School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableSpeckle and Conservation(International Seminars, 2008)The aim of this research is to demonstrate the usefulness of speckle, a trait of an expanded laser beam, for the non-destructive testing of artwork in both the imaging of subsurface structure and the quantitative detection of physical movement of canvas. Laser Speckle Contrast Method (LSCI) is a useful method for the viewing of subsurface layers and movement. By investigating the statistical properties of dynamic speckle it is possible to reveal drawings that are hidden beneath scattering layers such as the primary layer of paint or adhered paper. This is achieved by taking a series of speckle images captured in a short time frame and applying one of a number of post processing algorithms. We explore the limitations of this method when applied to various paper samples that have a sketch executed in various media beneath the top layer. The ability to resolve gray scale images was examined as well as looking at the dependence of the contrast of the revealed drawings to the temperature of the surface. Current work is being done on using LSCI to reveal indentations in artwork caused by the application process. The successful use of Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) both in the laboratory and in-situ for the detection of in-plane movement of painted canvas due to humidity fluctuations and the out-of-plane movement of paint as it dries has also been demonstrated. Canvas paintings can be very susceptible to movement due to changes of the environment. ESPI is a non-destructive technique yielding sensitive results that can detect displacement on a surface of less than the wavelength of the illuminating coherent light source. While ESPI has been successfully applied to the in-situ study of painted frescoes, previous studies have employed tensile testers as a support for painted canvas. We have shown a portable version of ESPI to be of use in tropical environment in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore with original artworks where variations in humidity occur and the samples have not undergone special preparation before analysis, revealing significant directional movements. Furthermore, a simple variation in the direction of beams paths permits the characterisation of out-of-plane movement, specifically as the height of paint shrinks due to the drying process. We have used ESPI to view the drying process of alkyd resin paints over the time period of 24 hours.
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ItemCollections of paint colour charts, paint tins and paintings as a source for developing an understanding of paint making history(Museums Australia, 2011)A project looking at a collection of painting items from a studio used by the artist Sidney Nolan (1917-1992) from 1951 to 1953 is beginning to grapple with the subject of house paint technology from the pre World War II period up to the mid 1950s. Sidney Nolan was particularly engaged with house paint as an artist’s medium, and it seems sought information from paint makers to obtain a deep technical understanding of these complex paint systems. A number of additional collections of paint material held in Sydney museums have been identified that hold potential to provide new information on paint resins and pigments. A collection of historic paint colour charts which use the paint itself in the swatches of colour, and a collection of early synthetic paint resins from 1934-1937, are both valuable sources for analytical standards and the dating of technologies in Australia.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableBuilding evidence for use in criminal cases – standard practice and methodologies: a case study in Australia(AiA, 2014-05-07)In criminal and civil investigations relating to art fraud, the question of how evidence is gathered is as relevant as the question of what is gathered. The sensitive nature of the evidence also means that often the sharing of information between professionals, such as curators, gallerists and art historians is minimal and restricted. Sometimes art historical accounts provided as evidence can be difficult to verify against properly referenced data, while the materials analysis data can be open to various interpretations. In addition, assertions of art fraud have been met with action for libel. As a result, the lack of an integrated analytical and investigative methodology can hamper investigation, making conviction difficult. As an interdisciplinary study conservation is seen to provide ‘objective’ scientific data that can explicate and verify propositions about the source or history of an artwork. Drawing on work undertaken at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation (CCMC) this paper discusses the development of standards, methodologies and guidelines for data collection to strengthen prosecution procedures and meet the evidentiary requirements of the courts, and explains why conservation provides the critical and objective procedures useful in bringing forward a successful prosecution for art fraud.
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ItemAssessment of the effect of nitric oxide-based treatments on biofilm formation: A comparison with biocides used in paint formulations and the treatment of cultural heritage(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 2013-10-22)Biocides are chemical substances used in the treatment of damaging biological growth. They are commonly added as ‘preservatives’ to paint formulations to prevent biofouling. They are also applied in the control of organisms responsible for the biodecay of cultural material. The demand for sustainable, low-toxic alternatives to conventional biocide use, requires a more sophisticated approach to biocidal systems (Denyer & Stewart 1998). We have investigated how the anti-bacterial properties of the free-radical molecule nitric oxide (NO•), when used in combination with commercial biocides, can enhance their efficacy.
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ItemBuilding a legacy in contemporary art in Timor-Leste(Pulido & Nunes; ICOM-Committee for Conservation, 2014)Arte Moris is an artists' collective that was established in Dili after the destruction that resulted in the aftermath of the Popular Consultation. In 2012 a series of interviews were conducted with staff in Arts Moris. These interviews identified youth-oriented art programs as an effective framework for building cultural and educational product in a future Timor-Leste.
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ItemNo Preview AvailablePreserving the Past: How to ensure the development of the conservation profession in Australia is preserved for the future(AICCM, 2011-10-19)The first AICCM conference “Conservation in Australia”, which was held in Canberra in 1976 at the Australian National University, was organised by the few conservators located in Canberra. The intervening 35 years have seen changes in the organisation and conservation profession. This 2011 AICCM National Conference, “Conservation in Australia: Past, Present and Future”, now back in Canberra, will allow us to view where we have come from, and examine the challenges for the future development of the AICCM and Australian conservation profession.
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ItemThe Sacred Life of Trees: What trees say about people in the prehistoric Aegean and Near East(Monash University, 2012)The realistic nature of the glyptic idiom of Minoan Crete, as expressed in images of tree cult, has resulted in the general assumption that such illustrations depict real places within the Cretan landscape. Variously termed ‘rural sanctuaries’, ‘sacred enclosures’ or ‘open-air shrines’, glyptic iconography is the main source of evidence for this category of cult site and its supposed characteristics, thought to range from the architecturally elaborate to the ephemeral.1 This paper argues that, as a result of the miniaturisation process involved in the creation of glyptic motifs, it is more likely that images of tree cult are not scenes, but signs, comparable with more minimalist Cypriot and Israelite examples. In order to support this contention, the paper will initially contextualise the images chronologically and spatially.
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ItemThe Bohol School of Painting: An Analytical and Archival study of five panel paintings from the Philippines(Archetype Publications, 2005)
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ItemA preliminary understanding of oil paintings in tropical Southeast Asia(Allied Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 2008)
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ItemSoutheast Asian Oil Paintings: Supports and Preparatory layers(Archetype Publications, 2008)
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