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Imagine Van Gogh's paintings of yellow sunflowers. Now imagine the flowers brown. Eh, not so good. Sadly, we may someday see what that would look like. Because the bright yellow paints on the canvas are slowly turning muddy. Now, an international team of scientists has pinpointed¹ the chemical reaction that drives this degradation—the first step toward stopping it. Their findings appear in the journal Analytical² Chemistry.

Van Gogh's use of strong bright colors to convey mood and emotion marks a major milestone³ in art history. And his Sunflower series wouldn't be the same without the vibrant⁴ "chrome yellow" pigment⁵ that was new at the time. But this color darkens when exposed to the sun.

To find out why, researchers used x-ray analyses to determine the exact chemical composition of the paint as it browns. First, they exposed three tubes of chrome yellow to UV radiation until one turned a chocolate color. Analyzing⁶ that sample, they identified specific changes in the paint's chromium compounds. They then found the same chemical signature in the darkened areas of two van Gogh paintings. Until a chemical antidote⁷ is found, the researchers have some ironic⁸ advice: keep sunlight away from van Gogh's sunflowers.

"Flaming flowers that brightly blaze. Swirling⁹ clouds in violet haze¹⁰."

Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Karen Hopkin.

"Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue. Colors changing hue¹¹..."