous works? Ella Hendriks, head of conservation at the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands, eased concerns of a portfolio destroying disaster. "I don't anticipate it will be a wide-scale problem for our particular collection, given its conservation history," she said to BBC News."But of course it's always good to be aware of the possibility that you could come across this in other paintings."
"This type of information for conservators is very valuable because it helps us understand the condition of the paintings and make the right choices about how we can best conserve them."
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