The Green Patina and Chromatic Alterations on Surfaces of Gypsum Plaster Casts by Lucio Fontana: Multidisciplinary Investigations in a Case Study of Contemporary Art

Coatings

Silvia Bruni¹  Vittoria Guglielmi¹  Margherita Longoni¹  Federica Troiano²  Francesca Cappitelli²  Nicola G. Ludwig³ 

[1] Department of Chemistry, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy;Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy;Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy;

关键词: plaster casts;    Lucio Fontana;    green patina;    microscopy;    spectroscopy;    gypsum;   

DOI  :  10.3390/coatings12040426

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Literature reports on Lucio Fontana’s work have focused on the study of the pictorial surface of his paintings. Consequently, to the best of our knowledge, this paper presents the first scientific investigation of gypsum objects made by this artist. These are the gypsum plaster casts made for the construction of the fifth door of the Milan Cathedral, Italy, which were discovered after 60 years, and which showed a green patina and chromatic discolorations. With the aim of understanding the microbiological or chemical nature of the stains, the surfaces of the tiles were investigated by microbiological analysis and analytical techniques including observations by optical, fluorescence and electron microscopy and spectroscopy. The investigated samples showed that the amount of microbiological cells in the stained area was negligible. Chemical analyses allowed the identification of compounds responsible for the chromatic alterations.

【 授权许可】

Unknown