The chemistry of art
27 August 2004
Since the first cave drawings by early man, the artist's raw materials have been determined by advances in chemistry.
'Shedding Light on Colour - Pigments, Chemistry and the Development of Art' takes place at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's Department of Chemistry on 9 September 2004. Featuring prominent speakers from the fields of art and chemistry, the symposium promises to inspire and encourage debate on this fascinating subject.
Speakers include Ms Libby Sheldon of ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's Department of Art History, who will discuss her recent research. She used a variety of techniques, including polarising light microscopy and x-ray examination, to authenticate the Vermeer painting, Young Woman Seated at the Virginals. The painting recently sold at Sotheby's for £16,245,600.
Professor Clark will discuss his research on pigment analysis, which has included collaboration with Ms Sheldon to identify the Vermeer painting, using Raman spectroscopy, a technique which analyses chemical mixtures by looking at the way they scatter light. Raman spectroscopy is non-destructive, and has been successfully used for a number of high profile projects. It was used to analyse the pigments of the Lindisfarne Gospels (c715 AD) and to establish a basis for the detection of forgeries in Hawaiian and Mauritian stamps from the 1800s, said to be worth £1 million.
The science writer Dr Philip Ball will discuss how advances in chemistry have affected artists throughout the ages in his seminar 'How Chemists Invented Colour'. Dr Andrea Sella of ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's Department of Chemistry will discuss 'Chemistry, Light and Colour', in a demonstration lecture which will illustrate the interaction of light with pigments and other materials can create a deeper understanding of matter.
Image: Young Woman Seated at the Virginals, Vermeer.
To find out more about the symposium or about Professor Clark use the links below.
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