What: Art and Chemistry, by Mark Vitha, Department of Chemistry, and Maura Lyons, Department of Art and Design
When: Friday, Feb. 26, 12–12:50 p.m.
Where: Harvey Ingham 134

From the minute an artist completes a painting, the materials such as the paint, varnish, and substrate on which it is painted begin changing. Some of these changes are slow enough to be imperceptible even after hundreds of years. Other changes, however, are significant and alter the way we see the painting, even after just a few decades. By combining knowledge of art history and chemical analysis techniques, it is possible to assess the changes that have occurred in a painting. With this knowledge, restoration projects are undertaken to try to restore the painting to its original ‘look’, or conservation methods are applied to try to decrease the rate of degradation. In some examples, technological approaches are used to reproduce how the painting would have looked in its original state, while preserving the work in its present state.

In this presentation, we will describe case studies in which art historical and chemical analyses were combined to gain a better understanding of the current state of paintings by Christen Købke, Mark Rothko, and Vincent van Gogh. We will also demonstrate that art historical questions have motivated research into new areas of chemistry, and conversely, chemical analyses have motivated new art historical investigations.

—John Gitua, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Director of DUSCI