Italian Gothic painting /

Includes bibliography (p. 54) and index.

Cuestiones de pintura y miniatura en Cerdeña: modelos, intercambios y relaciones internacionales en la segunda mitad del siglo XV

Durante el siglo XV Cerdeña desempeña, gracias a su posicionamiento geográfico en el centro del Mediterráneo, un papel muy importante en la red de comercio internacional. Este movimiento económico-cultural fomenta una extensa producción artística que está caracterizada por depender fuertemente de la presencia en la isla de talleres y artistas catalanes. Al día de hoy se conoce muy poco la presencia y las características de la pintura del gótico tardío en la Cerdeña. Las dificultades encontradas por los investigadores en la reconstrucción de la historia del arte sarda de esta época son numerosas y difíciles de solucionar. El problema depende de la falta de fuentes documentales (directas e indirectas), de la gran dispersión de muchísimas obras, de la inaccesibilidad de unas de las obras más interesantes; del desplazamiento casi total de las obras de su sitio original, y del total anonimato de la mayoría de los artistas. En estas condiciones la única solución para alcanzar nuevos elementos científicos es: integrar los conocimientos procedente de las fuentes documentales; ampliar la practica metodológica (multidisciplinariedad), conectar el tejido sardo (pintura, miniatura, grabados) con el ámbito internacional. El objetivo final es introducir la pintura sarda en un contexto más amplio, para poder descubrir el sistema de modelos y de relaciones artísticas, que la conectan con el mundo artístico mediterráneo. El trabajo de este primer año ha sido particularmente intenso y complicado por las dificultades encontradas en ponerse en un tema tan vasto como lo de la pintura y los modelos figurativos de la segunda mitad del siglo XV. Principales objetivos: averiguar toda la bibliografía conocida sobre el tema e intentar ampliar los estudios cada vez que se encontraban indicios sobre posibles autores y obras sardas; empezar el trabajo de catalogación de las obras pictóricas (conocidas o recien descubiertas.)

Quatre pintors de Tarragona a la ciutat de Tortosa. Algunes notícies d'arxiu

El principal objectiu d'aquest article és donar a coneixer el contracte d'un retaule signat el17 d'octubre de 1455 entre el bisbe i el capítol de la Seu de Tortosa, de l'una banda, i el pintor Valentí Montoliu, veí de Sant Mateu, de l'altra. El coneixement d'aquest contracte té molt d'interes perque Valentí Montoliu fou el pintor més important de la diocesi de Tortosa a la segona meitat del segle XV, i aquest retaule, per moltes raons i algunes d'aquestes documentades, va ser la més important de les seves obres i perque demostra que 1 'artista va treballar a la ciutat de Tortosa, possibilitat que, fins ara, havia estat negada per la crítica. A més, I'article aporta altres novetats documentals relatives a alguns pintors com Valentí Montoliu, procedents de Tarragona (essent aquest origin directe o indirecte), els quals van treballar a Tortosa durant la segona meitat del segle XV.

O tríptico da paixão de Cristo do Palácio Nacional da Ajuda: história, estudo material, iconografia e filiação estílistica

