Art history in the 21st century

Issued: Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:49:00 GMT

The relatively new subject of technical art history links art historical research and scientific analysis together. Dr Erma Hermens (pictured) and two PhD students are currently working with geologists, chemists and engineers to develop the discipline and forge new ways of analysing works of art.

According to Dr Hermens, who joined the University from the Netherlands in 2006 as a Kelvin Smith fellow, technical art history is concerned with every aspect of the artistic process: ‘We look at an artwork in its historical, cultural and theoretical context. But we also examine the materials, techniques, tools and processes used by the artist from medieval times to the present. You could say that we look at the artwork as a physical entity. Through the application of scientific analyses – similar to those used by, for example, chemists and geologists – and various imaging techniques such as x-radiography and infrared reflectography, we can identify the materials and techniques artists used.’

The typical technical art history approach combines art historical research, including for instance a study of the artist’s preliminary sketches and drawings and contemporary technical treatises, with scientific analyses of techniques and materials. 

One work which is being studied in this way is Still Life with Dead Game, by the 17th-century Flemish painter Frans Snyders. Its conservation by Lesley Stevenson, senior painting conservator at the National Galleries in Edinburgh, provided an excellent opportunity for a technical examination of Snyders’ technique. 

Dr Hermens explains: ‘First, tiny samples about the size of a grain of salt were taken. These cross-sections were then examined with visible light and ultraviolet microscopy, before colleague Peter Chung analysed them by using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray microanalysis. This way we could identify the pigments in Snyders’ paints and the build-up of ground and paint layers he used to make the fruits and animals in the painting appear so realistic.’ 

According to Dr Hermens, this approach gives a greater understanding of historical studio practice, questions of attribution, original intent and the effects of ageing. It also supports conservation research.

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• Dr Erma Hermens