Study on the Characteristics of Materials and Manufacturing Techniques for the Mural Paintings in Daeunjeon at Ssanggyesa Temple, Jindo

This study identifies the structure and material characteristics of the mural paintings in Daeungjeon at Ssanggyesa temple in Jindo by conducting scientific research and analysis including microscope examination, SEM-EDS, XRD, particle size analysis, and others. According to the analyses, the murals were considered to be of a typical soil mural style for Korean Buddhist murals, given that the walls were made of sand and soil and the murals had layers consisting of wall layers and a finishing layer. However, some finishing layer used calcite, while some ground layer used zinc white beneath the thick paint. In addition, there were similar features to those found on the surfaces of oil paintings such as cracks along with the paint layer, high gloss on surfaces, and thick brush strokes in many areas. It was found that the walls on which the murals were painted were made of soil but that the paint layer was created based on the oil painting technique using drying oil. It determined that the murals were painted in a unique painting style that is rarely found in other typical Buddhist murals in Korea.

Exhibitions of Soviet fine art in 1930 in the reviews of the foreign press

The article examines the reviews of the German, Austrian and Swedish periodicals about some exhibitions of Soviet fine art held in 1930. On the basis of archival materials, the attitude of the foreign press to the Soviet exhibition projects in Berlin, Vienna and Stockholm is analyzed. The influence of the political orientation of periodicals on the assessment of the plots of the works of Soviet artists is emphasized. When characterizing the painting technique and compositional structure of the works, critics pointed to their continuity from the Western European tradition. Soviet graphics and sculpture made a positive impression. Critics associated the artistic successes mainly with the masters of the old Russian school.

On the Two Working Palettes of Almada Negreiros at DN Building in Lisbon (1939–1940): First Analytical Approach and Insight on the Use of Cd Based Pigments

This paper reports the first analytical approach carried out on two working palettes by Portuguese modernist master Almada Negreiros, found in 1991 behind old wood cabinets at the DN building in Lisbon. This is the only known occasion Almada left behind the color experiments done before starting to paint in the nearby walls and as such, it is a unique opportunity to analyze the materials and painting techniques that were originally used. The analytical setup comprised in loco technical photography in Vis, UVF and NIR; p-OM, spectrophotometry in Vis and h-EDXRF, complemented by OM-Vis, µ-FT-IR and VP-SEM-EDS of painting micro-samples and pigments in powder form. Preliminary results suggested the use of fresco painting technique and revealed some technical details, such as the use of a coarse lime sand finishing mortar mixed with natural vegetable fibers, and the extensive use of cadmium-based pigments that were not commonly used (or even recommended) in an alkaline environment. The Cd pigments were used alone or in mixtures with Fe based pigments in the warm hues and with cobalt and ultramarine blue pigments in some green paint layers. No clear evidence of organic materials that could have been used as binders was detected.

Materials and Techniques of Selected Mural Paintings on the “Gothic Road” around 1400 (Slovakia)

Mural cycles in the churches of Plešivec, Čhyžné, and Štitnik from around 1400 were studied from the material and technical point of view. Stylistically, they show a mixture of Northern and Southern European stylistic currents, which were characteristic for the time around 1400 in East Central Europe. After a precise study in situ, an analysis of extracted samples was conducted by OM, SEM-EDX, and XRD. The plasters used for these murals were all made of lime and sand with different impurities; importantly, they different among each other in terms of their quality and stability. The pigments that were used in these murals were natural and organic: lime white, yellow and red earths, malachite, and azurite were identified, and some pigment degradations were also pointed out. The principal technique is a fresco, but all murals were finished a secco in different proportions, using an organic binder. Painting procedures and modelling were also studied, revealing a strong difference among all three cycles. The painting technique does not always correspond to the style.

From Paris and Shanghai to Singapore: A Multidisciplinary Study in Evaluating the Provenance and Dating of Two of Liu Kang’s Paintings

This paper focuses on the dating and provenance of two paintings, Climbing the hill and View from St. John’s Fort by the prominent Singaporean artist Liu Kang (1911–2004). Climbing the hill, from the National Gallery Singapore collection, was believed to have been created in 1937, based on the date painted by the artist. However, a non-invasive examination unveiled evidence of an underlying paint scheme and a mysterious date, 1948 or 1949. These findings prompted a comprehensive technical study of the artwork in conjunction with comparative analyses of View from St. John’s Fort (1948), from the Liu family collection. The latter artwork is considered to be depicting the same subject matter. The investigation was carried out with UVF, NIR, IRFC, XRR, digital microscopy, PLM and SEM-EDS to elucidate the materials and technique of both artworks and find characteristic patterns that could indicate a relationship between both paintings and assist in correctly dating Climbing the hill. The technical analyses were supplemented with the historical information derived from the Liu family archives. The results showed that Climbing the hill was created in 1948 or 1949 on top of an earlier composition painted in Shanghai between 1933 and 1937. As for the companion View from St. John’s Fort from 1948, the artist reused an earlier painting created in France in 1931. The analytical methods suggested that Liu Kang used almost identical pigment mixtures for creating new artworks. However, their painting technique demonstrates some differences. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of Liu Kang’s painting materials and his working practice.

