The restoration of a 15th-century painting has aroused debate among art critics.
Ghent Altarpiece, the polyp completed in 1432 by Dutch brothers and painters Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, has captivated the world for centuries. Located at St Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium, it is considered the first oil paintings to gain international fame.
Since 2012, the 2.2 million euro project continues the work of restoring the polyp. In the second phase of the project, which ended last month, restorers revealed some unexpected details.
They said that another, unidentified painter had changed the main painting of the polyp. It is thought that he worked with the original version in the 16th century.
Finally, restorers have managed to highlight the original lamb face located in the center.
Hélène Dubois, project manager, told Art News that the original lamb had a "stronger interaction with the viewer",
Restoration was completed in late December, but the results were recently revealed. Like the team, people have expressed surprise at the lamb's face.
He is described as "very human" and with "penetrating, human-like eyes, full pink lips and dancing nose".
Even on social networks there was distrust. Some compared Kylie. Others wrote that it would be better for the lambs not to have the original face.
So apparently they restored the Ghent altarpiece and: pic.twitter.com/Q8HoSLdckL
- Alex von Tunzelmann (@alexvtunzelmann) January 22, 2020
In a statement to the BBC, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage stated that the Van Eyck brothers chose to represent "the Lamb of God with human eyes," a very common feature in the Middle Ages.
The painting is known as the "Worship of the Mystical Lamb" and shows a group of pilgrims paying homage to the Lamb of God, representing Jesus.
Source: BBC, CNN
