14/10/2008

Researchers of the Institute of Electronic Structures and Lasers of the Foundation for Research & Technology-Hellas (FORTH) used modern laser techniques for the preservation and diagnostics of works of art, with the aim of choosing the appropriate method for removing the over-painting from work by Ad Reinhardt. The operation for the conservation and recovery of the painting was presented at the exhibition ?Imageless: the scientific study and experimental conservation of a Blackboard by Ad Reinhardt" which was recently held at the Guggenheim Museum of New York.

Within the framework of the exhibition the work of the team was presented in which researchers of FORTH participated with conservationists from the Guggenhiem Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, ΜoΜΑ of New York. The subject of the research was the selection of the best method for the safe removal of the multiple over-paintings from the surface of the artwork, which had suffered serious surface damage, was subjected to conservation (of the over-paintings), resulting in the denaturation of the authentic painting surface.

The researchers examined various cleaning methodologies based on the use of vibrating lasers in order to confirm their effectiveness in the process devised for the problematic monochromatic surfaces, taking the special challenges that such surfaces exhibit during their preservation into consideration. In this way, the best cleaning parameters and the corresponding methodology were determined.

The studies were initially realised on experimental paintings and then on the work itself, which was transferred to Iraklion, Crete. After the initial study at FORTH, the painting was transported to the laboratories of the Company Art Innovation in Holland which, based on IRT know-how, developed an original system of cleaning painted works of art with laser, which ensures outstanding accuracy. The use of this system allowed the safe removal of the over-paintings from specific areas of the painting.

The procedure of the preservation of the blackboard was presented at the Imageless exhibition via educational material, samples of simulation of the painting, and a presentation of the materials, while for the comparative examination and estimation of the result, the exhibition also included an additional room with other paintings by Ad Reinhardt from the Blackboard series which he created during the period 1956-1966.

Prominent in the exhibition was a special symposium which was held in the Guggenheim Museum, which addressed conservationists, art historians and also the wider public. Within the framework of the symposium, the increased importance of scientific study and the use of pioneering techniques in the preservation of works of modern art were discussed by special scientists. During the Congress, IRT presented the options and the benefits of laser techniques and the development of new methods of analysis, diagnosis and conservation of works of cultural value.

Source: FORTH