Syllabus - Traditional Painting Materials & Methods

Summer 2024
Mon, June 10 - Fri, Jul 5, 2024 (four weeks)
Amelia, Italy
Meets daily: Monday – Friday, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM (4 weeks)
Afternoon Workshop: Monday - Friday, 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM (4 weeks)
Location: TBD (classroom for both lectures and workshop)
Lead Instructor: Professor Nikolas Vakalis

No prerequisites required.

Catalog Description:
This course provides a comprehensive exploration of the traditional painting materials and techniques that were commonly employed in Italy during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. With a primary focus on individuals aspiring to study art conservation, the course also investigates the factors that accelerate the deterioration of these materials, along with the various restoration approaches employed to address them.

Format:
Participate in informative lectures and lively discussions based on assigned readings and lecture material. Esteemed professionals specializing in restoration and conservation of paintings in different media will deliver presentations on diverse topics, fostering a deeper understanding of both historical and contemporary artwork.

Student Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, students will have achieved the following:

·       Explore diverse painting techniques, including easel paintings, wall paintings, and wall decorations, utilizing historical materials and techniques.
·       Analyze and compare the organic and inorganic materials specific to each painting technique and each step for their creation, such as supports, preparatory layers, binders, and pigments.
·       Illustrate the chemical processes and reactions involved in fresco paintings and a wall decoration like sgraffito.
·       Distinguish and evaluate the variations in fresco production across different historical periods.
·       Explain the various causes of deterioration that can impact each painting technique and explore potential restoration methods to mitigate their effects.

Grading:
Participation                30%
Midterm Exam            35%
Final Exam                35%

Required Reading
Cennino Cennini, The Craftsman’s Handbook. (provided)

Mrs Mary P Merrifield, Art of Fresco Paint in Middle Ages: In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (Dover Fine Art, History of Art), Paperback – 27 Feb. 2004

Lecture Topics:
Part 1. Traditional Methods and Materials in Painting
• Supports
o Masonry o Wood
o Canvas
• Paint
o Pigments
¤ Natural
¤ Synthetic
o Binders
• Varnishes and Velature
• Fresco painting
o Materials
¤ Stucco
¤ Lime
¤ Lime cycle and chemistry
¤ Carbonation
¤ Aggregates, sand, marble, dust
¤ Arriccio
¤ Intonaco
¤ Pictorial layer
¤ Carbonation
Fresco tradition
o Ancient Roman
¤ Pontata
¤ Polishing
o Byzantine
o Renaissance
¤ Giornata
• Sgraffito
• Painting on wood board using 14th century methods
o Board structure
o Board preparation
o Incamottatura
o Gesso rendering
o Pigments and tempera binding
• Gilding
o Gouache gilding method (bolo) o Burnishing
o Mordant gilding method
• Oil painting on canvas
o Stretchers
o Canvas
o Rendering
o Pigments and oil binders
o Varnishes and velature

Part 2. Deterioration
• Causes of deterioration
o Aging and chemical deterioration
o Detachment of pictorial layers
o Wear and tear
o Environmental
o Biological attack
o Accumulations of dirt

• Approaches to restoration
o Cleaning o Consolidation
o Treatment of lacunae

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