Search Results (30)

To reduce staining, paper conservators have increasingly treated artworks on paper with enhanced washing using chelating agents, which form complexes with metallic ions, thus facilitating the removal of stains. However, questions remain regarding the efficacy of the method and its impact on the long-term preservation of paper. A treatment of enhanced washing was undertaken on a nineteenth-century mezzotint printed using the chine collé technique, by David Lucas after a painting by John Constable, which was disfigured by significant foxing stains. This intervention provided the opportunity to investigate the mechanism and efficacy of the treatment and whether an alkali reserve could successfully be reintroduced. The print was analysed before, during, and after treatment with a Bruker M6 Jetstream scanning X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. The results provided spatially resolved information on the effects of the treatment and gave new insights into the heavily debated causes of foxing on paper, challenging the link with iron contamination. Instead, the distribution of foxing stains showed a correlation with the presence of potassium and calcium, and their reduction during washing corresponded with an improvement in appearance. Calcium replenishment proved only partially successful. Finally, scanning XRF has rarely been used for the analysis of artworks on paper; this study proves its value for research. Full article

This study investigates water-based gel and gel-like cleaning treatments on Superficie 553, an oil painting on canvas by Giuseppe Capogrossi, using portable NMR to assess their impact. The objective was to evaluate the effects of four cleaning systems composed of a buffer solution released in free form and combined with xanthan gum, a cross-linked silicone polymer gel, and an agar gel matrix. Two distinct NMR experiments were conducted. The first involved the acquisition of ¹H depth profiles to detect the distribution of the cleaning solution within the painted layer and the thickness variations resulting from cleaning procedures. The second employed the acquisition of relaxation times, facilitating the investigation of molecular mobility within the organic components of the paint layer. NMR results indicated that the agar gel system caused negligible structural changes, whereas the silicone gel induced rigidification, and the other systems permanently increased molecular mobility. These measurements provided insights into alterations in the dynamic behavior of the polymerized oil. A key strength of this investigation lies in the direct application of diagnostic methods on Superficie 553, made possible by the non-invasive nature and portability of the NMR-MOUSE system. Additionally, portable FTIR was used to detect residues and obtain chemical information, confirming that the silicone gel left detectable residues and identifying the agar gel as the most conservative cleaning method. This enabled in situ analysis of the original artwork without sampling or relocation—a crucial advantage given the difficulty of replicating the complex physicochemical conditions of historical paint surfaces under laboratory constraints. Such real-time, on-site monitoring ensured an authentic evaluation of the treatment effects, preserving the integrity of the artwork throughout the conservation process. Full article

Ensuring good air quality in indoor environments of historical and artistic significance is essential not only for protecting valuable artworks but also for safeguarding human health. While many studies in this field tend to focus on the preservation of cultural heritage, fewer have addressed the impact on visitors and worshippers. Yet, places such as museums, galleries, churches, and other religious sites attract large numbers of people, making indoor air quality a key factor for their well-being. This study focused on evaluating air quality within the Santuario della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli in Saronno, Italy, a religious site that welcomes large numbers of visitors and worshippers each year. A detailed analysis of particulate matter was conducted, including chemical characterization by ICP-MS for metals, ion chromatography for water-soluble ions, and thermal–optical analysis for the carbonaceous fraction, as well as assessments of size distribution and radiometric properties. The results indicated overall good air quality conditions: concentrations of heavy metals were below levels of concern (<35 ng m⁻³), and gross alpha, beta, and ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations remained below the minimum detectable thresholds. Hence, no significant health risks were identified. Full article

Text-to-image generative models can be used to imitate historical artistic styles, but their effectiveness in doing so remains unclear. In this work, we propose an evaluation framework that leverages expert knowledge from art history and visual semiotics and combines it with quantitative analysis to assess stylistic fidelity. Three experts rated both historical artwork production and images generated with Midjourney v6 for five major movements (Abstract Art, Cubism, Expressionism, Impressionism, Surrealism) and ten associated painters (male and female pairs), using nine visual criteria grounded in Greimas’s plastic categories and Wölfflin’s stylistic oppositions. Ratings were expressed as 95% intervals on continuous 0–100 scales and compared using our Relative Ratings Map (RRMap), which summarizes relative shifts, relative dispersion, and distributional overlap (via the Bhattacharyya coefficient). They were also discretized in four quality ratings (bad, stereotype, fair, excellent). The results show strong inter-expert variability and more moderate intra-expert effects tied to movements, criteria, criterion groups and modalities. Experts tend to agree that the model sometimes aligns with historical trends but also sometimes produces stereotyped versions of a movement or painter, or even completely missed its target, although no unanimous consensus emerges. We conclude that evaluating generative models requires both expert-driven interpretation and quantitative tools, and that stylistic fidelity is hard to quantify even with a rigorous framework. Full article

