Ebook: The Science of Paintings

The beauty, mystery, joy, and inspired observation of the human spirit that paintings evoke result from a complex of intuitive and cognitive choices made by the artist. An understanding of the genesis of these choices can be as elusive as the resulting imagery, but great paintings seem to initiate in us a curiosity about the ideas, methods, and mate- als used by their creators. In the twentieth century connoisseurship has been enriched by the application of methods of scientific analysis. The results of these investigations into the physical properties of paintings have shed new light on their authenticity and individual histories as well as on the craft in general. Developments in the fields of physics and chemistry have allowed us to understand still more about how we p- ceive and interact with paintings. This book is intended for those both inside and outside the field of art who wish to gain insight into the making of paintings. It is directed toward students, teachers, and scientists in engineering, physics, and chemistry as well as those in art, art history, and art conservation. This book grew out of the interdisciplinary undergraduate-level course Art, Isotopes, and Ana- sis taught at Cornell University by the two authors and supported in l- tures and seminars by three of the contributing authors: Dr. Richard Newman, of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Dr. Dusan Stulik, of the Getty Conservation Institute; and Prof.

---

This book discusses the physics and materials science behind paintings: the pigments, binders, canvas, varnish and so forth, that go into making a painting appear the way it does. It discusses the physical principles behind the colors one sees in paintings and how they change with illumination, the various types of paint and binders used in both old and modern paintings, and the optics and microscopic structure of paint films. Chapters on dating, binders, and dendochronology are contributed by experts in the respective fields. The book includes problems and sample examinations.

---

This book discusses the physics and materials science behind paintings: the pigments, binders, canvas, varnish and so forth, that go into making a painting appear the way it does. It discusses the physical principles behind the colors one sees in paintings and how they change with illumination, the various types of paint and binders used in both old and modern paintings, and the optics and microscopic structure of paint films. Chapters on dating, binders, and dendochronology are contributed by experts in the respective fields. The book includes problems and sample examinations.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xi
The Structure and Analysis of Paintings....Pages 1-11
Paint....Pages 12-25
Organic Binders....Pages 26-41
The Painter’s Color and Light....Pages 42-49
Color and Light....Pages 50-65
Optics of Paint Films....Pages 66-75
Beyond the Eye....Pages 76-85
Detection of Fakes....Pages 86-94
Object of Interaction....Pages 95-99
Back Matter....Pages 101-236

---

This book discusses the physics and materials science behind paintings: the pigments, binders, canvas, varnish and so forth, that go into making a painting appear the way it does. It discusses the physical principles behind the colors one sees in paintings and how they change with illumination, the various types of paint and binders used in both old and modern paintings, and the optics and microscopic structure of paint films. Chapters on dating, binders, and dendochronology are contributed by experts in the respective fields. The book includes problems and sample examinations.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xi
The Structure and Analysis of Paintings....Pages 1-11
Paint....Pages 12-25
Organic Binders....Pages 26-41
The Painter’s Color and Light....Pages 42-49
Color and Light....Pages 50-65
Optics of Paint Films....Pages 66-75
Beyond the Eye....Pages 76-85
Detection of Fakes....Pages 86-94
Object of Interaction....Pages 95-99
Back Matter....Pages 101-236
....