Colore e colorimetria contributi multidisciplinari Vol XIa

Il colore, come è noto, è oggetto di interesse nell'ambito di svariati settori dell'attività umana e da tempo costituisce un tema di studio e di approfondimenti rigorosi che, oltre ad apportare sostanziali contributi all'avanzamento delle conoscenze scientifiche sul fenomeno, hanno originato, come era lecito attendersi, interessanti implementazioni pratiche nel più ampio contesto socioeconomico. Il 1° Ottobre dell'anno 2004, a Parma, in occasione del VII Convegno di Colorimetria, come evoluzione del precedente gruppo di Colorimetria e Reflectoscopia SIOF fondato nel 1995, si è costituito il Gruppo del Colore, con l’obiettivo di favorire l’aggregazione multi- ed interdisciplinare di tutte quelle realtà e persone che in Italia si occupano del colore e della luce da un punto di vista scientifico, culturale e professionale. Il 16 settembre del 2011, a Roma, in occasione della VII Conferenza del Colore, l'assemblea dei soci ha manifestato la volontà che il Gruppo del Colore diventasse un'associazione autonoma, e così è dal 2012. Questi sono gli atti delle sessioni in lingua italiana della XI Conferenza del Colore

A multidisciplinary approach to the investigation of "La Caverna dell'Antimateria" (1958–1959) by Pinot Gallizio

Background: This study concerns the application of non-invasive and micro-invasive analyses for the study of a contemporary artwork entitled La Caverna dell'Antimateria ("The Cave of Antimatter") which was created by Pinot Gallizio in 1958–1959. The work represents one of the most significant examples of industrial painting. It consists of a total of 145 meters of painted canvas, designed in order to cover the entire floor plan of the Rene Drouin gallery in Paris, where it was displayed for the first time. Gallizio wanted to create an environment in which visitors could find themselves immersed in painting, in what he termed as a "work-environment". Non-invasive (Fibre Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy) and micro-invasive analyses (Fourier Transform Infrared and micro-Raman Spectroscopies, Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry) were performed on three of the canvases which constitute this work of art in order to obtain information regarding the artistic materials used by Gallizio. Results: Pigments and unconventional materials (such as metal wires, sand) are present in the canvases that form the ceiling. The colours are unevenly distributed on the surface, thus revealing large areas of the white preparation below. In the canvas of the wall, instead, the paint is applied more uniformly and gives a dark colour cast. The analytical results led to the identification of many of the materials used by Gallizio. The pictorial palette consists of both inorganic and organic pigments, while polyvinylacetate, pure or mixed with a siccative oil, was identified as a binder thus confirming what was reported by the artist in his notes. Conclusions: The results of this research provide information concerning the artistic technique used by Pinot Gallizio. The analyses were successfully performed both in situ and on micro-samples in order to characterise the pigments of the coloured area, the ground layer and the organic binders

Colour Photography and Film: Sharing knowledge of analysis, preservation, conservation, migration of analogue and digital materials – 2021

The Gruppo del Colore - Associazione Italiana Colore is a scientific and cultural non-profit organization with a multidisciplinary approach. Its aims are to promote science and culture of Color and Light, to spread scientific, technological, cultural and applicative knowledge about the cited disciplines, and to support matters of common interest between members in national and international contexts. In 2020, the Association added another instrument of cultural dissemination, in the form of a diamond open access book series, The Research Culture And Science Book series (RCASB), which is freely available to everyone. The focus and scope of the series is multidisciplinary as RCASB publishes scientific books on specific fields. The aim of the book series is to encourage scientists, scholars, researchers and professionals to publish their experimental results and theoretical work in a comprehensive way, thus providing a forum for the exchange and sharing of scientific knowledge. Since this volume is the first of many others to come, it was considered appropriate to begin with a very current topic, which is of vital importance for the study and conservation of contemporary artistic artefacts, such as color photographic and cinematographic materials, in both format analogue and digital. This volume consists of a collection of essays derived from presentations given at the International Conference on "Color Photography and Cinema: Sharing Knowledge of Analysis, Conservation, Conservation, Migration of 'analogue and digital materials" organized in March 2021 by the Gruppo del Colore - Italian Color Association in collaboration with the "Nello Carrara" Institute of Applied Physics of the National Research Council (IFAC-CNR) and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (OPD). This conference was a unique event as the first international convening in which these topics were treated together. As such, it was an opportunity for discussion at an international level on various topics related to furthering the knowledge of color photographic and cinematographic objects from a historical, material and conservation point of view. It is our hope that this volume will contribute to disseminating to a wide audience the various issues relating to the material and conservation knowledge of these materials and that it contributes to deepening sensitivity towards treating these materials in museum and archive collections

Discovering “The Italian Flag” by Fernando Melani (1907–1985)

In the occasion of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the founding of Italy (1861-2011), it was decided to analyse the artwork "The Italian Flag" (La Bandiera Italiana) created by the artist Fernando Melani (Pistoia, 1907-1985), one of the precursors of the Poor Art artistic movement in Italy. This project is a follow-up to a previous study which was mainly focused on the pigments and dyes found in his home-studio. The main goal of this paper is to identify a correct diagnostic plan, based on the use of a combination of non-invasive and micro-invasive methodologies, in order to determine the state of preservation and define the best conservation procedures for a contemporary artwork. Visible, infrared and infrared false colour images as well as the Fibre Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) technique were applied in situ to analyse The Italian Flag. Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and micro-Raman spectroscopies, Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (Py-GC/MS), High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Arrays Detection (HPLC-DAD) and Mass Spectrometric Detection (HPLC-ESI-Q-ToF) were all applied to three small samples detached from the three painted (green-blue, white and red-yellow, respectively) areas of the flag. The combination of the data obtained with all these techniques made possible a comprehensive understanding of both the chemical composition and physical behaviour of the materials used by the artist and supported curators in defining the preventive conservation of this artwork

Anselm Kiefer: a study of his artistic materials

The style of the contemporary German artist Anselm Kiefer is highly innovative and unconventional and is characterized by the use of diverse materials that he selects and combines according to the emotions that they stir in him. The conservation and preservation of works by Kiefer are particularly difficult tasks because of the heterogeneity and, in some cases, the incompatibility of the materials used; therefore, a thorough characterization is crucial before any intervention is considered. In this paper, we report the results of an investigation on a fragment from a multimaterial work and on samples from the paintings Bohemia Lies by the Sea and Die Größe Fracht. The large fragment was cut by the artist himself from a work in progress and is considered destitute of any artistic value; therefore, it was possible to sample it extensively. This fragment and the samples from the Die Größe Fracht and Bohemia Lies by the Sea paintings were analyzed by ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence imaging, fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This multitechnique approach allowed us to fully characterize and identify pigments, dyes, and organic components that reflect the diversity of the materials typically chosen by the artist. The results are evaluated in the context of the interview that Antonio Rava had with the Anselm Kiefer in 2000