In this article, a multidisciplinary methodological approach for studying a wooden panel painting is applied. The theoretical framework, within which this research has arisen, is the application of state-of-the-art non-destructive techniques for addressing issues concerning the constituting parts and composing materials of the artwork. Hereby, a post-Byzantine icon was studied, which was dated back to 1836. It is a painting executed on a wooden panel, with a decorated wooden frame attached. The artifact was thoroughly investigated through the application of infrared thermography (IRT), multispectral imaging (MSI), and macroscopic X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (MA-XRF). These analyses provided crucial information about the verso of the painting (i.e., the wooden panel and the frame) and allowed for the revelation of important details of the recto of the painting, which were not visible due to the presence of an old, decayed varnish. Additionally, through the detailed mapping of the distribution of various chemical elements on the recto of the painting and the frame, it was possible to identify the materials used and techniques employed. It is therefore shown that, when combined, the non-destructive methodologies in consideration can provide adequate information referring to the materiality and state of preservation of panel paintings, permitting the conservator to proceed to a tailored conservation treatment. Full article

The digitization of artworks has recently offered new computational perspectives on the study of art history. While much of the focus has been on classifying styles or identifying objects, the analysis of more abstract concepts, such as the perception of motion or dynamism in still images, remains largely unexplored. Semioticians and artists have long explored the representation of dynamism in still images, but they often did so through theoretical frameworks or visual techniques, without a quantitative approach to measuring it. This paper proposes a method for computing and comparing the dynamism of paintings through edge detection. Our approach is based on the idea that the dynamism of a painting can be quantified by analyzing the edges in the image, whose distribution can be used to identify patterns and trends across artists and movements. We demonstrate the applicability of our method in three key areas: studying the temporal evolution of dynamism across different artistic styles, as well as within the works of a single artist (Wassily Kandinsky), visualizing and clustering a large database of abstract paintings through PixPlot, and retrieving similarly dynamic images. We show that the dynamism of a painting can be effectively quantified and visualized using edge detection techniques, providing new insights into the study of visual culture. Full article

The goal of neuroaesthetic research is to understand the neural mechanisms underpinning the perception and appreciation of art. The human brain has the remarkable ability to rapidly recognize different artistic styles. Using functional connectivity, this study investigates whether there are differences in connectivity networks formed during the processing of abstract and figurative paintings. Eighty paintings (forty abstract and forty figurative) were presented in a random order for eight seconds to each of the 29 participants. High-density EEG recordings were taken, from which functional connectivity networks were extracted at several time points (−300, 100, 300 and 500 ms). The debiased weighted phase lag index (dwPLI) was used to extract the connectivity networks for the abstract and figurative conditions across multiple frequency bands. Significant connectivity differences were detected for both conditions at each time point and in each frequency band: delta (p < 0.0273), theta (p < 0.0292), alpha (p < 0.0299), beta (p < 0.0275) and gamma (p < 0.0266). The topology of the connectivity networks also varied over time and frequency, indicating the multi-scale dynamics of art style perception. The method used in this study has the ability to identify not only brain regions but their interaction (communication) patterns and their dynamics at distinct time points, in contrast to average ERP waveforms and potential distributions. Our findings suggest that the early perception stage of visual art involves complex, distributed networks that vary with the style of the artwork. The difference between the abstract and figurative connectivity network patterns indicates the difference between the underlying style-related perceptual and cognitive processes. Full article

