Zwei Jünglinge und Zwei Mädchen, A Tempera Painting by Otto Mueller Circa 1917. Paint Analysis and Reconstruction

Abstract

The present study focuses on material aspects of the painting Zwei Junglinge und zwei Madchen (c.1917) by Otto Mueller (1874–1930) from the collection of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.1 Research was performed in the context of the recent conservation treatment of this painting. Friable, porous paint layers gave rise to investigation of the paint composition. The study coincided with a strong international interest for Mueller’s contemporaries and German Expressionism, which was reflected in the reconstruction of the ‘Sonderbund Ausstellung 1912’ in Cologne and the interdisciplinary research project Keiner hat diese Farben wie Ich – Studien zur Maltechnik Ernst Ludwig Kirchners.2 These projects provided a framework for the present research. In particular the binding medium of Mueller’s matte paint was studied through Thermally-assisted Hydrolysis Methylation (THM) – Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation (MALDI) – Time of Flight (TOF) – Mass Spectrometry (MS). Initial results were further explored by paint reconstructions. The findings led to the insight that some materials identified through analyses are not likely to have been part of the original paint composition, but are probably present as a result of conservation treatment.