UCL - Scientific methods in Art History

[ARKM2320]

[15h] 4 credits

This course is taught in the 2d semester.

Teacher(s): Anne Dubois

Language: English

Level: Second

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

The aim pursued is to learn how to read technical documents and how to interpret different results presented by a laboratory. This teaching is intended for students who want to be involved with technical examination of works of art. Examples are chosen in painting. The technical characteristics of a painting are relevant when it comes to an evaluation of authenticity, attribution, datation, state of conservation¿

Main themes

The field of application will be the Early Netherlandish Painting School (15th and 16th Centuries). During the last decennia this school of painting has attracted many scholars specialized in technical examination. An abundant litterature resulted, amounting to a sort of "history of art in the making".

Content and teaching methods

Contents for 2008-2009: mainly considered are: stereoscopic binocular microscopy, radiography, ultraviolet fluorescence, infrared reflectography and physico-chemical methods of pigments identification. The immediate reading of the document is a first challenged; another challenge is the interpretation of the data and their implications for art history.

Reading list: excerpts of: National Gallery, Technical Bulletin, London; Actes des Colloque pour l'étude du dessin sous-jacent et de la technologie dans la peinture, Louvain-la-Neuve/Leuven; J.-P. Mohen, L'Art et la Science. L'esprit des chefs d'oeuvre, Gallimard, 1998.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Prerequisites : none.
Evaluation : oral examination (20 )
Support : student notes. A selective commented bibliography is distributed.