To
further understand Picasso's system of layering
paint, X-ray
and infrared
images of the painting were taken. In the case
of Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, existing
X-ray details from 1950 and 1987 of the heads
of the figures which Picasso had reworked enabled
conservators and art historians to delve into
the underlying Iberian sources of Picasso's first
stage of painting [see: X-rays
of Heads]. These findings have been extensively
discussed in the literature (see Studies in
Modern Art 3). An overall X-ray completed
in 2000 has confirmed that no other major revisions
(i.e. the addition or subtraction of figures in
the composition) occurred as Picasso completed
the picture.
In collaboration with MoMA conservation
scientist Chris McGlinchey, we are examining materials
used in both MoMA's painted study
for Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and the
completed work. Our results will be compared with
previously published work on Picasso's materials
(see Delbourgo 1981, Hoenigswald 1997, and Koussiaki
2000), and the current study will add to the growing
body of technical information. Such characterizations
of Picasso's materials will be helpful in the
treatment phase because they will distinguish
between original paint and restoration paint—providing
confirmation of what is evident through other
examination methods.
One of the analytical methods employed
to determine Picasso's materials was X-ray
fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). This technique
not only allowed us to identify with great certainty
the pigments used by Picasso for Les Demoiselles
d'Avignon, it allowed us to do so without
removing any original material. To date, the following
pigments have been identified by XRF:
White –
Lead white
Pink/Red – Vermilion mixed
with lead white
Blue – Cobalt blue
Brown – Earth pigments
containing iron
Black – Bone black
Green – Emerald green
Yellow – Cadmium yellow
In order to determine what
kinds of coatings and other organic materials
are present we employed Fourier
transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Besides
confirming Picasso's painting medium as oil, this
technique allowed us to confirm the presence of
various restoration materials, including wax (from
the 1963 conservation
treatment), synthetic resin varnish (from 1950),
and glue residue (thought to originate from the
1924 lining).
But in order to better understand Picasso's layering
process a microscopic sample of paint was removed
from the edge of an existing loss—that
is, a spot where some paint had flaked off in
the past. This sample, examined in cross-section
under a microscope at high magnification, can
reveal the presence of additional layers of paint
or varnish hidden from our view by the top layers
of paint. The cross-section may also be helpful
in determining how much time elapsed between the
first and second painting campaigns.
Pictured at top (across):
Head derived from
African mask demonstrates the difference between
original composition and final painting
Pictured
at top, left:
X-radiograph
with tracing
Pictured
at top, middle:
Tracing of the original head as it appears in
the X-radiograph. The Iberian-style ear and eyes
are clearly evident.
Pictured
at top, right:
Final composition
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