Some fluid mechanical aspects of artistic painting

Abstract

Painting is a fluid mechanical process. The action of covering a solid surface with a layer of a viscous fluid is one of the most common human activities; virtually all man-made surfaces are painted to provide protection against the environment or simply for decoration. This process, in an industrial context, has been vastly studied and it is well understood. In case of artistic painting the purpose is different. Painters learn how to manipulate the non-uniform deposition of paint onto a surface, through lengthy empirical testing of the action and modifying the physical properties of the fluids, to create textures and patterns of aesthetic value. In this paper, an analysis of some notable painting techniques is presented from the point of view of fluid mechanics. In particular, we discuss the so-called 'accidental painting' technique, originally devised by David A. Siqueiros, which is the result of a Rayleigh-Taylor instability. An analysis of several techniques used by Jackson Pollock is also presented, showing how he learned to carefully control the motion of viscous filaments to create his famous abstract compositions. We also briefly discuss how pattern and textures are produced in decalcomania and watercolor painting. These investigations indicate that it is possible to establish concrete scientific discussions among modern fluid mechanics, art, art history and conservation.

Culinary fluid mechanics and other currents in food science

“…In art, the understanding of hydrodynamics was crucial to Jackson Pollock, for one, who used a stick to drizzle paint on his canvas in a variety of ways [99]. The complex fluid dynamics behind different painting effects has only recently been analysed and reviewed by Herczyński et al [891] and Zenit [892].…”

Dendritic patterns from shear-enhanced anisotropy in nematic liquid crystals

“…Spontaneous pattern growth at an unstable interface between two fluids is a common phenomenon in many nonequilibrium systems (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). A famous example is the viscous fingering instability, in which one fluid is displaced by another less viscous one in the quasi two-dimensional geometry of a Hele-Shaw cell (7).…”

“…The ubiquitous tip splitting can be prevented by introducing anisotropy in the interfacial dynamics, which stabilizes the fingertips into parabolic shapes; the resulting pattern transitions to dendritic growth (1,(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). Dense-branching growth and dendritic growth are two essential morphologies that emerge in a diverse range of physical phenomena, including electrochemical deposition and the growth of bacteria colonies (3,4,(17)(18)(19).…”

Growth morphology and symmetry selection of interfacial instabilities in anisotropic environments

“…Pattern growth is ubiquitous in nature and leads to the formation of complex structures. [1][2][3] Many interfacial patterns can be grouped into two 'essential shapes' or morphologies: isotropic dense-branching growth and anisotropic dendritic growth. Dense-branching growth arises from repeated tip-splitting of the structures and leads to a ramified pattern with many branches, 4,5 controlled by the gradient-driven transport of mass, heat or charge to the interface.…”