“ Over the same wavelength: art, science and conservation ”: use science to understand art

When visualizing paintings, people usually focus on what they can see. But often, the stories behind painting – the way it was done to the way it came to a museum – are just as interesting.

“On the same wavelength: art, science and conservation”, a new Nasher exhibition, uses science to look at the mysterious past of certain works of art. In the process, it highlights an often neglected intersection of art and science and gives an overview of art history.

“On the same wavelength: Art, Science and Conservation” results from “Conservation course: development and design of exhibition”, a course in the theory and concentration of the practice of the Museum of Major in Art History. During the course, students worked under the supervision of Dr Julia Mchugh, Trent A. Carmichael, Director of Academic and Conservative initiatives of the art of the Americas, and associate curator, Dr. Katherine Werwie to design an exhibition. They received the help of Heidi Kastenholz, James Bonk Fellow and a doctoral student in chemistry, and scientists and art conservatives from Duke and beyond.

The exhibition was co-organized by four Trinity students: Juniors Anna Grace Grossnickle and Hailey Kasney and Seniors Abigail Hartemink and Beatrice Kleeger. Everyone was responsible for several articles in the vast collection of Nasher which had unknown origins or faced unique conservation challenges. During the semester, they studied the stories of works of art by using the tools of the technical history of art, which combines science, the conservation of art and the history of art. Each student had the chance to present their results when the exhibition was opened on January 30.

Anna Grace Grossnickle chose to study a statue of a baby Jesus of Nazareth. She learned the story of her cleaning and maintenance and has carried out several pigment analyzes in the hope of better understanding the origins of the room. Although she did not completely discover the history of the play, she helped reduce her origins and discovered that the doll was originally dressed in clothes. According to an email in The Chronicle, Grossnickle took the course to confirm its interest in the work of the museum as a career and hoped that visitors would leave curious to know how science and conservation can help tell the story of art.

Abigail Hartemink focused on the “allegorical portrait of a lady”, a portrait of Pieter Conelisz Van Slingeland of the 17th century. Using an infrared reflectography, she saw under the layers of paint to discover a sketch below. This revealed how the painting was drawn and provided more details on the strongly shaded section on the left side of the paint.

Heidi Kastenholz discussed “Madonna of Humity”, another painting with an uncertain story. Thanks to the fluorescence spectroscopy of X -rays, it analyzed the elementary composition of art, revealing the presence of specific compounds which allowed it to identify the paintings used, providing new information on where and when the painting has been carried out.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Kastenholz said that she wanted to work in the history of technical art and devoted her doctoral work to related subjects. Kastenholz learned the exhibition of an email from the department and quickly decided to join her scientific consultant. The process was both an experience of teaching and learning, because it educated conservatives on different techniques while learning artistic terminology and the work of the museum. She was particularly delighted “to help people watching art as a scientist would do” and appreciated the freedom of creation given to the conservatives of the students, who were allowed to change the color of the wall to provide a stronger contrast to the work of art.

Hailey Kasney discussed a wooden brother whom the Nasher had long suspected that it was an artifact re -rear or container. Almost 60 years ago, this same statue was brought to Duke hospital and was radiographic to discover what could be inside. The results were not conclusive, which prompted a new analysis for this exposure using a more powerful computed tomography.

The new scan revealed an empty lined cavity inside the statue, confirming that it was probably a reliquary. According to an interview email, Kasney wanted to take the course since I saw the work of a previous class, and called its conservation in the Nasher “an absolutely surreal feeling”. She wants all visitors to the exhibition “curious” and “engage with interactive components”, leaving with “an appreciation for collaboration”.

Beatrice Kleeger examined a teotihuacán incense burner. Traditionally, such elements have been used for ritual and dismantled purposes after the end of the ritual. However, this piece was then reached, and she spent part of her semester trying to understand how they accomplished this. His work has provided new information on the role that changes play in preserving art.

In addition to the works covered in the opening of the exhibition, “on the same wavelength: art, science and conservation” highlights a number of other works. These range from statues to large paintings to a painted work specifically to fade slowly over time. Each piece is accompanied by an exploration of the history of the room and a description of the methods used to study or protect it.

Overall, the exhibition is pleasant. Although limited in number, the parts offer a significant interest, and everyone has a story that is worth learning. The overall objective of the exhibition is also intriguing, demonstrating how science can be used to protect art and improve our appreciation, showing that these two distinct fields can always work together. In doing so, the exhibition is also strongly argument that history behind works of art is often as interesting as the pieces themselves. After all, art does not exist in a vacuum; It is the product of his time and cannot really be understood without this added context.

On the same wavelength:
Art, science and conservation will be in Nasher until June 22, 2025