Reflectance imaging spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence mapping used in a technical study of The Blue Room by Pablo Picasso

Abstract

The existence of a portrait hidden beneath The Blue Room (1901) by Pablo Picasso prompted a comprehensive technical study of this early Blue period painting. Microanalysis of paint samples was combined with reflectance imaging spectroscopy (RIS) and synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) mapping to characterize the materials and structure of the paint layers and to understand the artist's palette and use of color in both paintings. Microanalysis of paint samples provided detailed information about pigment mixtures and paint stratigraphy while the complementary data sets provided by RIS and SR-XRF yielded important information about pigment distribution in both pictures and clarified details of the underlying painting. Overall, the comprehensive study increased understanding of both pictures and added to the growing body of knowledge about Picasso's early experimentation and evolving technique.

Shedding light on the past: optical technologies applied to cultural heritage

“…The results of the paint mapping have enabled these authors to virtually reconstruct the artist's process suggesting the sequence he followed in applying the various paints, and thus one can claim that effectively, 3D-analysis (volume analysis) with chemical information is something that can be achieved despite the complexity of these multi-layered substrates. This type of in-depth analysis is also shown in the work by Favero et al [11] that describes a comprehensive investigation on Picasso's 'Blue Room' (1901) from the Phillips Collection at Washington DC (USA). The painting hides a portrait of a man beneath it, which has been almost perfectly revealed by use of near infrared imaging.…”

Nonlinear Unmixing of Hyperspectral Datasets for the Study of Painted Works of Art

“…Pigment identification allows for an understanding of how artists/workshops used their materials, how painted surfaces may chemically change over time, and, lastly, how anachronistic uses of materials can be associated with either fakes/forgeries or past restorations. A primary tool for these tasks is hyperspectral imaging (HSI), a fast non‐invasive and in situ method that has become commonplace in cultural heritage to document the distribution of pigments across painted surfaces, especially when employed together with complementary analytical techniques …”

New insights into Pablo Picasso’s La Miséreuse accroupie (Barcelona, 1902) using X-ray fluorescence imaging and reflectance spectroscopies combined with micro-analyses of samples

“…Imaging using x-radiography and infrared reflectography revealed numerous examples of reused canvases in Picasso's early works, offering conservators and art historians insights into the artist's process [1,[3][4][5][6][7][8]. Within the last decade, the development of new portable in situ instruments [9][10][11][12][13][14] and access to state-of-the-art facilities [15] have increased possibilities to image and study both the surface and hidden compositions, providing further insight into Picasso's method and materials. Inspired by these recent studies, X-ray fluorescence and fiber optics reflectance spectroscopies were selected as key noninvasive analytical techniques due to their respective abilities to yield chemical information at the elemental and molecular level.…”