Scientific Investigation of Contemporary Pastel Painting by Roberto Sebastian Matta: Characterization of Original Materials through Multispectral Imaging and Spectroscopic Techniques
The conservation of contemporary art often offers unique occasions to study complex multi-material artworks and understand their creative process and esteem degradation distress. The recent diagnostic campaign on the surrealist artwork <i>Perché le vittime vincano</i> (<i>For the v...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Heritage |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/6/3/134 |
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| author | Claudia Colantonio Claudia Pelosi Giuseppe Calabrò Valeria Spizzichino Ilaria Partenzi Luca Lanteri |
| author_facet | Claudia Colantonio Claudia Pelosi Giuseppe Calabrò Valeria Spizzichino Ilaria Partenzi Luca Lanteri |
| author_sort | Claudia Colantonio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The conservation of contemporary art often offers unique occasions to study complex multi-material artworks and understand their creative process and esteem degradation distress. The recent diagnostic campaign on the surrealist artwork <i>Perché le vittime vincano</i> (<i>For the victims to win</i>) (1974–75) by the artist Roberto Sebastian Matta allowed us to characterize the original painting materials (pastels on <i>spolvero</i> paper), never investigated and completely unknown, in order to support the imminent restoration. Due to the great dimensions of the artwork and its conservative issues, non-invasive multispectral imaging (HMI) analyses were done to investigate the whole painted surface, mapping and differentiating original materials and possible degradation patterns. Imaging data supported analytical characterization analyses run through elemental (portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy) and molecular spectroscopy (Fourier transform infrared and portable µ-Raman spectroscopy) to identify the original artist’s materials and to support the restoration operations. The analysis revealed that the painting materials used by Matta are pastels characterized by modern pigments and dyes, such as Cu-phthalocyanines, chrome orange, titanium and zinc whites, compacted with kaolin without any organic binder or with a possible minuscule amount of gum. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:27:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-10d859fac72346c782d590812d293887 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-9408 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:27:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heritage |
| spelling | doaj.art-10d859fac72346c782d590812d2938872023-11-17T11:22:56ZengMDPI AGHeritage2571-94082023-02-01632541255810.3390/heritage6030134Scientific Investigation of Contemporary Pastel Painting by Roberto Sebastian Matta: Characterization of Original Materials through Multispectral Imaging and Spectroscopic TechniquesClaudia Colantonio0Claudia Pelosi1Giuseppe Calabrò2Valeria Spizzichino3Ilaria Partenzi4Luca Lanteri5Institute of Heritage Science (CNR-ISPC), National Research Council of Italy, Area della Ricerca di Roma 1, 00010 Montelibretti, ItalyDepartment of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università, 01100 Viterbo, ItalyDepartment of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università, 01100 Viterbo, ItalyDiagnostics and Metrology Laboratory FSN-TECFIS ENEA CR Frascati, Via Enrico Fermi, 45, 00044 Frascati, ItalyConservation and Restoration Course, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università, 01100 Viterbo, ItalyDepartment of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università, 01100 Viterbo, ItalyThe conservation of contemporary art often offers unique occasions to study complex multi-material artworks and understand their creative process and esteem degradation distress. The recent diagnostic campaign on the surrealist artwork <i>Perché le vittime vincano</i> (<i>For the victims to win</i>) (1974–75) by the artist Roberto Sebastian Matta allowed us to characterize the original painting materials (pastels on <i>spolvero</i> paper), never investigated and completely unknown, in order to support the imminent restoration. Due to the great dimensions of the artwork and its conservative issues, non-invasive multispectral imaging (HMI) analyses were done to investigate the whole painted surface, mapping and differentiating original materials and possible degradation patterns. Imaging data supported analytical characterization analyses run through elemental (portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy) and molecular spectroscopy (Fourier transform infrared and portable µ-Raman spectroscopy) to identify the original artist’s materials and to support the restoration operations. The analysis revealed that the painting materials used by Matta are pastels characterized by modern pigments and dyes, such as Cu-phthalocyanines, chrome orange, titanium and zinc whites, compacted with kaolin without any organic binder or with a possible minuscule amount of gum.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/6/3/134pastel paintingcontemporary art<i>spolvero</i> papermultispectral imagingspectroscopic techniques |
| spellingShingle | Claudia Colantonio Claudia Pelosi Giuseppe Calabrò Valeria Spizzichino Ilaria Partenzi Luca Lanteri Scientific Investigation of Contemporary Pastel Painting by Roberto Sebastian Matta: Characterization of Original Materials through Multispectral Imaging and Spectroscopic Techniques Heritage pastel painting contemporary art <i>spolvero</i> paper multispectral imaging spectroscopic techniques |
| title | Scientific Investigation of Contemporary Pastel Painting by Roberto Sebastian Matta: Characterization of Original Materials through Multispectral Imaging and Spectroscopic Techniques |
| title_full | Scientific Investigation of Contemporary Pastel Painting by Roberto Sebastian Matta: Characterization of Original Materials through Multispectral Imaging and Spectroscopic Techniques |
| title_fullStr | Scientific Investigation of Contemporary Pastel Painting by Roberto Sebastian Matta: Characterization of Original Materials through Multispectral Imaging and Spectroscopic Techniques |
| title_full_unstemmed | Scientific Investigation of Contemporary Pastel Painting by Roberto Sebastian Matta: Characterization of Original Materials through Multispectral Imaging and Spectroscopic Techniques |
| title_short | Scientific Investigation of Contemporary Pastel Painting by Roberto Sebastian Matta: Characterization of Original Materials through Multispectral Imaging and Spectroscopic Techniques |
| title_sort | scientific investigation of contemporary pastel painting by roberto sebastian matta characterization of original materials through multispectral imaging and spectroscopic techniques |
| topic | pastel painting contemporary art <i>spolvero</i> paper multispectral imaging spectroscopic techniques |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/6/3/134 |
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