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The Center's Science for Art Fall 2018 Speaker Series welcomes Dr. Joen Hermans on November 21st for his talk "Studying oil paint ageing: a molecular approach”

Dr. Joen HermansThe Center's Science for Art Fall 2018 Speaker Series welcomes Dr. Joen Hermans on November 21st for his talk "Studying oil paint ageing: a molecular approach.”

Join us for a lecture and discussion to unravel the molecular structure of aged oil paint and the fundamental chemical mechanisms that cause their degradation. This is becoming key for carrying out risk assessment and to develop improved conservation strategies.

Dr. Joen Hermans is a research fellow at the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) and the University of Amsterdam, studying the influence of water on the chemistry of oil paint. He obtained his PhD in chemistry at the University of Amsterdam under the supervision of Piet Iedema in 2017.

Talk Details:

Wednesday, November 21st, 12-1pm
Technological Institute – TechL251
2145 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL, 60208

Full Abstract:

Oil paintings are subject to slow chemical changes that may alter their appearance and structural integrity. Besides the composition of a given oil paint, environmental factors like humidity, temperature or exposure to solvent can have a strong influence on the rate of change. Unraveling the molecular structure of aged oil paint and the fundamental chemical mechanisms that cause degradation is key for carrying out risk assessment and the development of improved conservation strategies.

In this talk, research will be presented on the reaction pathways that lead to the formation of metal soaps in oil paint. Now that the chemical reactions that cause this common type of paint degradation are becoming clearer, and suitable model systems have been developed that mimic aged oil paint, we start to become able to carry out quantitative studies on the effect of environmental factors on paint degradation.

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