We are pleased to announce a new, online edition of the NICAS colloquium on Thursday 4 May 2023 from 12.00 to 13.00 hrs. The colloquium will take place online through Microsoft Teams.
Throughout the year, NICAS organises a bi-weekly Colloquium consisting of two short research lectures. It provides researchers with the opportunity to present ideas for, updates on or results of their activities. The NICAS Colloquium allows people to stay informed on a regular basis about the latest developments and results of research and to exchange information and expertise.
The chair of this colloquium is Jorien Duivenvoorden (Rijksmuseum and UVA)
The presenters are:
► Marjolijn Bol – The Varnish and the Glaze. Painting Splendor with Oil, 1100-1500
Abstract:
In her talk, Marjolijn Bol will present her monograph on the history of varnishing and glazing, recently published with the University of Chicago Press.
Panel painters in both the middle ages and the fifteenth century created works that evoke the luster of precious stones, the sheen of polished gold and silver, and the colorful radiance of stained glass. Yet their approaches to rendering these materials were markedly different. The Varnish and the Glaze explores some of the reasons behind this radical transformation by telling the history of the two oil painting techniques used to depict everything that glistens and glows—varnish and glaze.
Bio:
Marjolijn Bol (UU) is Associate Professor in Technical Art History and PI of the ERC Starting Project Dynamics of the Durable (2020-2025). Trained as an art historian, her research intersects with historical studies of craft, technology, and knowledge, with a special focus on performative methods (reconstruction) and written sources on art technology. In 2014, she received a VENI grant for her research on the history of imitation materials in the arts. Her current ERC research project DURARE investigates the history of durability in art from the perspective of artisans and patrons. Marjolijn is a member of the Utrecht Young Academy and a member of De Jonge Akademie of the KNAW.
► Ida Bronken – What now? Soft and dripping paint in Cobra and Art autre
Abstract:
The thesis: French Connections: Soft and dripping paint in Cobra and Art Autre (1949-1972), was defended at the UVA in 2022. A central aspect to the thesis is to document the material practises of artists associated with Cobra and Art Autre and condition issues associated with soft paint. Soft paint is for this purpose defined as a layer that reacts by deforming in response to light-to-moderate pressure applied in standard museum climatic conditions. The talk will include the visual and physical tell-tale signs associated with soft paint. The main findings from a comparative and contrasting qualitative analysis of the contextual material on artist studios, materials and biographies will be presented. Furthermore, extensive analysis was conducted on samples typical with a set of condition categories. These results strongly indicated that the condition categories do have a stronger association with particular chemical fingerprints.
Bio:
Ida Antonia Tank Bronken is a senior paintings conservator at the National Museum of Norway. Before graduating in conservation of art in 2002 at the University of Oslo she studied art history, history of ideas and art. She currently focuses on the conservation and study of 20th century art, but has experience from travelling exhibitions, medieval, folk art and cultural heritage collections. In 2022 Bronken defended the PhD thesis French Connections: Soft and dripping paint in Cobra and Art Autre 1949-1972 at the University of Amsterdam with Klaas Jan van den Berg (RCE and UVA) and Ella Hendriks (UVA) as promotors. A revised version of the thesis is due for publication in 2023 with Archetype publications.