No abstract

The paper focuses on two works of art, Chrysanthemums and Roses, painted by Stefan Luchian, a representative painter for the modern Romanian art from the beginning of the 20th century. The two paintings were analyzed by several non-invasive techniques (optical microscopy, grazing light and UV examination, IR reflectography, XRF and Raman spectrometry) in order to get information concerning the chromatic and to assess the state of conservation. The study is focused in particular on yellow, red and white pigments, which are different in the two pictorial compositions: in Chrysanthemums the predominant pigments are Madder lake, cadmium yellow and zinc white mixed with lead white, while in Roses cinnabar, strontium yellow and lead white were found, according to the XRF and Raman analysis.

Ion Marinescu V�lsan (1865 - 1936) was a Romanian painter belonging to the modern Romanian art from the beginning of the 20th century. Many of the paintings painted by him have picturesque landscapes in his native town, Malureni, Arges County. He was influencedby Nicolae Grigorescu. Village from Muscel painting, by Ion Marinescu V�lsan, was examined by several non-invasive techniques (Vis, UV &grazing light examination, IR reflectography, optical microscopy and X-rays fluorescence spectrometry) to obtain information on its chromatic palette and state of conservation. Zinc white, Lead white, Prussian blue, Cinnabar, Chrome yellow, Yellow ochre, Red ochre, Viridian and Burnt umber were used as the pigments, while the preparation layer is from Chalk, Zinc white, Lead white, identified by XRF analysis.

Paintings signed by Nicolae Grigorescu and Stefan Luchian, exponents of Romanian Modern Art were selected for a technical study on easel painting canvases. Both the physical integrity and the appearance of the artefacts derive mainly from the strength of the canvas and the physical and chemical characteristics of the fibres imparting their response to deterioration. In order to determine a deterioration pattern for canvases subjected to environmental stress, a simulation on flax fibres samples was performed using a climatic lab chamber. Structural changes of lignocellulosic materials were monitored by attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-FTIR) and FT-Raman spectroscopy. Changes in the intensity of FT-Raman signals of flax fibres indicate the evolution of the degradation phenomena due to environmental stress.