This week, experts from the National Gallery of Denmark, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, and the Department of History of Art, University of Glasgow, will work with History of Art students on the investigation of four paintings from The Hunterian collection.
 
The four paintings: Portrait of Jonnekin van Herwijck by Antonis Mor; Trajan and the Widow by Paul Vredeman de Vries; Susanna is Condemned to Death from the workshop of Maerten de Vos and Portrait of a Gentleman by Michele Tosini, all on show in the Hunterian Art Gallery, will be investigated using infrared reflectography which looks through the paint layers to discover possible underdrawings, changes and other interesting aspects of the works.
 
Not only will the workshops provide the students with a unique opportunity to collaborate with the specialists, the experts will also answer any questions from visitors to the Art Gallery, who can follow the research during the workshops.
 
The workshops are part of the project ‘Tracing Bosch and Bruegel’, which brings together professionals from four institutions in three European countries. The project builds on the research results of four paintings from the 16th century Netherlands that reuse popular iconography influenced by Hieronymous Bosch and Pieter Bruegel I.
 
The methodology used, Technical Art History, is a new and exciting approach which combines art historical research with scientific analysis to gain insights into the practice of making and the often surprising materials used.
 
Infrared (IR) is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum just beyond visible light. Paint layers, opaque in the visible part of the spectrum, become more transparent in longer wavelengths such as IR. IR may penetrate below the visible surface of painting to the underdrawing, making it visible. Depending on the thickness of the paint layers, more or less of the underdrawing can be made visible by registering the reflected radiation with an IR sensitive photo or video camera. Infrared reflectography, as the technique is called, or infrared imaging, now uses modern digital cameras that cover a much broader wavelength range. These new cameras can register a nuanced image
with many gradations of black to grey, catching even very faint lines.
 
Visitors can see the infrared workshops taking place in the Hunterian Art Gallery main gallery between 10.50am and 1.00pm on 14 November and 11.00am - 1.00pm on 15 November.
 
The experts are:
Dr Jørgen Wadum, Head of Conservation and Director of Centre for Art Technology and Conservation (CATS), National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen.
Mikkel Scharff, Head of Department, the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation
Hannah Tempest. Painting Conservator, National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen
Dr Erma Hermens, Senior Lecturer Technical Art History, History of Art, School for Culture and Creative Arts, University of Glasgow

First published: 13 November 2012

<< News Archive