Documenting Oil Paintings by Fingerprint Brushstroke Application to Antique Painting in the Egyptian Museum of Modern Art

Abstract

The present study discusses documenting a topographic surface in an oil painting by remote sensing. It is a new technological method in documenting the properties of the brush texture statistically, including the area, width, length, the shape of ends of the edges lines of the hair (curve, point, or polygon), directions, as well as the angle among these edges and surfaces. Then, the study carries out a quantitative evaluation of signature spectral fingerprint of the brush areas. It examines the spatial distribution of the texture and the spectral recording of the color by recording the reflected or emitted radiation from the colors varying in absorption, penetration, and reflection according to the physical and chemical properties of each substance, forming the so-called signature spectral fingerprint. Using the ENVI sensor program to check the texture of the brush in the visual part and find statistical patterns which helps us to identify the optical properties of the brush strokes and artist style. The result of the texture analysis revealed that the brush was flat, with hard hair, parallel lines, and perpendicular angles. The spectral signature of orange was (591.08 nm), pink was (495.87 nm) (595.2 nm), adobe was (600.93 nm), and dark brown was (579.55 nm). The brushstroke's area equaled 49248, and the perimeter measured 888. Furthermore, SEM-EDX, XRD, and FTIR were utilized to define the materials and methods of three colored samples of oil painting (red, yellow, and green). Results illustrated that the samples contained linseed oil as binders and ground layer from calcite mixed with animal glue. SEM-EDX and XRD results pointed out that the pigment samples were earth pigments (goethite-Hematite-Celadonite).