Art and Optics Converge to Preserve Frescos: Reflected Infrared Light Unlocks New Details of Renaissance Paintings - When restoring damaged and faded works of art, artists often employ lasers and other sophisticated imaging techniques to study intricate details, analyze pigments, and search for subtle defects not visible to the naked eye. To refine what can be seen during the restoration process even further, a team of Italian researchers has developed a new imaging tool that can capture features not otherwise detectable with the naked eye or current imaging techniques. The researchers detail their work in a paper published today in the Optical Society’s (OSA) open-access journal Optics Express.