![\"van](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/ANNIE-TOP-SPLASH-27.jpg?w=1024\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThanks to incredible breakthroughs<\/a> in modern technology, scientists have uncovered an exciting new way to recognize an original Van Gogh with complete precision. It all starts with close-up scans of his distinctive brushstroke patterns, but that\u2019s only the beginning. Let\u2019s paint you a picture<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Identifying a real Van Gogh has traditionally relied on expert analysis, historical records and documentation, and a lot of detective work. More recently, chemical analysis of paint has helped the art world get closer to the truth of the matter, but that hasn\u2019t stopped clever fraudsters from trying to pass off convincing forgeries as the real thing. That is, until a team of brilliant researchers at the Universit\u00e9 Polytechnique Hauts-de-France<\/a> stepped in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of looking at what<\/em> was painted, the scientists wanted to measure how<\/em> it was painted. They started by using advanced digital mapping technology<\/a> to analyze the surface texture of eight of Van Gogh\u2019s most famous paintings. They looked at the three-dimensional ridges, peaks, and valleys that his brushwork and paints left on the canvas. What they discovered is absolutely mind-blowing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Van Gogh\u2019s \u201cimpasto\u201d technique (applying paint thickly so that the brushstrokes remain clearly visible) is almost like a fingerprint. How he applied pressure, moved his hand, and layered his paint created a distinct mathematical pattern. Think of it like an artistic algorithm. It\u2019s called a fractal score; it\u2019s a mathematical equation scientists use to authenticate Van Gogh\u2019s paintings. Every artist has a subconscious rhythm to their movement and technique, and Van Gogh\u2019s is so specific that his fractal score identifies his work with incredible accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s where we start to dip into the internet\u2019s favorite subgenre: true crime<\/a>. Van Gogh\u2019s work was not appreciated<\/a> while he was alive. His fame grew after his suicide in 1890. As a result, quite a few \u201clost masterpieces\u201d are passed off as legitimate works over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSunset at Montmajour\u201d was supposedly one of those \u201clost works\u201d of Van Gogh. There was documentation that the artist had spent time near Arles, the setting for this landscape piece. He even described the area in a letter dated two years before his death. The painting, purchased in 1908, is left to rot in an attic. Over 100 years later, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam<\/a> authenticated \u201cSunset\u2026\u201d by relying on that letter, plus a chemical analysis of the canvas and paint pigments. But would it pass the scientific fractal score test? Yes. The physical texture of the brushstrokes fell comfortably inside the reference range. Art and science backed each other up.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDecoding the mathematics of a masterpiece<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"vincent](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/origin_2f5d3b.jpg?w=640\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTo catch an artistic thief<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Sunset](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Sunset_at_Montmajour_1888_Van_Gogh.jpg\")
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