A note on the pensum: This semester, I am not ordering the pensum alphabetically, but rather in subject-based sections. Within these sections, the articles will be assembled in order that should make them easiest to read (in my opinion). Litterature marked * will be available in compendium.
Polychrome sculpture, an Historical Overview
On Riemenschneider:
The following readings are from this publication: Chapuis, Julien, ed., Tilman Riemenschneider, Master Sculptor of the Late Middle Ages, Yale University Press, New Haven/London (2000). For those wishing to consult the original, which has lovely color illustrations, this book is available on the shelf with the pensum in the conservation department – please consult it in the department so that others may access it if they wish:
*Chapuis, Julien, ‘The Study of Riemanschneider’, pp. 36-44; and ‘Catalog 13 A-F’, pp. 208-217.
*Stephan Kemperdick ‘A Sculptor in Würzburg’, pp. 71-82.
*Krohm, Hartmut, ‘The Nonpolychromed Retable: Preliminary or Final Form?’, pp. 63-66.
*Marincola, Michele, ‘The Surfaces of Riemenschneider’, pp. 101-116.
On the development of polychrome sculpture and its study:
*McKim-Smith, Gridley, ‘Spanish Polychrome Sculpture and its Critical Misfortunes’, in Spanish Polychrome Sculpture 1500-1800 in United States Collections. Exh. Cat., The Spanish Institute, New York (NY), Medows Museum, Dallas (TX), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles (CA), Nov. 4, 1993-June 26, 1994, S.L. Stratton, ed., Schneidereith & Sons, New York (1993) pp.13-31.
*Kasl, Ronda, ‘Painters, Polychromy and the Perfection of Images’, in Spanish Polychrome Sculpture 1500-1800 in United States Collections. Exh. Cat., The Spanish Institute, New York (NY), Medows Museum, Dallas (TX), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles (CA), Nov. 4, 1993-June 26, 1994, S.L. Stratton, ed., Schneidereith & Sons, New York[?] (1993) pp. 33-53.
*Blühm, Andreas, ‘In living colour: A short history of colour in sculpture in the 19th century’, in The Colour of Sculpture 1840-1990, A. Blühm, ed., Waanders Uitgeers, Zwolle (1996) pp. 11-19, 25-34, 40-47 and 58-60.
Using painter’s treatises and technical reconstructions as a means to understanding materials and techniques - Cennino Cennini in context
I have left the original texts of Cennini and Theophilus on the pensum shelf in the conservation department. If you wish, you may go and read them there. Otherwise, the section on painting in Theophilus has been copied, and you may look at Cennini online (see below). Again, if you use these books, please consult them in the department so that others may access them if they wish. (There also appears to be a copy of each in the main library).
*Federspiel, Beate, ‘Questions about Medieval Gesso Grounds’, in Preprints, Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice. University of Leiden, the Netherlands, 26-29 June 1995, eds. A. Wallert, E. Hermens and M. Peek, The J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles (1995) pp. 58-64.
*Hawthorne, John G., and Smith, Cyril Stanley, eds., Theophilus, On Divers Arts. The Foremost Medieval Treatise on Painting, Glassmaking and Metalwork, Dover Publications, Inc., New York (1979) [First published University of Chicago Press (1979)] pp. xv-xxii, xxvii-xxxi, 11-43.
*Rhinelander, O. Francis, ‘Book Review: Daniel V. Thompson, Jr., Il Libro dell’ Arte…’, Technical Studies 2/4 (1934) pp. 223-228.
*Tronchelliti, Latifah, The Two Parallel Realities of Alberti and Cennini – The Power of Writing and the Visual Arts in the Italian Quatrocento, Studies in Italian Literature 14, The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston/Queenston/Lampeter (2004) pp. 77-130, 207-214, 249-259.
I would like you to spend some time looking at the contents of Cennini’s treatise, including the introduction. Look especially at the various recipes for painting in oil, on unusual supports, for making ornaments, etc., as well as the “traditional” painting recipes. This is not simply “painting”! He describes many craft procedures. Students taking the practical reconstruction course should read the sections on preparing the panel, painting in tempera and gilding in full. You may do this on-line:
Cennini Cennini, The Craftsman’s Handbook, “Il Libro dell’Arte”, Cennino d’Andrea Cennini, Translated by Daniel V. Thompson, (first printing) Yale University Press, New Haven (1933).http://www.noteaccess.com/Texts/Cennini/
Optional (if you are interested) – have a look at the introduction to Alberti’s text:
Leon Battista Alberti, On Painting [first appeared 1435-36], Translated by John R. Spencer, Yale University Press, New Haven (1970).http://www.noteaccess.com/Texts/Alberti?