Due to the security weaknesses of chaos-based pseudorandom number generators, in this paper, a new pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) based on mixing three-dimensional variables of a cat chaotic map is proposed. A uniformly distributed chaotic sequence by a logistic map is used in the mixing step. Both statistical tests and a security analysis indicate that our PRNG has good randomness and is more complex than any one-dimensional variable of a cat map. Furthermore, a new image encryption algorithm based on the chaotic PRNG is provided to protect the content of artwork images. The core of the algorithm is to use the sequence generated by the pseudorandom number generator to achieve the process of disruption and diffusion of the image pixels, so as to achieve the effect of obfuscation and encryption of the image content. Several security tests demonstrate that this image encryption algorithm has a high security level. Full article

Plant motifs had a significant role in ancient cultures, with decorative, artistic, and communicative values. However, little knowledge exists of the botanical composition of festoons, widely used in Greek-Roman art. We analysed 81 festoons, exclusively from sculpture artworks, collected from 13 museums and archaeological sites in Rome (1st century BC–3rd century AD). Using iconographic sources and previous data, we identified the represented species and analysed their abundance and composition using statistical methods (Cluster Analysis, Principal Components Analysis) and diversity indexes (Shannon and Evenness). We documented 3081 botanical elements, identifying 30 taxa, in which fruits with leaves (45%) or alone (10%) represented the most common ones. Laurus nobilis and Quercus cfr. robur were the most frequently depicted species, followed by “pomes” (Pyrus, Malus, Cydonia), Vitis vinifera, Punica granatum, and Ficus carica. Festoons with one or two species can be easily distinguished from those with multiple species, often arranged with figs or vine branches at the ends, with symbolic aims related to fertility, rebirth, and abundance values. A balanced botanical composition also exists, with flowers typically in the middle and a species distribution that is not casual. The results enriched our comprehension of ancient Roman society, considering funerary and celebrative events. Full article

Contemporary architecture is shaped by the paradigm of sustainability and is characteristic of many solutions determined by a relevant set of principles related to shaping the environment based on the ecology of systems focused on the flow of energy. These design principles concern gaining energy from renewable resources, protection against the loss of thermal energy from buildings, protection against the excess of thermal energy in buildings, and proper distribution of thermal energy in buildings. This paper presents a proposal for a method to analyze some building components used as sustainability-related elements given their formal similarity to historic architectural details or some artworks integrated with buildings. It aims to emphasize the potential of a different perspective from which to perceive and assess buildings, and specifically their architectural details, given their spatial and aesthetic values associated with sustainable technical solutions. This study is based on a few differentiated examples. It proves the relations mentioned above true, given the sustainability paradigm epitomized in technical solutions to contemporary buildings and the related aesthetic features characterizing the relevant architectural detailing. Such a perception of buildings is intended to promote unconventional viewing and assessment of them by the public and professionals in the area of architecture and art. It would make them discover new types of aesthetic values, which are usually invisible. Full article

This research contributes to the discussion around the importance of the long-term preservation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and minted digital artworks. The paper is based on a review of the literature on blockchain in art and heritage management and conservation, with particular attention to references related to the production, marketing, maintenance, and distribution of NFT-based digital art. The aims of this paper involve anticipating potential problems in the oversight of NFTs and setting out good long-term management principles and practices as well as specific preservation strategies. Despite the fact that it also discusses issues over authorship, copyright, creative commons, and open access, the paper is particularly devoted to raising concerns about the high energy consumption associated with blockchain technology and its impact on climate change. It also highlights how the preservation of NFTs cannot be neglected, despite the belief that they last forever. Most studies dedicated to analysing the impact of blockchain technology on the cultural heritage sector ignore the most important issue: preserving not only the minted digital artworks themselves but also the respective blockchain networks. Overall, this paper seeks to foster a collective awareness of the need to reflect on blockchain-related art practices and their implications for the long-term protection of cultural property. Full article

