Abstract
This work presents selected results from in-progress research at the Museu Picasso Barcelona that examines the relationship between the condition of works on canvas by Picasso and the composition and physical-mechanical properties of the painting support materials. Four works by Picasso painted in 1917 that appeared to be composed of similar materials and painted using similar techniques were examined. Although the paintings were displayed in the same location, these paintings present significant differences in condition. Material analysis using light microscopy (UV-Vis-OM), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μ-FTIR), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed minor but important differences related to the canvas and grounds suggesting that the material differences in the works created by Picasso in Barcelona within the same year have caused various degrees of vulnerability to environmental and chemical deterioration.
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Notes
- 1.
Home Assegut, MPB 110.005, oil on canvas, 104 × 54 cm.
- 2.
Home amb Fruiter, MPB 110.006, oil on canvas, 100 × 70 cm.
- 3.
Dona en Butaca, MPB 110.007, oil on canvas, 92 × 64 cm.
- 4.
Blanquita Suárez, MPB 110.013, oil on canvas, 73 × 47 cm.
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Acknowledgements
This study has been developed within the framework of the R + D Project HAR2016-75131-P ‘Study of the mechanical and dimensional properties of commercially manufactured paint films and their influence in the physical and chemical degradation of modern and contemporary paintings’ (2017–2019) granted by the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad de España (MICINN/FEDER) -Programa Estatal de Fomento de la Investigación Científica y Técnica de Excelencia, Subprograma Estatal de Generación del Conocimiento. Authors acknowledge preliminary studies carried out by Andrés Sánchez Ledesma (ARTE-LAB) and the high resolution images of Humberto Durán. Authors also thank Marion F. Mecklenburg (Smithsonian Institution) for interesting suggestions and technical advice.
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Vila, A. et al. (2019). Picasso 1917: An Insight into the Effects of Ground and Canvas in the Failure Mechanisms in Four Artworks. In: van den Berg, K., et al. Conservation of Modern Oil Paintings. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19254-9_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19254-9_18
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