Descripción del proyecto
Técnicas para comprender el mecanismo de decoloración
Los científicos de conservación afrontan serias dificultades al ocuparse de obras de arte históricas. Los colores originales de las obras de arte tienden a desaparecer debido a su elevada sensibilidad a la luz, un fenómeno que afecta a los cuadros del siglo XIX, especialmente cuando se han utilizado pigmentos rojos orgánicos. Sin embargo, la baja concentración del pigmento original, la escasez de micromuestras de pintura disponibles y la complejidad del proceso de degradación impiden la identificación de estos pigmentos rojos orgánicos en tales pinturas históricas. El proyecto RED-OPEN, financiado con fondos europeos, tiene como objetivo aplicar un método multianalítico basado en espectrometría de masas y técnicas espectroscópicas para comprender el mecanismo de decoloración y detectar sus productos de degradación, incluso si las moléculas originales han desaparecido de la obra, y de ese modo formular acciones de mitigación.
Objetivo
An important issue encountered in the historical artworks is the fading of the original colors because of their strong light sensitivity, infamously leading to the discoloration of masterworks even within an artist’s lifetime. This phenomenon is clearly evidenced in many paintings of 19th century European impressionist artists, such as van Gogh, in particular when Organic Red Pigments (ORP) have been used.
The identification of these ORP in historical paintings remains a main challenge because of (1) the generally low concentration of the original pigment remaining after an aging period of ca. 100 years, (2) the scarcity of the paint micro samples available for analysis and the difficulty of obtaining additional ones and (3) the complexity of degradation behavior in the presence of oxygen, inorganic semiconductor pigments, binding media or varnish.
The objective of the RED-OPEN project is to develop a multi-analytical approach based on mass spectrometry and spectroscopic techniques (A) to understand their discoloration mechanism and (B) to identify their breakdown products, even if the original molecules are no longer present in the artworks.
The successful completion of RED-OPEN will have a major impact in the understanding of the original artwork’s appearance and will provide comprehensive and detailed knowledge of the progressive changes throughout the painting’s history. RED-OPEN will generate knowledge that will help conservators and conservation scientists to understand the causes of discoloration and formulate mitigating actions, preserving invaluable art for future generations and further proposing a digital reconstruction of its originally intended appearance.
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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
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