The history of wax as a painters material – Fayum to Jasper Johns
*Wehlte, Kurt, The Materials and Techniques of Painting, trans. Ursus Dix, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York/Cincinnati/Toronto/London/Melbourne (1975) pp. 555-563 (Ch. 8: Encaustic Painting). [First published in German 1967]
*Pliny the Elder, ‘[Excerpt from his Natural History]’, in The Art of Painting, From Prehistory Through the Renaissance, eds. P. Seghers and J. Charpier, Hawthorn Books, Inc. Publishers, New York/London (1964) pp. 48-50.
*Pliny the Elder, ‘[Excerpt from his Natural History]’, in Natural History, A Selection, ed. and trans. J. Healy, Penguin Books, New York (1991) pp. xxxiii, 323-341.
*Doxiadis, Euphrosyne, The Mysterious Fayum Portraits. Faces from Ancient Egypt, Harry N. Abrams, New York (1995) 90-102. [First published Thames and Hudson Ltd., London (1995)]
*Dubois, Hélène, ‘‘Use a little wax with your colours, but don't tell anybody’: Joshua Reynolds's painting experiments with wax and his sources’, Hamilton Kerr Institute Bulletin number 3, ed. A. Massing, HKI, Cambridge (2000) pp. 97-106.
*Jones, Rica, in Paint and Purpose, A study of technique in British art, eds. S. Hackney, R. Jones and J. Townsend, Tate Gallery Publishing, London (1999) pp. (Introduction) 11-16, (on Reynolds:) 60-65, 146-151.
Shiny or Matte? – varnishes and varnish materials in and on paintings
Basic Varnishes:
*Phenix, Alan, ‘Artists’ and Conservation Varnishes: An Historical Overview’, Varnishing: Theory and Practice, A.B.P.R. 50th Anniversary Conference, September 1993 (1993) pp. 12-26.
*Kirsh, Andrea, and Levenson, Rustin S., Seeing Through Paintings, Yale University Press, New Haven/London (2000), Chapter 5 ‘The Varnish Layer’ pp. 214-241.
*Plahter, Leif Einar, ‘Ferniss i Historisk Perspektiv’, in Ferniss-seminar 1990, NKF-N, Oslo (1990) pp. 3-23.
*Feller, Robert, ‘Color Change in Oil Paintings’, Carnegie Magazine (October 1954) pp. 276-79.
*Woudhuysen-Keller, Renate, and Woudhuysen, Paul, ‘The history of egg-white varnishes’, Hamilton Kerr Institute Bulletin 2, ed. A. Massing, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (1994) pp. 90-95 [96-141, NOT included in the pensum, consists of an appendix of recipes, for those who might be interested for later research].
*Glanville, Helen, ‘Varnish, Grounds, Viewing Distance, and Lighting: Some Notes on Seventeenth-Century Italian Painting Technique’, in Preprints, Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice. University of Leiden, the Netherlands, 26-29 June 1995, eds. A. Wallert, E. Hermens and M. Peek, The J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles (1995) pp. 12-19.
Resins and Varnishes in painting Media:
*Townsend, Joyce H.; Carlyle, Leslie; Burnstock, Aviva; Odlyha, Marianne, and Boon, Jaap J., ‘Nineteenth-Century Paint Media: The Formulation and Properties of Megilps’, in Contributions to the IIC Dublin Conference, 7-11 September 1998. Painting Techniques: History, Materials and Studio Practice, eds. A. Roy and P. Smith, IIC, London (1998) pp. 205-10. [Note: this is a bit technical – don’t worry about this aspect; just look at the parts on composition and historical use of megilps]
*Carlyle, Leslie, ‘British Nineteenth-Century Oil Painting Instruction Books: A Survey of Their Recommendations for Vehicles, Varnishes and Methods of Paint Application’, Cleaning, Retouching and Coatings: technology and practice for easel paintings and polychrome sculpture. Preprints of the contributions to the Brussels Congress, 3-7 September 1990, eds. J. Mills and P. Smith, IIC, London (1990) pp. 76-80.
Modern Painting and Varnishes:
*Swicklik, Michael J., ‘French Painting and the Use of Varnish 1750-1900’, Conservation Research 41, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. (1993) 157-174.
*Katz, Kenneth B., ‘The Artist’s Intention and the Varnishing of German Expressionist Paintings: Two Case Studies’, Cleaning, Retouching and Coatings: technology and practice for easel paintings and polychrome sculpture. Preprints of the contributions to the Brussels Congress, 3-7 September 1990, eds. J. Mills and P. Smith, IIC, London (1990) pp. 158-9.
