Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy
In-situ technical study of modern paintings part 1: The evolution of artistic materials and painting techniques in ten paintings from 1889 to 1940 by Alessandro Milesi (1856–1945)
Graphical abstract
Introduction
In this work a multi-analytical in situ approach was adopted to study the materials and the painting technique in works by Alessandro Milesi (1856–1945). Much progress has been made in the development and application of in situ, non-invasive analytical methods which exclude the transportation of an artwork into a laboratory and avoid sampling. These methods reduce the risk and cost associated with moving artworks and minimise, but may not exclude, the need for sampling due to the information they can provide regarding pigments and binding media. While non-invasive molecular and atomic spectroscopies are powerful tools for the characterization of paint, they are usually limited to analysis of a single point, and do not generally allow the determination of paint stratigraphy or composition in depth [[1], [2], [3], [4]]. The identification of the modern paint constituents is the first step to better understand materials and painting techniques used by artists and to detect potential degradation phenomena [5]. The combination of different and complementary spectroscopic techniques is fundamental, as recently demonstrated by successful in situ studies on traditional and modern paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, Piet Mondriaan, Alberto Burri, Massimo Campigli and Francesco Hayez, among others [1,[6], [7], [8], [9], [10]]. The aim of this work is to study the evolution of materials adopted by Milesi over his long career and to demonstrate the applicability of the portable non-invasive instrumentation to the study of complex modern paint materials.
In the late 19th c., Milesi was considered an important genre painter in the Venetian area. His painting is characterized by freely brushed colours. He usually used short “broken” brush strokes of mixed and pure unmixed colours to achieve an effect of intense vibration [11]. Milesi became known for his paintings including the “Gondoliere's family”, and his significant portraits [12].
Like his contemporaries, Milesi used premixed paints in tin tubes, which allowed artists to work more spontaneously, both outdoors and indoors [13]. During the 19th c. there was a significant expansion of colours in the artist's palette. Artists took advantage of new paints adopting a quicker and more direct painting style [14]. Zinc white, cobalt blue, viridian, cadmium yellow, and synthetic ultramarine blue, were in use by the 1840s. Cobalt blue was discovered by French chemist, Louis Jacques Thénard in 1802, while Viridian was introduced in 1838 [15]. Cadmium yellow appeared in 1820, cerulean Blue in 1860, to be followed by cheaply synthetic zinc white, and cobalt violet [16]. Zinc oxide was widely adopted in Europe from the 1850's to the late 1960's, as the introduction of titanium dioxide white progressively replaced it [17]. The constant evolution of pigment production led to the introduction of several grades (particle shape, size, purity) and brands of zinc white which were marketed as having different visual qualities (whiteness, hiding power) and durability [[16], [17], [18]].
While early paint tubes may contain relatively simple mixtures of binders and pigment, 20th c. paint formulations are usually more complex. In addition to pigments, they often contain ingredients that were added for different purposes that include dispersion agents, stabilisers and driers, pH modifiers, wetting agents such as surfactants to control surface properties, extenders, fillers, thickeners or rheology modifiers, all influencing the working properties and stability of paint [[19], [20], [21], [22], [23]].
In this work ten paintings by Milesi were analyzed with portable instrumentation for the determination of his materials. The investigation was performed in situ with digital imaging, elemental and spectroscopic analysis. The analysis of pigments and binding media and their possible deterioration patterns were studied with a combination of X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), External Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ER-FTIR) and Raman Spectroscopy.
Section snippets
Case studies
Ten paintings by Alessandro Milesi from the International Gallery of Modern Art Ca’ Pesaro in Venice were studied and are depicted in Fig. 1. Painted between 1889 and 1940, the works are representative of his long artistic career. In the general description of the painting techniques reported in the Ca’ Pesaro Catalogue, the painting are described as “oil on canvas” or “oil on cardboard” (see Table 1). In the works studied no varnish was observed leading to the assumption that Milesi did not
Imaging
It has been reported that Milesi painted first by sketching his subject using a diluted solution of turpentine and earth or with the paint from used palettes [12,13]. Wide, indistinct brushstrokes made his works full of psychological tension; more or less dense drafts were built-up with paint. Milesi's painting evolved to become more effervescent and the colours he used tend to become brighter: in the early years his palette is always pleasantly warm, it makes use of earth colours and never
Conclusions and future perspectives
For the first time, the painting technique and the materials used by the Venetian artist Alessandro Milesi (1856–1945) have been studied. This research reports a methodology based on the use of in situ techniques for the characterization of modern painting materials and the necessity of a complementary and integrated approach in studying the technique of an artist who has received a little attention. Data from X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy are particularly important to resolve mixtures, while
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the MUVE (Fondazione Musei Civici-Venice) for providing the access to the collection of the International Gallery of Modern Art “Ca' Pesaro”. This research was possible thanks to the financial support from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice “Premio Giovani Ricercatori” (Prize for Young Researchers).
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