Discovering the evolution of Jacques-Louis David’s portrait of Antoine-Laurent and Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze Lavoisier

Jacques-Louis David’s (1748–1825) iconic portrait of Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743–1794) and Marie-Anne Lavoisier (Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze, 1758–1836) has come to epitomize a modern couple born of the Enlightenment. An analytical approach that combined macro-X-ray fluorescence with the examination and microanalysis of samples by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry to investigate imprecise indications of changes to the composition observed by microscopy and infrared refectography allowed the visualization of a hidden composition with a high level of detail. The results revealed that the first version depicted not the progressive, scientific-minded couple that we see today, but their other identity, that of wealthy tax collectors and fashionable luxury consumers. The first version and the changes to the composition are placed in the context of David’s mastery of the oil painting technique by examining how he concealed colorful features in the first composition by using paint mixtures that allowed for maximum coverage with thin paint layers. The limitations of the analytical techniques used are also discussed. To our knowledge, this is the first in-depth technical study of a painting by J.-L. David.

Художник Мария Масленникова: поэзия Карельского перешейка и Гималаев в пастели

The purpose of the article is to identify the ideological and stylistic features of the work of the modern Russian artist Maria A. Maslennikova, who continues the best traditions of Russian culture, especially the art of St. Petersburg. Until now, not a single article has been devoted to the talented representative of artistic creativity, working in the pastel technique. But the master takes an active part in various exhibitions in Russia and abroad. The totality of Maslennikova's artworks is a significant example of contemporary fine art. The artist's graphic sheets embody important topical searches of contemporary art: the original author's development of the landscape genre, Russian-Finnish interaction in the field of art, the specifics of the perception of northern nature, the continuation of the traditions of the Leningrad landscape. The realistic method closest to the artist proves its relevance in her works and demonstrates the limitless possibilities that allow it to solve a variety of artistic tasks. The artist's work fully manifested the so urgent nowadays “ecological consciousness”, calling for the preservation of natural wealth, the growth of ecological culture. Reproductions of the master's paintings are published here for the first time. The statements of Maria Maslennikova, who has an undoubted literary talent, about herself, her work, and their origins, are very valuable. Along with pastels, she uses oil, acrylic, gouache, and acrylic tempera. Attention is drawn to the originality of the painting technique, most often used by the master — working with very soft dry pastels on pastel or primed paper. The pastel landscape, representing the quivering, austere or monumental image of the nature of the Karelian Isthmus, is the most widespread in the work of the master. The landscape of the Himalayas also occupies a large place in her work. The artist makes her unique contribution to the artistic and aesthetic comprehension of the Himalayas and Eastern culture. The unrecognizability of nature by man, the need to search for their harmonious coexistence is the main pathos of the master's work, the identification of which is aimed at the entire complex of meaningful and artistic means of her works, which is consistently considered in this article. Задачей статьи является выявление идейно-стилистических особенностей творчества современной российской художницы Марии Александровны Масленниковой, продолжающей лучшие традиции российской культуры, в особенности искусства Санкт-Петербурга. Талантливой представительнице художественного творчества, работающей в технике пастели, до настоящего времени не было посвящено ни одной статьи. Но мастер активно принимает участие в различных выставках в России и за рубежом. Корпус работ Масленниковой является значительным образцом современного изобразительного искусства. В листах художницы воплощены актуальные поиски современного искусства: оригинальная авторская разработка жанра пейзажа, русско-финское взаимодействие в области искусства, специфика восприятия северной природы, продолжение традиций ленинградского пейзажа. Наиболее близкий художнице реалистический метод доказывает в ее работах свою актуальность и демонстрирует безграничные возможности, позволяющие решать самые разные художественные задачи. В творчестве художницы в полной мере проявилось столь актуальное ныне «экологическое сознание», призывающее к сохранению природного богатства, росту экологической культуры. Приводимые репродукции картин мастера публикуются впервые. Ценны высказывания Марии Масленниковой, обладающей несомненным литературным дарованием, о себе, своем творчестве, его истоках. Наряду с пастелью художница применяет масло, акрил, гуашь, акриловую темперу. В статье обращено внимание на своеобразие живописной техники, чаще всего применяемой мастером, — работе очень мягкой сухой пастелью по пастельной или грунтованной бумаге. Пастельный пейзаж, представляющий трепетно-строгий или монументальный образ природы Карельского перешейка, является самым распространенным в творчестве мастера. Изображение природы Гималаев также занимает большое место в ее творчестве. Художница вносит свой неповторимый вклад в художественно-эстетическое осмысление Гималаев и восточной культуры. Непознаваемость природы человеком, необходимость поиска их гармоничного сосуществования — основной пафос творчества М. Масленниковой, на выявление которого нацелен весь комплекс содержательно-художественных средств ее работ, последовательно рассмотренный в предлагаемой статье.

Lime paintings in Treatises and Construction Technical Manuals in Portugal from 1880 to 1931 – An historical review

A review of the lime painting technique is made based on five Treatises and Construction Technical Manuals that were published in Portugal between 1880 and 1930 and were or became a reference in technical and professional education. The goal is to document the history of one of the most popular types of painting in Portuguese Building Heritage until about 1960, whose testimonies still remaining in historic centers should be studied for the purposes of registration and rehabilitation works. This survey enabled to ascertain details of the executants, of the materials and the know-how which are still little known today and to highlight the paradigm shift from what was once considered a type of coarse painting that only gave rudimentary and monotonous tones.