*Richardson, John, ‘Crimes Against the Cubists’, Historical and Philosophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, eds. N.S. Price, M. Kirby Talley Jr., and A. Melucco Vaccaro, The Getty Conservation Insitutute, Los Angeles (1996) pp. 185-192. [Originally printed in New York Reivew of Books 30, no. 10 (1983) pp. 32-34.]
*Jirat-Wasiutynski, Vojtech, and Travers Newton Jr., H., ‘Absorbent Grounds and the Matt Aesthetic in Post-Impressionist Painting’, in Contributions to the IIC Dublin Conference, 7-11 September 1998. Painting Techniques: History, Materials and Studio Practice, eds. A. Roy and P. Smith, IIC, London (1998) pp. 235-39.
Frames, an overview
Have a look at the following site where you will find a good summary and illustrations of the major frame types:http://www.paulmitchell.co.uk/fomp.htm
*Brettell, Richard R., ‘The Art of the Edge: The Art Museum and the Picture as Frame’, The Art of the Edge: European Frames 1300-1900, R.R. Brettell and S. Starling, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago (1986) pp. 11-18.
*Starling, Steven, ‘European Frames in The Art Institute of Chicago’, The Art of the Edge: European Frames 1300-1900, R.R. Brettell and S. Starling, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago (1986) pp. 26-44 plus ‘Glossary’ pp. 119-120.
[Note: although I have not included copies of the catalogue entries referred to – due to the poor quality of copying such images - the different styles may all be found on the website above]
*Kemp, Wolfgang, ‘A Shelter for Paintings’, In Perfect Harmony: Picture + Frame, 1850-1920, Exhibition Catalogue, Van Gogh Museum/Kunstforum Wien, Waanders Uitgevers, Zwolle (1995) pp. 13-24.
*Cohn, Isabelle, ‘Edgar Degas’, In Perfect Harmony: Picture + Frame, 1850-1920, Exhibition Catalogue, Van Gogh Museum/Kunstforum Wien, Waanders Uitgevers, Zwolle (1995) pp. 129-134.
*Bailey, W.H., Defining Edges: A New Look at Picture Frames, Harry N. Abrams, New York (2002) pp. 10-17, 33-35, 51-52, 94-97, 104, 106.
*Kirsh, Andrea, and Levenson, Rustin S., Seeing Through Paintings, Yale University Press, New Haven and London (2000) pp. 246-253.
Additional information regarding early engaged frames may be found in the pensum from 2040:
Dunkerton, J., Foister, S., Gordon, D. and Penny, N., Giotto to Dürer: Early Renaissance Painting in the National Gallery, New Haven/London (1991) 152-161. Lecture 2: 2040
Véliz, Zahira, ‘Wooden Panels and Their Preparation for Painting from the Middle Ages to the Seventeenth Century in Spain’, in The Structural Conservation of Panel Paintings. Proceedings of a symposium at the J. Paul Getty Museum, 24-28 April, 1995, eds. K. Dardes and A. Rothe, The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles (1998) 144-6. Lecture 2: 2040
Wadum, J?rgen, 'Historical Overview of Panel-Making Techniques in the Northern Countries', in The Structural Conservation of Panel Paintings. Proceedings of a symposium at the J. Paul Getty Museum, 24-28 April, 1995, eds. K. Dardes and A. Rothe, The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles (1998) 160-165. Lecture 2: 2040
Kontinentale 1600-talls malerier og malere i Norge
*Bruyn, J., ‘Studio Practice and Studio Production’, A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, Rembrandt Research Project 3, The Hague/Boston/London (1982) pp. 12-50.
*Fr?ysaker, Tine, ‘Seventeenth-Century Church Paintings of Gottfried Hendtzschel: Technical Examination and Church Records’, Painting Techniques, History, Materials and Studio Practice, Contributions to the IIC Dublin Congress 7-11 September 1998, London (1998) pp. 180-185.
*Plahter, Leif Einar, ‘Thomas de Keysers familiebilde i Nasjonalgalleriet. En r?ntgenunders?kelse’, Meddelelser om konservering (1963) pp. 18-19.
*Plahter, Leif Einar, ’Thomas de Keysers Familiescene’, Conservare Necesse Est, Festskrift til Leif Einar Plahter p? hans 70-?rsdag, Nordisk Konservatorforbund, Oslo (1999) pp. 35-41.
*Plahter, Leif Einar, and Simonsen Plahter, Unn, ’The Young Christ among the Doctors by Teodoer van Baburen. Technique and Condition of a Dutch Seventeenth Century Painting on Canvas’, Conservare Necesse Est, Festskrift til Leif Einar Plahter p? hans 70-?rsdag, Nordisk Konservatorforbund, Oslo (1999) pp. 42-64.
