Spectroscopic Investigations of a Vandalized Contemporary Acrylic Painting on Canvas Using Model Paintings and Chemometrics

Sequentially shifted excitation (SSE) Raman results on artificiallyaged acrylic-based model paints and Tela (1973) canvas painting by Griffa suggest the surface enrichment in surfactant. Vandalic trait, with an orange felt-tip pen, consists of an acrylic binder and azo-dyes. Spectral markers, FTIR (1731 cm⁻¹), and Raman (1600, 1502 cm⁻¹), have been identified to support the monitoring of the vandalic trait removal.

The characterization and conservation of materials constituting contemporary art pose a significant challenge for scientists and restorers due to the wide variability, heterogeneity in their compositions, and their chemical instability. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the composition and ageing of materials in contemporary artworks, specifically, the analytical painting and the materials involved in a vandalic act. To this purpose, an acrylic painting on raw canvas is examined, Tela by Giorgio Griffa (1973), along with model samples purposely prepared together with the painter. Felt-tip marker vandalic act, by which the painting was disfigured, is analyzed as well. The analytical approach entails a combination of noninvasive spectroscopic techniques to study the molecular composition and changes induced by artificial ageing in model samples. The results are correlated with those obtained on the painting to support the development of a suitable conservation treatment to remove the effects of vandalic act.

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