Critical Analysis of the Materials Used by the Venetian Artist Guido Cadorin (1892–1976) during the Mid-20th Century, Using a Multi-Analytical Approach

Abstract

The present study sought to expand on and confirm the already available information on the painting materials used by the Venetian artist Guido Cadorin (1892–1976). A multi-analytical approach was employed in the study of six tempera grassa easel paintings and one casein tempera on a panel signed by the artist and belonging to the International Gallery of Modern Art Ca’ Pesaro in Venice, Italy, which dated from 1921 to 1951. The aim of the research was to identify the painting materials, observe the evolution of the color palette through time and assess the state of conservation. Non-invasive imaging and/or spectroscopic techniques were employed, such as hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy (HSI) and Raman spectroscopy. Microsamples were also collected from the edges and detached areas of the canvases that were studied through three non-destructive techniques, namely optical microscopy (OM), energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) and attenuated total reflection fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and one destructive technique, namely gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results allowed the inference of the color palette used to render the artist’s paints, composition of the preparation layer, and characterization of the binding media and varnish layers. Moreover, the state of conservation of the artworks was determined. Thus, the outcome of this research enriches the painter’s profile and might aid the International Gallery of Modern Art Ca’ Pesaro in Venice, Italy in the planning of future conservation treatments in accordance with the guidelines of good practices in art conservation.

In‐situ technical study of contemporary painting from the heritage collection of the Universitat de València, Spain. Canvases and colorful landscapes by Manuel Moreno Gimeno

“…Ca and S could be present in chalk (CaCO 3 ) or gypsum (CaSO 4 Á2H 2 O) used for the first canvas preparation. 20 The other elements can be attributed to lead white (2PbCO 3 ÁPb[OH] 2 ), and a Zn and Ba compounds, which could be lithopone (ZnS + BaSO 4 ) or a mixture of zinc white (ZnO) and barite (BaSO 4 ), used in the imprimatura or mixed to the other colors to attenuate color saturation, 21,22 which would correspond to what was seen by pLM (Manuel Moreno Gimeno's tendency to saturate colors).…”

Towards a More Sustainable and Less Invasive Approach for the Investigation of Modern and Contemporary Paintings

“…Guido Cadorin was an important Italian modern art painter, who was notorious for the use of tempera [14] in spite of the developments brought about the paint industry. The seven paintings that have been previously studied [14,15] and that were selected for this research: Ritratto di mio padre (1921)(1922)(1923), Fanciulla (1930), Nudo femminile (c.1930), La Navicella di San Pietro (1942), Ritratto di Giovanni Giurati Junior (1942), Ritratto di Benno Geiger (1943), and La tavola (1951), which are depicted in Figure 1a. The color palettes that were used in these artworks were formerly examined, and thus, the existence or lack of mixtures has already been ensured [14,15].…”

“…The seven paintings that have been previously studied [14,15] and that were selected for this research: Ritratto di mio padre (1921)(1922)(1923), Fanciulla (1930), Nudo femminile (c.1930), La Navicella di San Pietro (1942), Ritratto di Giovanni Giurati Junior (1942), Ritratto di Benno Geiger (1943), and La tavola (1951), which are depicted in Figure 1a. The color palettes that were used in these artworks were formerly examined, and thus, the existence or lack of mixtures has already been ensured [14,15]. Moreover, Guido Cadorin varnished his artworks, which means that the visual appearance of the pigments is the result of the presence of the varnish on top.…”

“…The computational methodology was applied on the sixteen paintings by Guido Cadorin, Andreina Rosa, and Boris Brollo and the outcomes were confronted with the analytical results in order to validate it. This paper mainly presents the results obtained in the case of Boris Brollo as the materials that have been identified in the artworks of the other two Venetian artists had been already described in the previous publications [14,15,19,20]. In the case of Andreina Rosa, a comparison was required between the use of K-means clustering that was also employed in [20] and Fuzzy C-means clustering to check whether the latter performed better.…”

“…Even in the case of C2 that had not been covered with a protective coating, the colors did not seem to represent the artwork. Moreover, the use of black paint was observed in the case of the hair of the character, and the carbon-black pigment was also identified in the red, blue, and purple colors according to the results of Raman spectroscopy [15].…”