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![[image loading]](http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2010/08/500x_brinkmannstatuebig.jpg) Original Greek statues were brightly painted, but after thousands of years, those paints have worn away. Find out how shining a light on the statues can be all that's required to see them as they were thousands of years ago. Although it seems impossible to think that anything could be left to discover after thousands of years of wind, sun, sand, and art students, finding the long lost patterns on a piece of ancient Greek sculpture can be as easy as shining a lamp on it. A technique called ‘raking light' has been used to analyze art for a long time. A lamp is positioned carefully enough that the path of the light is almost parallel to the surface of the object. When used on paintings, this makes brushstrokes, grit, and dust obvious. On statues, the effect is more subtle. Brush-strokes are impossible to see, but because different paints wear off at different rates, the stone is raised in some places – protected from erosion by its cap of paint – and lowered in others. Elaborate patterns become visible. Ultraviolet is also used to discern patterns. UV light makes many organic compounds fluoresce. Art dealers use UV lights to check if art has been touched up, since older paints have a lot of organic compounds and modern paints have relatively little. On ancient Greek statues, tiny fragments of pigment still left on the surface glow bright, illuminating more detailed patterns. ![[image loading]](http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2010/08/500x_brinkmannstatues2big.jpg) Once the pattern is mapped, there is still the problem of figuring out which paint colors to use. A series of dark blues will create a very different effect than gold and pink. Even if enough pigment is left over so that the naked eye can make out a color, a few thousand years can really change a statue's complexion. There's no reason to think that color seen today would be anything like the hues the statues were originally painted. There is a way around this dilemma. The colors may fade over time, but the original materials – plant and animal-derived pigments, crushed stones or shells – still look the same today as they did thousands of years ago. This can also be discovered using light. ![[image loading]](http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2010/08/340x_nic-1.jpg) Infrared and X-ray spectroscopy can help researchers understand what the paints are made of, and how they looked all that time ago. Spectroscopy relies on the fact that atoms are picky when it comes to what kind of incoming energy they absorb. Certain materials will only accept certain wavelengths of light. Everything else they reflect. Spectroscopes send out a variety of wavelengths, like scouts into a foreign land. Inevitably, a few of these scouts do not come back. By noting which wavelengths are absorbed, scientists can determine what materials the substance is made of. Infrared helps determine organic compounds. X-rays, because of their higher energy level, don't stop for anything less than the heavier elements, like rocks and minerals. Together, researchers can determine approximately what color a millennia-old statue was painted. The color? Always something tacky. ![[image loading]](http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2010/08/500x_godsincolor.jpg)
O.O!
edit : Source!
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That looks hilariously gay
I prefer black and white statues
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shit forgot source O.o
edit: added
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Anyone think they look a lot worse with color? But I never knew they were painted in the first place so I guess I learned something new.
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yea they look nicer without colors but i had no idea that they painted them o.O
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Im sure the colors were waaaay more impressive back then. Yeah by todays standards it looks better without the paint!
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Wait wtf?
This totally changed my image of Greek art and culture @_@
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Yeah with color they look almost tacky. I prefer the plain stone look.
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Very interesting article ! that means all the movie taking place in ancient Greece are wrong about the colors ! I admit I felt weird to see all these buildings white (more gray with Athens pollution) when I visited them.
It indeed looks a little gay, but wasn't ancient Greece well known for homosexuality and incest ?
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Wow, my mind is blown.
The colorless statues always represented ancient greek art for me, i will never be able to unsee this D:
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Feels so hard to believe... I'm suprised how this wouldn't be tracked, I mean sure it's 2000 years, but wouldn't those things get passed down for generations?... We know tons about feudal ages for example and how the system worked, so why wouldn't we for Greece? I though the world had that are figured out pretty well.
I dunno, I still don't believe it =\
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On August 25 2010 16:38 Skillz_Man wrote:
Feels so hard to believe... I'm suprised how this wouldn't be tracked, I mean sure it's 2000 years, but wouldn't those things get passed down for generations?... We know tons about feudal ages for example and how the system worked, so why wouldn't we for Greece? I though the world had that are figured out pretty well.
I dunno, I still don't believe it =\
So you think a common thing to tell your grandkids was how wonderful the paint was?
This seems like a titbit that would be easily lost.
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On August 25 2010 16:17 village_idiot wrote:
That looks hilariously gay
I prefer black and white statues
I'm sure the computer generated color is not as good as the real one .__.
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Yeah this makes things a lot less awesome.
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Wow thats really cool. I always assumed ancient stone art was just that. But it makes sense that paint would wither away after the centuries considering many of the statues were outside and subject to the weather.
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On August 25 2010 16:17 village_idiot wrote:
That looks hilariously gay
I prefer black and white statues
I'm sorry the 2000 year old statues don't fit into your modernistic view styles.
