Question

because they penetrate the visible surface of a painting, ultraviolet and other nonvisible spectra of light enable the detection of otherwise imperceptible features of the work. beneath the surface of michelangelo merisi da caravaggios the cardsharps (ca. 1594), art historians found that caravaggio had altered the position of the figure on the right side of the painting. furthermore, nonvisible spectra can be used for chemical analysis to identify specific pigments and thus, in some cases, reveal forgeries. if, for example, titanium oxide—which wasnt developed until the 20th century—is evident throughout the layers of a painting attributed to an 18th - century artist, that work can only be a forgery. what does the text most strongly suggest about how analyzing a painting with nonvisible light can inform a judgment about who that painting is attributed to? a) it can show how the work is similar to others attributed to the same artist. b) it can definitively undermine that attribution. c) it can confirm that attribution with a high degree of confidence. d) it can provide new information about the attributed artists practices.

Explanation:

The text gives an example of a painting attributed to an 18 - century artist where titanium oxide (developed in the 20th century) is found through non - visible light analysis, proving it a forgery. This shows non - visible light analysis can undermine the attribution of a painting.

Answer:

B. It can definitively undermine that attribution.