2014英语四级听力练习慢速3.24(3)_大学英语听力

2014英语四级听力练习慢速3.24(3)

　　From Learning English, this is the Technology Report.

　　In the late 1500s , the artist El Greco created a large painting called Saint Martin and the Beggar. It is very famous. The artists real name was Domnicos Theotokpoulos. He was a Greek and lived from 1541 to 1614, though he spent most of his life living in Spain. El Greco means the Greek in the Spanish Language.

　　Art experts believe that he painted Saint Martin and the Beggar sometime between 1597 and 1599. Experts believe the painting was covered in the 1940s with a clear protective varnish, but the substance has discolored the art work.

　　Conservators have been attempting to repair the work at the National Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C., they are preparing it for a series of shows marking the anniversary of El Grecos death.

　　Ann Hoenigswald is the lead conservator at the National Gallery of Art. She carefully cleans the painting millimeter by millimeter. She say the art work needed treatment because the varnish was turning yellow, and changing the colors of the paints El Greco used.

　　The whites turn yellow, the blues turn green. It really dulls down the vibrancy of the tones the artist intended, said Hoenigswald.

　　Before the repairs begin, scientists used microscopes, special infrared cameras and even x-rays to see if the painting had been damaged or changed. These imaging tools let them see below the top layer of paint. The examination showed how El Greco made changes to the painting.