*Plahter, Unn, ‘Baburen Re-Examined’, Conservare Necesse Est, Festskrift til Leif Einar Plahter p? hans 70-?rsdag, Nordisk Konservatorforbund, Oslo (1999) pp. 66-67.
*Solstad, J?rgen, ’Irgensepitafiet i R?ros kirke ’, NIKU publikasjoner 118, Oslo (2002) pp. 3, 7-11, 17, 22.
*Stein, Mille, ‘Sammenlignende betraktninger omkring en 1600-talls dobbeltgrundering’, Meddelelser om konservering 3 (1979) pp. 1-8.
*Stein, Mille, ’Randbemerkinger. Et dobbelteksponert familieportrett’, Kunst og Kultur 3, Oslo (1986) pp.178-184.
Hans Christian Dahls materialer og maleteknikk
*Bang, Marie L?drup, Johan Christian Dahl 1788-1857. Life and works 1, Oslo (1987)pp 99-114.
*Cove, Sara, ‘Constable's Oil Painting Materials and Techniques’, in Constable, eds. Leslie Parris and Ian Fleming-Williams, Tate Gallery, London (1991) pp. 493-529.
*Malmanger, Magne, ‘Crafty romantics’, Conservare necesse est. Festskrift til Leif Einar Plahter p? hans 70-?rsdag, Nordisk konservatorforbund, Oslo (1999) pp. 162-167.
*Plahter, Leif Einar, and Plahter, Unn, ’J.C. Dahls malerier. En teknisk unders?kelse’, Johan Christian Dahl 1788-1857. Jubileumsutstilling 1988, Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo (1988) pp. 59-77.
From Apprentice to the Academy - Training of Painters
*Bruyn, J., ‘Studio Practice and Studio Production’, A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, Rembrandt Research Project 3, The Hague/Boston/London (1982) pp. 12-50. Same as in “Kontinentale 1600-talls malerier”, above
*Goldstein, Carl, Teaching Art. Academies and Schools from Vasari to Albers, Cambridge U. Press, Cambridge (1996) 10-29, 30-48, 49-74.
*Campbell, Lorne, ‘The Early Netherlandish Painters and their Workshops’, in Le dessin sous-jacent dans la peinture: Colloque III, 6-8 septembre 1979, Le problème Ma?tre de Flémalle-Van der Weyden, eds. D. Hollanders-Favart and R. Van Schoute, Louvain-la-Neuve (1981) pp. 43-61.
*Campbell, Lorne, ‘The Art Market in the Southern Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century’, The Burlington Magazine 118 (1976) pp. 188-98.
*Thomas, Anabel, The Painter’s Practice in Renaissance Tuscany, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1995) pp. (training) 62-75.
*Jones, Rica, ‘The Artist’s Training and Techniques’, in Manners and Morals: Hogarth and British Painting, 1700-1760, Catalogue, The Tate Gallery, London (1987) pp. 19-22.
Tech Support: The history of the ongoing search for the "lost" techniques of the Old Masters and some of their studio "secrets" (tools, studios, perspective, etc.)
"Lost" Secrets
*Gage, John, ‘Chapter 11: Magilphs and Mysteries’, Colour and Meaning: Art, Science and Symbolism, Thames and Hudson, London (1999) pp. 153-161.
A bit of Everything:
*Ayres, James, The Artist’s Craft: A History of Tools, Techniques and Materials, Guild Publishing, London (1985) 23-36 [studio], 38-53 [models, equipment: easles, lay figures], 63-71 [perspective and drawing aids], 111-126 [brushes, palettes and tools].
Perspective
*Wadum, J?rgen, ‘Vermeer in Perspective’, in Johannes Vermeer, ed. A.K. Wheelock Jr., Catalogue, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. (1995) pp. 67-79.
*Bomford, David, 'Review: David Hockney...', Burlington Magazine 144, no. 1188 (2002) 173-4.
*Foister, Susan; Roy, Ashok, and Wyld, Martin, Making & Meaning: Holbein’s Ambassadors, National Gallery Publications, London (1997) pp. 50-55, 94-96.
The Palette:
*Callen, Anthea, ‘Grounds and the palette’, in The Art of Impressionism: Painting technique and the making of modernity, Yale University Press, New Haven/London (2000) pp. 65-66.
*Gage, John, ‘The Palette: ‘Mother of All Colours’, Colour and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Anitquity to Abstraction, Thames & Hudson, London (1993) pp. 177-189.
The Studio:
*Thomas, Anabel, The Painter’s Practice in Renaissance Tuscany, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1995) pp. (the workshop) 27-43, 55-62.
*Callen, Anthea, ‘Making Light Modern’, in The Art of Impressionism: Painting technique and the making of modernity, Yale University Press, New Haven/London (2000) pp. 110-126.