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Katowice25012 Posts
This is sick as hell, those are some seriously intricate paint jobs
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I hope these techniques can be more widely applied. Amazing story! Thanks for the link =]
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Wow I've always thought that the statues were colorless, as they are now. This is like, brickshitting for me. But yeah, we've always seen the statues as without color, so they do look pretty dumb with color.
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I think colors may have been applied more atrfully back then, with highlighting and shadowing techniques that would make the statue look more like a well-painted miniature today.
After all, a LOT of work went into creating a statue with the technology they had available to work stone, so they probably wouldnt rush the paint job either.
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Looks like how I painted Warhammer miniatures when I was 12
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On August 25 2010 17:44 Dance. wrote:
Looks like how I painted Warhammer miniatures when I was 12
You just made my day. 
But seriously, these statues could appear on a Chrisopher Street Day which is not too much of a surprise, given that homosexuality was rather normal and genereally accepted in ancient greece.
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it's great but we prefer the older looking no-color statues.:D
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I am 99% sure my high school history teacher told us about it. Perhaps he had accessed these data some time before they were made public.
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United States10774 Posts
wow this is really cool, look at augustus with his red robes. i personally prefer the no-color version just because it seems more historic and such, but damn, technology is quite amazing
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On August 25 2010 17:44 Dance. wrote:
Looks like how I painted Warhammer miniatures when I was 12
I didn't even get to paint mine and they are collecting dust now.
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Wow my whole life is a lie.
They shouldn't have painted them.
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On August 25 2010 18:18 SilverSkyLark wrote:Show nested quote +On August 25 2010 17:44 Dance. wrote:
Looks like how I painted Warhammer miniatures when I was 12 I didn't even get to paint mine and they are collecting dust now. Sort of me too. I played so many games workshop games but only painted like 1/3 of my stuff.
On topic: When judging whether with or without color is better, I think you have to put in perspective that colored would look a lot better in groups. Like when the whole temple and its pieces are colored. I think in that situation, the color would seem much more grand and appealing to the eye. When you just look at each piece individually, out of its original environment, of course it might appear tacky.
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I think they look better with color. More alive.
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On August 25 2010 17:25 ieatkids5 wrote:
Wow I've always thought that the statues were colorless, as they are now.
You also thought the world was in sepia tone before the 20th century?
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Brixshat D:
.....and now cannot unsee. Thanks TL!
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For some reason many people are under the impression that color is a modern invention.  For instance, if you look at movies about the dark ages, everything is very sober in color, grey and black. The reality is that people were using colors quite extensively on their walls, fabrics and such things during that time, but since most of that haven't been preserved we get the wrong impression. Heck even during the stone age colors were used to paint in caves walls and on stone. You could say the same thing about the dinosaurs that is often illustrated as grey or brown, when there are some evidence that suggest some dinosaurs being of more bright colors.
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Amazing, august look more impressive in his red toga
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I already knew about this, and I think both the colorful and color-less statues look OK.
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Judging by this thread there must have been like 10 people total on TL who took an art history class.
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On August 25 2010 18:48 nihlon wrote:For some reason many people are under the impression that color is a modern invention. For instance, if you look at movies about the dark ages, everything is very sober in color, grey and black. The reality is that people were using colors quite extensively on their walls, fabrics and such things during that time, but since most of that haven't been preserved we get the wrong impression. Heck even during the stone age colors were used to paint in caves walls and on stone. You could say the same thing about the dinosaurs that is often illustrated as grey or brown, when there are some evidence that suggest some dinosaurs being of more bright colors.
When I was in Egypt I saw temples where you could still see traces of their original paint jobs. It was pretty amazing hwen you found an untouched area where you could still see all the vibrant colors...
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Archer looks like a damn clown. He's just missing the big shoes. Cool technology though!
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Yeah, this is cool but it's definitely changed my perception of ancient Greek art. Were the majority of Greek statues painted then, or was it just some? I belong to the group of people who thought the most of the statues were left unpainted; it's the way that I always imagined and appreciated them.
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Hong Kong20321 Posts
lol wow!!! shit i NEVER thought they acftually coloured them... they look better in white though >_> haha
but awesome find O_O
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Dude, I was always a fan of the achromatic motif. This really does change my perspective of Ancient Greece; flamboyant.
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I guess from the posts in this thread there are two kinds of modern man:
1. Sees the past as a strange and different place, where the actions and culture of previous generations artists force the mind to bend to accept the abstract notions, ideals, fantasies and realities of humanity's past.
2. Thinks everything they arent used to is "gay".
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I think a lot of people here prefer the Renaissance style white marble statues! I'd have to agree too.
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Are we sure it's not just a bunch of drunk Greek student 2000 years ago that decided to paint them?
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Think this is a good thing. Might tell us more about their culture. I had a professor talk about this on Monday in my classical mythology class. And then I found it here.
