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Yes, this thinning of paint over time is well known. A painting by Valesquez (sp) called the Water Seller comes to mind, as well as a couple i've seen in museums. I'm sure there are bunches more where an under painting is peeking through.
But, you gotta consider that there are also museums full of paintings where this isn't apparent, and a goodly number of these paintings are by artists known to do all sorts of thing on the under layers.
My thought is that many things are at work in these paintings with ghosts. For example, Valesquez seems to have painted thinly his correction of the Water Seller's collar, so "thin painting" could be one of the culprits.
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