O objeto de estudo desta dissertação é um pequeno tríptico do Palácio Nacional da Ajuda, provavelmente dos finais do séc. XV, sobre o qual existe pouca informação. A obra pertence ao acervo de pintura antiga deste palácio/museu (inv. 3540) e encontra-se exposta no “Atelier de Pintura de D. Luís”. Trata-se de uma pintura sobre tábua de carvalho, em mau estado de conservação, representando cinco episódios relativos à Paixão de Cristo: a Flagelação, a Coroação de Espinhos, o Caminho do Calvário e duas cenas relativas à Ressurreição. Apresenta uma iconografia singular, mas as suas características gerais indicam tratar-se de uma pintura tardo-gótica do Norte da Europa, nomeadamente da Alemanha. O objetivo desta tese de mestrado em História da Arte, Património e Teoria do Restauro, consiste na investigação histórica e material desta obra, sobre a qual existe pouca informação. Por ser desconhecida a sua cronologia, autoria e local de produção, além de não haver qualquer documentação ou bibliografia sobre a mesma, iremos estudar esta obra a partir da sua materialidade, iconografia e estilo, na medida em que a obra é um “documento vivo”. Tendo sido agora encontrada a única e a mais antiga referência documental relativa a esta obra, nos arrolamentos de 1913 do palácio (Inventário Judicial), este tríptico consta na "Galeria de Quadros”, indicando ter pertencido à coleção de pintura de D. Luís I. Interessa, então, focar a política de aquisições de pintura antiga nórdica desenvolvida pelo monarca, tentando perceber porque é que o tríptico não consta nos catálogos das exposições (duas edições dos catálogos, 1869 e 1872) da “Galeria de Pintura no Real Paço da Ajuda”, aberta ao público em1869. Porque a interdisciplinaridade entre arte e ciência é fundamental para um conhecimento mais profundo da História da Arte, esta obra foi objeto de um estudo material que consistiu no levantamento in situ da pintura (exames de área e de ponto), na análise laboratorial (estratigrafia, pigmentos e aglutinantes) e na integração dos resultados, para compreender a técnica pictórica, que se articula com a análise iconográfica e de filiação estilística, contribuindo para a integração da obra no seu contexto histórico-cultural de origem, como pintura devocional germânica.

Calcium sulfate fillers and binders in Portuguese 15th and 16th centuries: Ground layers from a family painting workshop — Study by multianalytical spectroscopic techniques

This study presents results on a developed methodology to characterize ground layers in Portuguese workshops. In this work a set of altarpieces of the 15th and 16th centuries, assigned to Coimbra painting workshop was studied, overall the masters Vicente Gil (doc. Coimbra 1498–1525), Manuel Vicente (doc. Coimbra 1521–1530) and Bernardo Manuel (act. c. 1559–94), father, son and grandson, encompassing from late gothic to mannerist periods. The aim of the study is to compare ground layers, fillers and binders of Coimbra workshop, and to correlate their characteristics to understand the technical evolution of this family of painters, using complementary microscopic techniques. The cross-sections from the groups of paintings were examined by optical microscopy and the results were integrated through the analysis obtained by μ-X–ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X–ray Spectrometry, μ-confocal Raman and occasionally with μ-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy imaging. Ground layers are of calcium sulfate, present as gesso grosso (mainly anhydrite with small amounts of gypsum) in the first and last phases of the workshop and gesso mate (mainly gypsum with small amounts of anhydrite) in an intermediate period. Binders have protein and oleic characteristics.

The Gothic scene of international relations: ghosts, monsters, terror and the sublime after September 11

Accepting Furet’s claim that events acquire meaning and significance only in the context of narratives, this article argues that a particular type of international relations narrative has emerged with greater distinction after the traumatic experience of September 11: the gothic narrative. In a sense the political rhetoric of President Bush marks the latest example of America’s fine tradition in the gothic genre that began with Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne and extends through Henry James to Stephen King. His discourse of national security, it will be shown, assumes many of the predicates of gothic narratives. The gothic scenes evoked by Bush as much as Poe involve monsters and ghosts in tenebrous atmospheres that generate fear and anxiety, where terror is a pervasive tormentor of the senses. Poe’s narratives, for example, turn on encounters with dark, perverse, seemingly indomitable, forces often entombed in haunted houses. Similarly, Bush’s post-September 11 narratives play upon fears of terrorists and rogue states who are equally dark, perverse and indomitable forces. In both cases, ineffable and potently violent and cruel forces haunt and terrorise the civilised, human world.

Five generations of peace operations: from the "thin blue line" to "painting a country blue"

This article combines both international practice and analytical contributions into a systematic and synthetic presentation of the evolution of peace operations from their modern inception in 1948 to the present. It seeks to serve a didactic purpose in proposing a basic structure for Brazilian scholars' burgeoning debate on peace operations and intervention, rather than a definitive characterization of blue helmet practice. Peace operations' progression is traced through five analytical "generations," each adding a crucial factor distinguishing it from its predecessors. Each generation is placed in relation to changes in the nature of conflict and in the interpretation of the foundational principles of peace operations, and links to broader theoretical issues in International Relations are made explicit at each stage.

