School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications

Permanent URI for this collection

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Item
    No Preview Available
    Authentication, Attribution and the Art Market: Understanding issues of art attribution in contemporary Indonesia
    O'Donnell, E ; Tse, N (ACAH: The International Academic Forum, 2018)
    The widespread circulation of paintings lacking a secure provenance within the Indonesian art market is an increasingly prevalent issue that questions trust, damages reputations and collective cultural narratives. In the long-term, this may impact on the credibility of artists, their work and the international art market. Under the current Indonesian copyright laws, replicating a painting is not considered a crime of art forgery, rather a crime of autograph forgery, a loophole that has allowed the practice of forgery to grow. Despite widespread claims of problematic paintings appearing in cultural collections over recent years, there has been little scholarly research to map the scope of counterfeit painting circulation within the market. Building on this research gap and the themes of the conference, this paper will provide a current understanding of art fraud in Indonesia based on research undertaken on the Authentication, Attribution and the Art Market in Indonesia: Understanding issues of art attribution in contemporary Indonesia. This research is interdisciplinary in its scope and is grounded in the art historical, socio-political and socio economic context of cultural and artistic production in Indonesia, from the early twentieth century to the contemporary art world of today. By locating the study within a regionally relevant framework, this paper aims to provide a current understanding of issues of authenticity in Indonesia and is a targeted response to the need for a materials evidence based framework for the research, identification and documentation of questionable paintings, their production and circulation in the region.
  • Item
    Thumbnail Image
    Bundengan: Social media as a space for collaboration in the conservation and revival of an endangered musical instrument
    Cook, R ; Chakim, L ; Abdulloh, S ; Tse, N ; Kartomi, M ; Kurniawan, DF (ISI Press, 2017)
    The widespread use of social media in cultural heritage and conservation projects principally makes use of its capacity for public-facing engagement and the promotion of cultural institutions and events. Its potential as an inclusive, accessible and dynamic research output is less well-established. This paper focuses upon the potential of social media as a complementary form of conservation documentation, in response to the use of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration between source communities and collecting institutions as a means to preserve both material and intangible cultural heritage. Using the conservation of a rare and endangered musical instrument called bundengan as a case study, this paper will assess the uses of social media platforms in both documenting and enabling collaboration between the source community in Wonosobo, Java, Indonesia, and academic researchers based in Indonesia and Australia.
  • Item
    Thumbnail Image
    Investigating Vynol: Australia’s first artists’ acrylic and vinyl-acrylic emulsion paints
    Rajkowski, R ; Tse, N ; Nel, P ; Brigland, J (Pulido & Nunes; ICOM Committee for Conservation, 2017)
    Vynol Paints, established in 1964, was the first manufacturer of artists’ acrylic paints in Australia. However, it has received minimal recognition in the art historical, conservation and technical art research fields. It is the aim of this paper to address this research gap by considering its relevance to material knowledge and conservation practice, as part of a broader investigation into the relationship between acrylic paints and the Australian colourfield painting movement. Vynol was found to be used by artists featured in the seminal exhibition, The Field (1968), at the National Gallery of Victoria. This interdisciplinary study presents archive material, interview findings and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis of Vynol paints, showing connections between the movement’s artists and the manufacturer. It reveals that, during the 1960s, Vynol produced vinyl-acrylic paints – copolymers of polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and an acrylate monomer, a formulation that was likely used by some of the artists associated with The Field exhibition. Hence, identification of the PVAc/acrylic copolymers using FTIR spectroscopy is explored.
  • Item
    Thumbnail Image
    Authentication in a legal framework: Methodologies that underscore art authentication in practice
    Morden, A ; Sloggett, R ; TSE, NA ; Bridgland, J (International Council of Museums, 2014-09-14)
    The ideal of art authentication in practice stems not solely from a need to protect market interests, but from a need to protect the interests of artists and the integrity of their artistic legacies (Spencer 2004). This paper looks at the legal context for the methodologies that underscore art authentication in practice, and the legal framework that should preposition the gathering of evidence, external to a court proceeding. Essentially, it seeks to explore the question: Should the potential for litigious action bind the process of art authentication to a legal evidence-based framework? This paper is presented with regard to the investigations of the oeuvre of the contemporary Australian artist Howard Arkley (1951–1999), currently being undertaken as part of the author’s PhD thesis at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
  • Item
    Thumbnail Image
    In-situ, non-invasive investigation of an outdoor wooden sculpture
    Brodie, G ; Harris, E ; Farrell, P ; TSE, NA ; Roberts, A ; KVANSAKUL, J (International Council of Museums, 2014-09-14)
    This paper reports on the development of a radio- frequency sensor unit for the non-invasive monitoring of Bruce Armstrong’s outdoor wooden sculpture constructed from River Red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis). This technique collects realtime data in situ in outdoor environments. Sensor units employing electromagnetic radiation in the microwave to radio frequency part of the spectrum can detect moisture changes, mould growth and termite infestation in specimen Australian timbers used in works of art. Model experiments using wood samples showed that moisture changes,decay levels, invasion of wood by insects such as termites and wood deterioration due to fungal attack can be detected with both ‘look through’ and radar-based microwave sensors. The monitoring provided information on the time response, temporal and cyclic activity of an outdoor, exposed wooden sculpture to moisture. A radio-frequency sensor is applicable for the monitoring of cultural materials to inform damage functions and dose values.
  • Item
    No Preview Available
    Artist oil paints in Thailand
    TSE, NA ; Chayabutra, S ; Kamolchote, K ; Panmanee, S ; Khlungwisarn, T ; Puskar, L ; Best, SP (International Council of Museums, 2014-09-14)
    The deterioration of artist paints and paintings in Thailand’s tropical climate is unique. This paper outlines the research and production of Pradit oil paints by Thailand’s Silpakorn University, which are manufactured in collaboration with artists, researchers, scientists and conservators. Following eight years of natural ageing in Thailand and three years in Melbourne, Australia, the paint films were technically and analytically examined to identify the oil paints more susceptible to the effects of climate. Lightfastness, solubility, crack patterns, contact angle and the real time response of oil paint films to moisture identified the more susceptible paints. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and synchrotron radiation FTIR microspectroscopy (SR-μFTIR) identified the signatures associated with chemical changes in the paint films. Given the harsh climatic conditions in tropical Thailand, the integrated study aims to provide artists with a wider range of painting choices and for materials scientists and conservators to approach preservation issues in the region from a proactive, informed position.