A scientific case study of 19th century australian oil paintings in the western district, Victoria
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2009
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Melbourne Authors
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School of Historical and Philosophical Studies
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Masters Coursework thesis
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The mid-nineteenth century marked a period of immense wealth and expansion within the newly established Australian colony of Victoria. During this time settlers in the predominantly agricultural region of the Western District began to reap the rewards of their labours. Ultimately this engendered an increased investment in easel painting commissions explicitly intended to demonstrate the visual affirmation of the success and status of their patrons. The urbanised centres of the district additionally experienced unprecedented prosperity during the goldrush of the 1850s. When coupled with an increased sense of civic pride this wealth inadvertently resulted in a heightened public awareness in, and advocation for, fine arts. Many important colonial Australian easel paintings originate from this period and in the present day substantial collections are held in both public and private possession in the Western District. In many private collections these works are often contained within architecturally contemporaneous contexts subject to common environmental conditions and considerations. The worth of paintings from Australia's colonial past is inherent in their value not only as aesthetic objects but importantly as significant and inimitable socio-historic documents. As such, the preservation of these artworks is a paramount consideration for the wellbeing of Australia's collective cultural identity. This thesis focuses upon a case study of the materials and techniques associated with two archetypical colonial easel paintings originating from a Western District context. An appraisal of environmental impacts and collection care thus informs the development of a theoretical characterisation of the behavioural tendencies of the two paintings, providing a scientific based prediction of the paintings behavioural responses to given stimuli in the temperate Western District climate. The study substantiates the theoretical assertions associated with material behaviours in the specific environmental context by undertaking experimental investigations of observable responses to recorded conditions. To this aim Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) is employed as a diagnostic technique enabling the examination and corroboration of the assertions of the previous scientific theoretical characterisation. ESPI enabled the measurement of in-plane displacements on the paintings' surfaces in response to environmental stimuli. The results of the experimental investigation not only offers evidence in support of previously ascertained theoretical assertions, but ultimately the technical analysis provides empirical evidence in favour of environmental stabilisation in private collection environments to facilitate the ongoing preservation of this valuable body of historically and aesthetically significant work.