Scientific Study of the Origin of the Painting from the Early 20th Century Leads to Pablo Picasso

Abstract

This study applied multiple scientific approaches to establish the significance of an old work of art, Red Guitar, by examining its historical origin and the color materials used in its creation. Additionally, the study provides thus far unknown pieces of Olga Picasso’s family history to be added to her biography. Scientific approaches included digital X-ray radiography, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and elemental thermal conductivity analysis. This combination of techniques provided a broad confirmation as to when the painting was created. The work includes colors (white, black, blue, yellow, green, red, and brown/red) and prevalent use of lead- and iron-based historic pigments—chrome yellow, yellow ochre, and red ochre. It also documents the use of unconventional materials, such as the colorant, Pigment Red 4, and nitrocellulose. This investigation led to the conclusion that the artwork, Red Guitar, is authentic and in accordance with Picasso’s work during the first two decades of the 20th century.

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

“…Red paint (see Appendix A, Figure A2a) consisted mainly of Pigment Red 4 (PR4) that was firstly manufactured in 1907 [60] and is a synthetic monoazo β-naphthol colorant, being mainly used as an industrial paint, but also for producing painting and drawing materials such as paint tubes and pencils [61]. The wavenumbers that underlined the presence of this particular pigment are included in Table 3.…”

Characterization of three artworks attributed to the Costa Rican painter Fausto Pacheco: analysis of physical components and assessment of chemical and antimicrobial components of pictorial palette

“…When an artwork is observed or studied, usually authorship is unquestionable. Nevertheless, an examination of the authenticity of artistic painting is of particular interest to science and historians since the making of paintings is accompanied by a rise and speculation in art pieces, most of the time large-scale monetary fraud [4][5][6] and due to the existence of a significant cultural heritage derived from historical roots. On this subject, the criteria of specialists in artistic, historiographical or archaeological matters have been the accredited source to rule on the possible authenticity or reproducibility of a work.…”

Assessment of Chemical and Antimicrobial Components of Artworks Attributed to the Costa Rican Painter Fausto Pacheco

“…In order for an attributed artwork to be recognized as authentic, legitimacy must be demonstrated with compelling evidence and facts which range from the history of the materials to the artist's intention [6][7][8] . Therefore, establishing and understanding the integrity of art is currently key to provide accurate information on the materials of the artworks, the personal stamp of the creator, and developing conservation strategies for them.…”