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On August 25 2010 17:42 Nixda wrote:
I think colors may have been applied more atrfully back then, with highlighting and shadowing techniques that would make the statue look more like a well-painted miniature today.
After all, a LOT of work went into creating a statue with the technology they had available to work stone, so they probably wouldnt rush the paint job either.
Uhhhh minitures are highlighted and shadowed and inked only because they are so small. Blown up to life size none of that is required because it is clearly visible. You have to give minitures highlights and shadows because of their size and the fact that you can't see any naturally - it helps prevent them from looking unnatural by simulating what they would look like life sized.
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Woah, this messed up my image of ancient greece really bad!
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interesting... probably looks better without color though 
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I found this highly interesting and enjoyed the read. Thanks.
On another note when I clicked the topic, I was expecting something dirty/disgusting
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am i seeing statues that are shoped or this is a real thing??
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Brightly, multi-colored clothing was not an everyday thing in those years, so I'm sure it gave the statues an even more majestic look. I was taught in classics courses that some dyes were very expensive, and the color range was limited. If that was the case, something like the archer's outfit would be pretty much unheard of outside of the wealthiest citizens' wardrobes. The majority of clothing was left the natural color of the material, so it was mostly off-white/beige. The coloring system used on Roman togas also illustrates the significance in color back then.
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On August 25 2010 21:36 aimaimaim wrote:
am i seeing statues that are shoped or this is a real thing??
There is no photoshopping. Those are actual, before and after photographs from the statues in 500BC and today.
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On August 25 2010 21:39 LonelyMargarita wrote:Show nested quote +On August 25 2010 21:36 aimaimaim wrote:
am i seeing statues that are shoped or this is a real thing?? There is no photoshopping. Those are actual, before and after photographs from the statues in 500BC and today.
woah .. still .. the question remains ..
WTF?
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This is pretty huge, actually finding out the colour of the statues.
I would be even more amazed if they found out what colours the dinosaurs actually were.
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That's amazing, I always just assumed that the statues and buildings were white lol... I have heard that Greek buildings were colored in very bright colors.
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Hmm, is this a new article?
I'd heard about this in an art history class before.
Maybe the knew they had been painted but now we know what the paint jobs looked like.
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wow, this is incredible discovery, thanks for the link
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The moment I saw the eyes of a Greek statue, I intuitively imagined them painted. It seemed inconceivable that the expressiveness of classical art could have neglected to portray the most expressive part of a man.
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On August 25 2010 16:17 village_idiot wrote:
That looks hilariously gay
I prefer black and white statues
you are an idiot indeed. though the greeks were known for their homosexual pursuits the painted statues look more regal than anything else.
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Don't forget people, this is pretty much like using the paint bucket in paint. just one colour to fill in a space. In real life there were diffrent shades of the colour aswell as shadowing that would make them look alot more realistic.
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Art historians have known the statues were painted bright colors for year, perhaps even decades. What is new about this is it is the first time we have been able to actually see the colors. The only way we knew they were painted before was though written descriptions of them, and that led people to test the surface of the sculptures and find yes, there was paint here, but we have no idea what it looked like. Pretty cool that they figured out a way to get a good idea of the original colors
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I thought that people from over 2000 years ago made their statues to look 2000 years old to impress the people of 2000 years in the future. Turns out I was wrong! Dangit, I was so sure
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Wow I didn't realize this was not known to more people. I was told marble was chosen because it gave a layered look when you painted on it, like how skin appears.
Why are people upset by this? Think of all the nude female statues, let's get them restored to their original pink glory.
Similarly, the Sistene Chapel was not painted in faded out colors but in very vibrant ones that have been restored.
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That is the coolest thing I've ever seen. I love history even though I haven't been doing much with it, but man this is crazy cool!
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Amazing. It makes sense that they would paint it in such colours; the vibrant patterns reveal more about their culture.
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i really liked them better without colour, this just ruined it for me
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United States44072 Posts
Most statues would be indoors, often fairly high up, and without bright electric lighting you couldn't really make out any detail that wasn't garishly painted. I thought it was fairly common knowledge that they were originally painted. Kinda makes the modern classical style of understated marble seem a bit silly.
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On August 25 2010 17:25 ieatkids5 wrote:
Wow I've always thought that the statues were colorless, as they are now. This is like, brickshitting for me. But yeah, we've always seen the statues as without color, so they do look pretty dumb with color.
This changed my perception of greek sculptures forever.
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I'm glad some people actually read the OP. Most people here probably just scrolled through the OP, looked at the pictures, and rushed to post "wow lol so GAY these statues belong in san fran!!" Note in the article that the UV techniques can only reveal physical features and patterns on the statues, and the colors are determined by other, presumably less accurate (due to decay, contamination, etc. of organic molecules) means.
