Sample preparation for the GRIEG project – investigating historic recipes and conservation techniques

The approaching start date of the GRIEG project fills us with enthusiasm – so many new problems and questions are waiting to be investigated!

To broaden our knowledge about easel painting, specifically in tempera painting techniques and the conservation materials used to repair them, we visited the studio of our project partner – dr Aleksandra Hola. Dr. Hola is an assistant professor at the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Easel Paintings at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Her extensive experience in the field consists of participation in many international projects in cooperation with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. From 2012-2015, Dr. Hola received a three-year scholarship to participate in the  “Panel Paintings Initiative” sponsored by the Getty Foundation.

Knowledge about materials and techniques used by old masters is crucial for the preparation of relevant mockups for our experiments. Samples will be used to study processes that paintings are subjected to during years of exposure to fluctuating climate conditions. We are interested in observing how these fluctuations influence their properties and long term stability.

Cultural Heritage Research members visiting dr. Aleksandra Hola in her conservation studio in Krakow
As we gear up for the start of the GRIEG Craquelure project in September, we visited a studio and consulted our partner and panel conservation expert, dr. Aleksandra Hola of Krakow Fine Art Academy, to learn more about tempera paint and conservation materials.  

Brainstorming in the studio provided us with a lot of valuable information, but also aesthetic impressions – it motivates our desire to continuously improve our understanding and preservation strategies for such beautiful works of art so they may be enjoyed for generations.

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