Evaluating vehicle painting plans in an automobile assembly plant using an integrated AHP-PROMETHEE approach

The painting activity is one of the most complex and important activities in automobile manufacturing. The inherent complexity of the painting activity and the frequent need for repainting usually turn the painting process into a bottleneck in automobile assembly plants, which is reflected in higher operating costs and longer overall cycle times. One possible approach for optimizing the performance of the paint shop is to improve the efficiency of the color planning. This can be accomplished by evaluating the relative merits of a set of vehicle painting plans. Since this problem has a multicriteria nature, we resort to the multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology to tackle it. A recent trend in the MCDA field is the development of hybrid approaches that are used to achieve operational synergies between different methods. Here we apply, for the first time, an integrated approach that combines the strengths of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE), aided by Geometrical Analysis for Interactive Aid (GAIA), to the problem of assessing alternative vehicle painting plans. The management of the assembly plant found the results of value and is currently using them in order to schedule the painting activities such that an enhancement of the operational efficiency of the paint shop is obtained. This efficiency gain has allowed the management to bid for a new automobile model to be assembled at this specific plant.

Analysis and treatment of a nineteenth century oil painting

This thesis focused on the study and treatment of a 19th century female portrait in oil from ECOMUSEU Municipal do Seixal, Portugal. The portrait, which depicts Isabel Maria Lourenço Affonso was in poor condition and a large strip of paint and canvas was missing (approximately 9cm by 66cm, almost 11% of the total surface area). The portrait is a companion piece to a male portrait (the relationship was established as part of this study), therefore a technical study of both paintings was considered essential to support the choices made during the treatment. The project involved three main areas: - The study of the history, condition, materials and techniques of both paintings. This allowed their comparison and understanding of their relationship; - The treatment of Isabel Maria Lourenço Affonso. The choices made and problems encountered are described. - The production of a replacement for the missing strip of paint and canvas. The practical solution developed to overcome such an unusual challenge is described along with the creative and flexible thinking required. Because not all traditional infill materials cope well on a mechanical level with thin layers over a very large surface (many are too brittle), strict criteria had to be employed to choose the appropriate material. The primary goal was to find a fill which would remain flexible and be capable of accepting surface texture, such that there would be a good visual match with the painting. Analysis and testing was carried out to evaluate the physical properties of the fill material chosen, BEVA® Gesso-P. The successful creation of the replacement strip has resulted in two publications and one presentation: Publication pending in The Picture Restorer, Leslie Carlyle, Raquel Marques, Isabel Pombo Cardoso and Sara Babo, “Creating a Textured Replacement Strip for the Missing Lower Portion of an Oil Portrait: Problem Solving and Practical Solutions”. Abstract accepted for presentation and publication, International Meeting on Retouching of Cultural Heritage (2RECH), Raquel Marques, Leslie Carlyle and Isabel Pombo Cardoso, “Textured Replacement Strip for a Missing Portion of a Portrait: Problem Solving and Practical Solutions”.

A technical investigation of an oil painting on copper support, including a study on consolidants for treatment

Paper submitted to e-conservation Journal: Maria Leonor Oliveira, Leslie Carlyle, Sara Fragoso, Isabel Pombo Cardoso and João Coroado, “Investigations into paint delamination and consolidation of an oil painting on copper support”.

The weilburg painting showing the lisbon entry of 1619 in its historical and pictorial context

This article deals with the splendid panoramic painting depicting the Joyeuse Entrée of King Philipp III (Filipe II de Portugal) in Lisbon in 1619 which the author discovered at Weilburg castle in Germany. The author places the painting in its historical and pictorial context by comparing it to the written reports of the entry and comparable 16th and 17th century views of Lisbon. Apparently, the painting is based on a strictly planned choreography that largely follows the previous entry of Philipp II, and is identical in the painted, engraved and written descriptions of the event published between 1619 and 1622.