Authentic - False. Correlation between Graphics and Physico-Chemical Painting Techniques Expertise in Artwork Analysis

Georgiana Mardare (Balusescu),Nicoleta-Elena Hegheș

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3434139

Abstract

Art is a specific human activity that aims at producing aesthetic values and using specific means of expression. Moreover, arts are distinguished by the material used (painting - color, sculpture – stone or wood, literature – words, music – sound or note), but they share the artistic image underlying the act of creation. Authentic - False in artworks should not only focus on the substrate, the paints, the background, the lacquer, but also on the technique used to verify that it corresponds to that of the painter. The resolution of these problems cannot be conceived without the use of laboratory techniques that reflect a predominant place in the observations of the person skilled in the art. Therefore, the identification of technical investigations should be carried out systematically for each expertise. These expertises can be simple, convenient and efficient. In this paper is presented an overview of trace evidence and chemical painting techniques used in artwork and the applicability of chromatography, spectroscopy, X-ray radiography, neutron autoradiography and conoscopic holography as a tool for investigations of the material composition of the paintings. X-ray radiography and neutron autoradiography, for example, are nondestructive techniques which enable determination the structure of the components and also the material composition. The applications of these techniques answer the questions when, where, or by whom such a painting was made.

Highlights

The signature first appeared on works of art during the Renaissance, when the artistic product changed from the collective result of some artisans into the product of individual creativity
Sometimes the signature is part of the creation process, and the artist uses it as the end of a work, as a note that tells him that he no longer has to interfere with the work
Cases of falsification of works of art when an artist makes a convincing copy of a work and signs it using the signature of the original author

Summary

Introduction

The signature first appeared on works of art during the Renaissance, when the artistic product changed from the collective result of some artisans into the product of individual creativity. A bottle of this ingredient was found in his studio (Figure 4) This chemical component was introduced and manufactured in the 20th-century, proving that the "Vermeer" and "Frans Halses" fake works examined by the Commission were made by Van Meegeren. The results of the tests obtained by the Commission seem to confirm that the works were fakes created by Van Meegeren, but their authenticity has been debated by some experts until 1967 and 1977, when they used new investigative techniques to analyze the paintings. Van Meegeren painted images of 17th-century methods and materials and anticipated all the tests that could be used to discover his deeds He used a cloth and pigments such as natural, cinnamon and white lead of the 17th century (Wikipedia 2019). These elements are separated from lead during the modern melting process

Neutron autoradiography

Chemical elements

Original Painting

Conoscopic holography

Conclusions