Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Sometimes the faded tones of ancient art are an aesthetic in themselves. Take, for example, the possibly shocking images of Greek marble statues in their original colors. Likewise, some iconic works of art we enjoy today will probably look quite different in a while, and this new tool shows us exactly how it could work.
In a recent advertisementThe Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) launched the Light Damage Estimator, a new digital tool that simulates how pigments used in paints might fade over time. The tool has adjustable factors for color, light source and intensity, and exposure time. For now, it is best suited to describe particularly vulnerable colors in the work of Edvard Munch. the screambut the team hopes to expand the capabilities of its model.
Here’s a video showing the tool’s prediction of what this famous painting might look like in about 300 years:
color chemistry
In the world of artificial pigments like paint, not all colors are created equal. In principle, these paints are chemical compounds created to appear a certain color. Therefore, artificial dyes are subject to the rules of chemistry. And as the bonds between the atoms of these pigments weaken, the colors fade too.
Irina-Mihaela Ciortan, a postdoctoral researcher at NTNU who led the project, believed similar processes would have occurred for a painting as vibrant as Munch’s. the scream. That is, not even advances in conservation techniques could perfectly freeze tiny molecular bonds in time, especially for colors like yellow or red “which are sensitive to light and change slowly over time,” Ciortan adds in the statement.
Color fastness test
To collect data for the tool, Ciortan and his colleagues first used X-ray fluorescence to identify the chemical composition of the pigment colors in Munch’s famous painting. They found a variety of compounds, such as mercury in cinnabar for red, cadmium for yellow, and cobalt in cobalt blue and ultramarine.
They then reconstructed the painting using this information and placed it inside a climate chamber for a variety of aging tests. These chemical replicas remained in the chamber for several days, and the team monitored changes in the fake paintings when they were subjected to “accelerated aging” processes, such as strong humidity and light conditions.
“The idea is that since the samples have the same properties as the original paint, changes in them can reflect both historical and future changes in the scream“, the researchers explained. It was from these data sets that the team arrived at the Light Damage Estimator.
going further the scream
But as things stand now, the Minor Damage Estimator is more of an interesting project than a practical tool for all conservators. As the equipment admits, the model works mainly with the scream and a few other selected paints and only deals with cadmium yellow and cinnabar red, or the colors most vulnerable to light. Hey, you have to start somewhere.
To expand the project, the team says it will explore partnerships with conservators to collect more data for its model, as well as take into account as many environmental factors as possible. The researchers are also considering implementing artificial intelligence tools to automate the model.
“Until these challenges are resolved, it may be more useful to collaborate with museums that have data similar to what we used in our project,” Ciortan said.
