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water sensitivity, whereas the more stable paints show high
degrees of polymerization and/or metal soap formation (6).
It’s satisfying to know that we are helping to optimize the
storage, presentation and guardianship of works of art that are
of immense cultural value in our society. By understanding
what materials have been used for paintings, and the changes
that have occurred as a result of aging and the conditions
of storage and display, we can predict (and avoid) changes
in the future. In addition to the cultural value, paintings
also represent economic value, reflected in the extravagant
prices paid for paintings at auction. As a result, forgeries are
ubiquitous, even in renowned museum collections, and this
is another area where our knowledge of historical painting
practice can be put to practical use!
References
- BA van Driel et al., “The white of the 20th century - An explorative survey
into Dutch modern art collections”, Heritage Science, 6, 16 (2018). - G Silvester et al., “A cause of water-sensitivity in modern oil paint films:
the formation of magnesium sulphate”, Studies Conservation, 59, 38-51
(2014).- A Cooper et al., “Water sensitive oil paints in the 20th century: a study of
the distribution of water-soluble degradation products in modern oil paint
films”, In: KJ van den Berg, et al. (Eds), Issues in Contemporary Oil Paint,
Springer International Publishing: 2014. - JDJ van den Berg et al., “Chemical changes in curing and ageing oil
paints”, In: J Bridgland (Ed.), ICOM Committee for Conservation 12th
Triennial Meeting, Lyon, France, 29 August-3 September 1999, 248-253,
James & James: 1999. - A Burnstock, KJ van den Berg, “Twentieth century oil paint. the interface
between science and conservation and the challenges for modern oil paint
research”, In: KJ van den Berg et al. (Eds), Issues in Contemporary Oil
Paint, 1-19, Springer International Publishing: 2014. - J Lee et al., “Chemical characterisation of the organic fraction of water-
sensitive Winsor & Newton paint swatches and selected modern oil
paintings”, In: J. Bridgland (Ed.), ICOM-CC 18th Triennial Conference
Preprints, Copenhagen, 4–8 September 2017, International Council of
Mu seums: 2017.
Figure 2. Karel Appel (1921-2006), Les Animaux, 1961.
Collection: Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands.
This painting is sensitive to water in red, blue and black paint areas.
Figure 1. Surface cleaning the surface with moist cotton swabs.
Photo credit: Louise Wijnberg.
Figure 3. The competition between oxidative degradation and oxidative
polymerization in oil paint, and hydrolysis, leading to a solvent-vulnerable
paint in the absence of polyvalent metal ions (II). Reproduced with
permission from (5).