These colors are approximations discerned by spectroscopy techniques, which allows you to identify unknown organic compounds by looking at the wavelength of light its functional groups absorbs and comparing that with the results from known samples. Just to illustrate an example, IR spectroscopy might identify melanin on object X, and this lets us posit that object X might be dark in color. So the pictures in OP aren't "before and after" pictures, but rather reasonable guesses on whatever information is possible at the moment; researchers probably mapped out the location of substances on the statue and then 'colored' them in using a computer program. The parts where no conclusive data can be found are probably left blank, and this explains why the Roman dictator statue (the stoned looking dude with a baby tugging on his leg) has red dots on his armor while the rest of his armor has the same color as his skin.
Well, a long post but I can't help but be amazed at some people thinking that these are actual "before and after" pictures. A true "before and after" picture doesn't exist for stuff that existed before cameras were invented, there's currently no way we can attach a magic time filter to a DSLR and set the aperture to -2000 years and get a picture of the past. So yeah, sorry to poop on the party but the pictures in the OP are basically photoshops but neat informational photoshops instead of stuff like putting words on pictures of cats
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Quick, we need to remake every Greek and Roman movie so that the status have color!
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Ancient greeks were all gingers?
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I really like the color in the statues. Looking at them at first was a kinda mindblown! type of experience. Between this and the recently posted color photographs from the early 1900s makes everything feel a bit closer and more relateable.
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I'm pretty amazed about the brightness of all the pigments. I knew the greeks painted their statues but I never thought the colours would be that saturated.
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D: really liked the whole all stone thing. its like finding out blue(blue's clues) was a girl the whole time, just doesnt feel right.
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On August 25 2010 16:25 Cow wrote:
Wait wtf?
This totally changed my image of Greek art and culture @_@
This. Very different/shocking to see.
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wow, the ancient greeks were sure gay...
it's still nice to see though
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The 'interesting' colour choices are fine... but I prefer the colours they don today - monotone ones.
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Ah sweet, didn't know this was possible. Although I prefer the non-colored versions.
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Wooooooah wtf. I had no idea that the statues were actually colored at one point. Still, the Greek's sense of art is... interesting to say the least. Not my particular brand of coloring.
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On August 26 2010 01:25 dudeman001 wrote:
Wooooooah wtf. I had no idea that the statues were actually colored at one point. Still, the Greek's sense of art is... interesting to say the least. Not my particular brand of coloring.
Coloring is very hard back in the day esp paintings, i think one type of blue you had to crush a precious stone and make it into a paint to get a certain type of blue crap like that.
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The way of making the colours shoe up and all I'd really awesome but the colours on the statues are... Interesting o.o
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...this is actually semi-old news D: I think cracked had an article, and painted Greek statues was part of its common misconceptions of history article (the gist of what the article was about). I was also very surprised, to say the least O_O
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i think most of us were clueless about the whole greeks painting statues thing. nevertheless THEY LOOK TERRIBLE like that.
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of course it looks terribly garish to us, but for the ancient greeks it probably looked really cool.
also, it probably would have looked cool in the 70's.
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They were probably also limited in the colors they had access to, based on what was available locally, so people were used to seeing a certain type of colors, and more rare colors could be used to impress people. I think i learned this somewhere and hope I'm not making this up. I think they look good either way.
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"There's no reason to think that color seen today would be anything like the hues the statues were originally painted."
What's the point then?
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wait, the UV lights reveals the missing bow in the first pic? thats amazing
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Russian Federation410 Posts
I like the colored look on those. Wait till you find out that the three great Pyramids of Egypt were actually Red or bright Red/Orange colored (which is actually true).
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On August 25 2010 18:32 okum wrote:Show nested quote +On August 25 2010 17:25 ieatkids5 wrote:
Wow I've always thought that the statues were colorless, as they are now. You also thought the world was in sepia tone before the 20th century?
I mean, TV didn't have color until relatively recently...why should the rest of the world have color?
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Wow, the Greeks were quite.......flamboyant.
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of course the unpainted statues appear to have a higher value to us, since industrial manufacturing made color cheap and common (apart from pantonesia). today, the material and manufacturing has a higher cost and representive value than the paint. thus the modern obsession with materials and forms.
imagine you buy a bike, and it has a carbon fibre wheel fork, then most manufacturers leave it unpainted, and to modern viewers the bike has a higher valued look, because they can see that it's not aluminium, but the more expensive carbon.
for an ancient viewer, an unpainted item will have a lower value, because the costs of painting something were higher than choosing a different material.
the statues were build to worship gods and display power, and colour was very expensive and a rare luxury. having a coloured statue of yourself, is probably the ancient equivalent of driving a ferrari.
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iewww at the colors but if i payed attention at school during greek history all they did was having huge parties having sex drink alcohol and world domination plans so i can understand the nasty colors the second picture (statue) looks hell alot better without colors
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EPT
