Development of new methods for the control and evaluation of restoration treatments on contemporary paintings by means of advanced analytical techniques
Esta página web, la base de datos, los webreports y toda la información que contiene es parte del proyecto I+D+I CTQ2008-06727-C03/BQU financiado por MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 y cofinanciado con fondos FEDER
Programas Nacionales del Plan Nacional I+D+I 2008-2011.
Period: 2009-2011
Partners: Dpt. Pintura, Universidad de Granada, Dpt. Química Analítica, Universitat de València, Instituto Universitario de Restauración del Patrimonio, Universitat Politècnica de València.
Coordinator: Mª Teresa Doménech Carbó.
Subproject director: Jose Vicente Gimeno-Adelantado
Subproject director: Fernando Bolivar-Galiano
Summary:
The contemporary pictorial materials and, in particular, the binding media and varnishes irreversibly vary their chemical and physical properties due to the ageing so that, often, a cleaning treatment by means chemical or biocide agents. Due to its irreversible character the cleaning of paintings and polychromed sculpture are considered critical steps in the conservation artwork treatments. Additionally, the changes occurring after cleaning are, often, under the limit of detection of the conventional instrumental techniques. Moreover, these studies have been focused on ancient artworks and contemporary artworks are scarcely studied. It should be noted, also that the research carried out undertaking this problem have been focused on the study of the efficiency of the chemical cleaners. Nevertheless, no attention have been paid to the chemical and mechanical changes undergone by the paint strata after cleaning, which, frequently, undergo an significant increase or reduction of flexibility dramatically affecting the preservation of the artwork.
The proposed research is aimed at the development of new analytical methods highly sensitive and specific, established as a pluridisciplinary approach integrating the study of the chemical changes of pigments, binding media and additives (preservatives, plasticizers, etc.) as well as micromorphological and structural changes taking place in the paint strata as a consequence of the action of the chemical cleaners and biocides.
For this purpose, it has been proposed a work program including the preparation of coating and paint models, which will subjected to artificial ageing and inoculated with microorganisms and after this, will be cleaned with a number of chemical cleaners and biocides. Moreover, it will be developed several new analytical methods able to evaluate the changes undergone by the coating and paint models after cleaning, which are based on the instrumental techniques: AFM, Cryo-SEM/EDX, SEM/EDX, ESEM, mechanical tester at controlled temperature and RH, mechanical tester coupled to Cryo-SEM and indentation tester, chromatographic (CEC, size-exclusion-HPLC), spectroscopic (ATR-FTIR, IR-Microspectroscopy, UV-Vis), spectrometric (MS-MS) and hyphenated systems (Py-GC-MS, HPLC-MS, GC-MS), (LSV, CV, DPV,SQWV, impedance), and the hyphenated technique AFM- solid state electroanalysis (AFM-CV).
Finally, the developed methods will be applied to several case study proposed by art conservation companies which are collaborating as EPO in this project, where the control of the cleaning treatments could not be satisfactorily resolved, until now, by means of conventional techniques.
As complementary activity a isolation and identification of fungi and bacteria active on paintings and polychromed sculpture is included in the work program of the project.