| CODE | BLH4030 | ||||||
| TITLE | Traditional Materials and Techniques 2: Easel Painting | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Conservation and Built Heritage | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | After the introductory study-unit BLH4027 'Traditional Materials and Techniques 1', this study-unit will delve into the materials and technological processes used to make a selection of easel paintings (canvas and panel paintings). It will also include key developments of these technological processes spanning from the middle ages to the modern period, primarily within the European context. Sources of information will include primary sources (e.g. artists treatises) as well as technical studies of real case studies. The importance of understanding traditional materials and techniques when defining the values of cultural heritage at the onset of a conservation project will be emphasised, along with its impact on conservation decisions. Students will be asked to choose a selection of paintings, research their original technique in depth, and then present the research outcome in a seminar at the end of the study unit. Actual case studies will also be examined during site visits to museums/historic sites and/or conservation laboratories. The site visit component is designed to improve observation skills and encourage the students to put into practice the theoretical framework acquired in the classroom. The study-unit is strictly linked to BLH4034 'Development of Practical and Manual Skills 2: Easel Paintings', during which the students will be asked to reproduce paintings and/or painting processes by using traditional methods, and to test the properties of traditional materials. Study-Unit Aims: - Provide an in-depth overview onto the traditional materials and techniques used for European easel paintings from the middle ages to the modern period, through the use of primary sources and technical studies; - Provide an insight onto the physical and chemical properties of the main materials composing easel paintings; - Emphasize the implications that original materials and technologies have for assessing the values of paintings and for conservation decisions; - Provide a systematic methodology and appropriate research tools to describe and study the materials and technique of a painting. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Define the processes used in the manufacture of a given painting; - Use a systematic method to describe the original technique of easel paintings; - Use the appropriate terminology to describe traditional manufacturing processes related to easel paintings; - Define and discuss basic physical and chemical properties of the main original materials composing easel paintings; - Be able to identify critical issues related to the study of the technique of a painting in view of its replication. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Apply the observation skills gained during the course to systematically describe the stratigraphy and the process of making of a painting, a replica and/or a real case study; - Identify key stages and events in the history of a painting through the examination of its materials and workmanship; - Explain the implications that physical and chemical properties of original materials have on the overall behaviour of easel paintings; - Be able to write a technical report to describe the original technique of a painting. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Broecke, L. 2015. Cennino Cennini's Il Libro Dell'arte: A New English Translation and Commentary with Italian Transcription. Archetype, (Available Main Library General) - Carlyle, L. "Reconstructions of Oil Painting Materials and Techniques : The HART Model for Approaching Historical Accuracy." Reconstruction, Replication and Re-enactment in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Amsterdam: Amsterdam UP, 2021. 141-68 (Available thorugh University online resources). - Dorge, V. and Carey Howlett, F. 1998. Painted Wood: History and Conservation. Getty Conservation Institute (Available at Bighi Library General and at https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/paintedwood.html) - Eastaugh, N., Walsh, V., Chapli, T., & Siddall, R. (2008). Pigment compendium. A Dictionary and Optical Microscopy of Historical Pigments. Routledge (Available at Main Library General). - Harley, R.D. (2001). Artists鈥� Pigments c. 1600-1835: A study in English Documentary Sources (2nd rev. ed.). London: Archetype Publications (Available at Bighi Library General). - Hill Stoner, J. and Rushfield, R. (Eds) 2012. Conservation of Easel Paintings. Routledge (Available at Main Library General). - Maclehose, L. S. and Baldwin Brown, G. 1960. Vasari on Tecnique : Being the Introduction to the Three Arts of Design, Architecture, Sculpture and Painting, Prefixed to the Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects. Dover Publications (Available at Bighi Library General) - Merrifield, M.P. 1999. Medieval and Renaissance Treatises on the Arts of Painting: Original Texts with English Translations. Dover Publications (Available at Main Library General) - Stols-Witlox, M. (2017). A Perfect Ground: Preparatory Layers for Oil Paintings 1550-1900. Archetype Publications (Available t Main Library General). Supplementary Texts: - Fels, D.C. (2001). In Fels D. C., Sulkowski J.H., Bedell R., Berger E., McClung R.A. and British Library (Eds.), Lost secrets of Flemish painting: Including the first complete English translation of the de Mayerne manuscript, B.M. Sloane 2052. Hillsville, VA: Alchemist (Available at Bighi Library General). - Mills, J.S., & White, R. (1994). The Organic Chemistry of Museum Objects (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann (Available at Bighi Library). - V茅liz, Z. (1986). Artists鈥� Techniques in Golden Age. Six Treatises in Translation. Cambridge University Press (not available). - Witlox, M., & Carlyle, L. (2005). 鈥淎 perfect ground is the very soul of the art鈥� (Kingston 1835): Ground recipes for oil painting, 1600-1900. In I. Verger (Ed.), ICOM-CC, Preprints of the 14th Triennial Meeting, The Hague, Netherlands, 12-16 September 2005, pp. 519-528 London: James & James (not available). |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Study-units: Traditional Materials and Tecniques 1 | ||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Fieldw, Ind Study, Lec, Tut, Onl L, Grp L & Semi | ||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Erma Hermens Grazia De Cesare Giulia De Vivo Indra Kneepkens Patrick Dietemann David-Frank Bugeja Roberta De Angelis Antonio Iaccarino Idelson Maria Grazia Zenzani |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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