The fringe projection (FP) method is an outstanding tool for reconstructing painted surfaces. This technique, which has been used for conservation and digitization, does not damage the artwork and can reach sub-millimeter accuracy. To carry out this type of analysis, it is necessary to achieve the most accurate measurements possible. Measuring the precision that a projector-camera-object arrangement can achieve is a complex task. In this paper, we show an experimental method used to measure the accuracy of this technique with instrumentation within the reach of most conservation laboratories. The method consists of capturing, as a reference model, a stepped cylindrical Nylamid^® pyramid, as a construction whose shape, size, and manufacturing accuracy are known with high precision. The pyramid has eight well-defined steps, which are fashioned with an accuracy more exact than that of the fringe projection method. The height of each step was measured, obtaining the mean and variance of the height measurements fitted to a Gaussian distribution. In this work, we show the measured heights of the steps, obtained by varying the period of the fringes. The smallest detectable step height was less than 44.1 µm; however, this was obtained with a variance in the order of the step height. The smallest detectable step height with a small variance was 0.1008 mm. In addition to this accuracy measurement, a qualitative evaluation of a painting was carried out, finding the presence of possible superimposed thin layers, fabric, and microcracks, which commonly occur in the drying and aging processes. Further research would provide an experimental measurement of the method’s accuracy and its variance as essential for obtaining a confidence criterion that could then be applied to the model of the painting’s surface. Full article

This paper adopts an ecological perspective to investigate the visual and material remains associated with the Xianbei people, a nomadic group active in Northeast Asia from the turn of the common era to the early medieval period. Through the study of metal plaques bearing animal motifs and the environmental contexts of these artworks, I articulate the entangled relationship between humans, animals, and nature. More specifically, this research highlights three groups of zoomorphic designs, including the deer, the horse, and the human–animal juxtaposition. By investigating the stylistic changes and geographical distributions of these three types of zoomorphic metal plaques, I analyze the various roles that animals played in the Xianbei society and the different ways in which the Xianbei people engaged with animals. The shifting relationship between humans and animals as reflected in the zoomorphic metal plaques, I argue, likely resulted from the changing environment of the Xianbei people as they migrated from the Greater Khingan Range to the southern Mongolian Steppe and, finally, to North China. At various stages of their migration, the Xianbei people conducted different modes of living, ranging from hunting, pastoral nomadism, to a sedentary lifestyle, which significantly shaped the design of their zoomorphic metal plaques. Full article

With the increase in massive digitized datasets of cultural artefacts, social and cultural scientists have an unprecedented opportunity for the discovery and expansion of cultural theory. The WikiArt dataset is one such example, with over 250,000 high quality images of historically significant artworks by over 3000 artists, ranging from the 15th century to the present day; it is a rich source for the potential mining of patterns and differences among artists, genres, and styles. However, such datasets are often difficult to analyse and use for answering complex questions of cultural evolution and divergence because of their raw formats as image files, which are represented as multi-dimensional tensors/matrices. Recent developments in machine learning, multi-modal data analysis and image processing, however, open the door for us to create representations of images that extract important, domain-specific features from images. Art historians have long emphasised the importance of art style, and the colors used in art, as ways to characterise and retrieve art across genre, style, and artist. In this paper, we release a massive vector-based dataset of paintings (WikiArtVectors), with style representations and color distributions, which provides cultural and social scientists with a framework and database to explore relationships across these two vital dimensions. We use state-of-the-art deep learning and human perceptual color distributions to extract the representations for each painting, and aggregate them across artist, style, and genre. These vector representations and distributions can then be used in tandem with information-theoretic and distance metrics to identify large-scale patterns across art style, genre, and artist. We demonstrate the consistency of these vectors, and provide early explorations, while detailing future work and directions. All of our data and code is publicly available on GitHub. Full article

Digital entrepreneurship through the employment of smartphones and other handheld device applications is an innovative form of customer approach. Particularly, in the cultural marketing sector, new technologies, such as social media, YouTube channels, and mobile applications may increase the artists’ visibility and attract new partnerships and audiences. In this framework, entrepreneurs-musicians who attended a seminar on Management of Cultural Heritage, Communication and Media in Greece were asked to promote their activities through the creation of a smartphone application. After having completed their endeavor and further evaluated it, they participated in qualitative research based on the theory of experts’ interviews, as a case study. The aim of this paper, through thematic analysis of the conducted interviews, is to reflect upon the dynamics of new technologies in music entrepreneurship. As derived by the analysis, the use of mobile applications may effectively approach prospective partnerships and audiences, especially if combined with other contemporary forms of communication, and results in presenting enhanced professionalism. Audience engagement, which is an issue that is sought while attempting to optimize promotion processes, may be achieved if a further practice is performed. As the research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for this form of making publicly known their artwork was considered essential. Full article