The Science of Paintings

by Taft, Stanley; Mayer, James W.; Kuniholm, Peter; Newman, Richard; Stulik, Dusan; Taft, W. Stanley

• ISBN13: 9780387987224
• ISBN10: 0387987223
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-06-01
• Publisher: Springer Verlag

Summary

One's appreciation of a beautiful painting is enhanced by knowing about the aesthetic choices the artist made in composition and execution of the painting. It is also enhanced by knowing how the artist's selection and use of materials - and their interplay with light - affects what we see in the painting.This book discusses the physics and materials science that go into making a painting appear the way it does: the physical principles behind the colors one sees in paintings and how they change with illumination; the pigments, binders, varnish, and support materials used in both old and modern paintings; the optics and microscopic structure of paint films; and the various physical and chemical methods used to investigate and authenticate paintings. Chapters on dating, binders, and dendochronology are contributed by experts in the respective fields.Based on courses given at Cornell and Arizona, the treatment requires no prior knowledge of physics or chemistry. The insights gained from this book can help the amateur or connoisseur and also the artist understand the advantages and limitations of materials used in paintings, and it can help the historian and conservator authenticate and preserve works of art.An instructor's manual with problems and sample examinations is available.

Table of Contents

Preface	v
The Structure and Analysis of Paintings	1	(11)
Introduction	1	(1)
What Is a Painting?	2	(4)
Choices	6	(2)
Examination and Analysis	8	(4)
Paint	12	(14)
Dusan Stulik
Paint	12	(3)
Pigment	15	(1)
Fresco	16	(3)
Tempera	19	(3)
Encaustic	22	(1)
Oil	23	(1)
Acrylic	24	(2)
Organic Binders	26	(16)
Richard Newman
Introduction	26	(3)
Carbohydrate-Containing Binders	29	(2)
Honey	29	(1)
Plant Gums	29	(2)
Protein-Containing Materials	31	(5)
Animal Glue	32	(1)
Egg White and Egg Yolk	33	(2)
Casein	35	(1)
Oils	36	(2)
Waxes	38	(2)
Natural Resins	40	(2)
The Painter's Color and Light	42	(8)
Color, Light, and Space	42	(2)
Color Characteristics	44	(1)
Afterimages	45	(1)
Simultaneous Contrast	46	(4)
Color and Light	50	(16)
Introduction	50	(1)
Light: Photons and Waves	51	(5)
The Color of Objects	56	(4)
Color: Illumination and Metamerism	60	(1)
Additive Color	61	(2)
Subtractive Color	63	(1)
The Eye and Color Sensation	63	(3)
Optics of Paint Films	66	(10)
Introduction	66	(1)
Reflection	66	(3)
Refraction	69	(3)
Scattering of Light	72	(1)
Absorption of Light	73	(2)
Fluorescence	75	(1)
Beyond the Eye	76	(10)
Introduction	76	(1)
Pigment Response in the Infrared	76	(3)
Pigment Response to X-Rays: Absorption	79	(2)
Pigment Response to X-Rays: Emission	81	(1)
Pigment Response to Neutrons	82	(3)
Overview	85	(1)
Detection of Fakes	86	(9)
Introduction	86	(1)
A Successful Forger	87	(3)
Visual Examination	90	(1)
Dating and Pigment Identification	91	(2)
Sampling	93	(1)
Fake/No Fake	93	(2)
Object of Interaction	95	(6)
Beyond Analysis	95	(6)
Appendices	101	(117)
A. Photons, Electrons, and the Photoelectric Effect	103	(4)
B. Refraction, Reflection, and Dispersion	107	(11)
B.1 Index of Refraction	107	(3)
B.2 Reflection and Scattering	110	(3)
B.3 Dispersion	113	(2)
B.4 Varnishes and Refraction	115	(1)
B.5 Hiding Power	116	(2)
C. Photon Absorption: Visible, Infrared, and X-rays	118	(10)
C.1 Mechanism for the Absorption of Light	119	(6)
C.2 Infrared Reflectography and Hiding Thickness	125	(3)
D. The Chromaticity Diagram	128	(3)
E. Periodic Table and Crystal Structure	131	(10)
E.1 Electrons, Nuclei, Isotopes and Atomic Number	131	(2)
E.2 Periodic Table	133	(2)
E.3 Structure of Pigment Crystallites	135	(3)
E.4 X-Ray Crystallography	138	(3)
F. Electron Energy Levels and X-Ray Emission	141	(15)
F.1 Yellows and Pigment Anachronisms	141	(1)
F.2 Electron Shells	142	(3)
F.3 Electron Binding Energies	145	(2)
F.4 X-Ray Emission	147	(2)
F.5 X-Ray-, Electron-, and Proton-Induced X-Ray Emission	149	(7)
G. Nuclear Reactions and Autoradiography	156	(12)
G.1 Nuclear Reactions	156	(2)
G.2 Radioactive Decay and Decay Law	158	(4)
G.3 Counting Statistics	162	(1)
G.4 Neutron Activation Analysis and Autoradiography	163	(5)
H. Organic Binders: Analytical Procedures	168	(14)
Richard Newman
H.1 Introduction	168	(1)
H.2 Biological Stains	169	(1)
H.3 Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry	170	(4)
H.4 Chromotography	174	(8)
I. Polarized Light and Optical Microscopy	182	(7)
I.1 Polarized Light	182	(2)
I.2 Crystal Optics	184	(2)
I.3 Polarized Light Microscopy	186	(3)
J. Cross-Section Analysis of Sample	189	(3)
Diego Rivera
Leon P. Stodulski
Jerry Jourdan
K. Radiocarbon Dating in Art Research	192	(1)
Dusan Stulik
K.1 Introduction	192	(1)
K.2 Radiocarbon Dating	193	(3)
K.3 Accelerator Mass Spectrometer	196	(2)
K.4 Reality of Radiocarbon Dating	198	(1)
K.5 Sampling and Sample Contamination	198	(2)
K.6 Correction for Isotopic Fractionation	200	(1)
K.7 Relations Between Measured and Calendar Age	201	(2)
K.8 Medieval Documents on Parchment	203	(1)
K.9 Conclusions	204	(2)
L. Dendrochronology (Tree-Ring Dating) of Panel Paintings	206	(12)
Peter Ian Kunibolm
L.1 Method	206	(4)
L.2 Limitations	210	(1)
L.3 Examples/Case Studies	211	(3)
L.4 Summary	214	(4)
References	218	(11)
Index	229