Altered Blue and Red paints Investigations of Old Man in Warnemünde and The Drowned Boy by Edvard Munch (1863–1944) Jin Strand Ferrer MA DISSERTATION Project-based Master’s Degree in Conservation Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Spring 2019 I Copyright Jin Strand Ferrer 2019 Altered Blue and Red paints: Investigations of Old Man in Warnemünde and The Drowned Boy by Edvard Munch (1863–1944) Jin Strand Ferrer http://www.duo.uio.no Print: Reprosentralen, University of Oslo II Table of contents 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Background .......................................................................................................................... 5 1.1.1 Edvard Munch and Warnemünde (1907–1908) ................................................................ 6 1.2 Objectives and research questions ................................................................................... 10 1.2.1 Dissertation structure ...................................................................................................... 11 2 Paint manufacture: cobalt blue, synthetic ultramarine, and red lake paints .......... 13 2.1 Paint manufacture ............................................................................................................. 14 2.2 Additives and extenders .................................................................................................... 14 2.3 Binding media: drying oils ................................................................................................ 20 2.4 Blue paints .......................................................................................................................... 24 2.4.1 Cobalt blue ...................................................................................................................... 24 2.4.2 Synthetic ultramarine blue .............................................................................................. 25 2.5 Red lake paints ................................................................................................................... 26 2.5.1 Carmine (cochineal lake or kermes) ................................................................................ 28 2.5.2 Madder lakes ................................................................................................................... 28 2.5.3 Alizarin ............................................................................................................................ 29 2.5.4 Redwood ......................................................................................................................... 29 2.5.5 Kopp’s purpurin .............................................................................................................. 30 2.5.6 Garancine ........................................................................................................................ 30 2.5.7 Substrates ........................................................................................................................ 30 3 The reference collection at the Munch Museum: Edvard Munch’s paintings materials from Ekely ............................................................................................................. 33 3.1 Selected case-studies: review and discussion ................................................................... 35 3.1.1 Case studies concerning blue paints ................................................................................ 35 3.1.2 Case studies concerning red lake paints .......................................................................... 37 4 Instrumental methods .................................................................................................... 40 4.1 Non-invasive analyses: paintings ...................................................................................... 40 4.1.1 Visual investigation and microscopy .............................................................................. 40 4.1.2 Portable X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (pXRF) ....................................................... 42 4.2 Invasive analyses: samples, apparatus and protocol ...................................................... 42 4.2.1 Samples ........................................................................................................................... 42 4.2.2 Optical Microscopy (OM) ............................................................................................... 46 4.2.3 Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) 46 4.2.4 Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)........................................................... 47 4.2.5 Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) ......................... 48 4.3 Analytical methods: blue and red paint tubes ................................................................ 49 5 Paint tubes, Old Man in Warnemünde and The Drowned Boy: analytical results . 53 5.1 A summary of results on a selection of Munch’s paint tubes ........................................ 55 5.1.1 Cobalt blue and ultramarine blue paints .......................................................................... 55 5.1.2 Red lake paints ................................................................................................................ 55 5.1.3 Binding media ................................................................................................................. 56 5.2 A summary of results on the painting Old Man in Warnemünde (1907) ..................... 57 5.3 Summary of results from The Drowned Boy (1907– ....................................................... 64 1908) ................................................................................................................................................. 64 6 Discussion........................................................................................................................ 68 6.1 Munch’s paint tubes .......................................................................................................... 68 6.2 Issues concerning blue paints ........................................................................................... 69 III 6.2.1 Colour change: darkening ............................................................................................... 69 6.2.2 Water sensitivity .............................................................................................................. 71 6.2.3 Separation of the medium ............................................................................................... 72 6.3 Issues concerning red lake paints ..................................................................................... 72 6.3.1 Cracking .......................................................................................................................... 73 6.3.2 Spotting ........................................................................................................................... 74 6.3.3 Discoloration: darkening ................................................................................................. 74 7 Conclusion and further research .................................................................................. 76 7.1.1 Avenues for future research ............................................................................................ 78 8 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 80 9 Appendix ......................................................................................................................... 87 IV List of figures and tables Figure 1 Edvard Munch Self-portrait at 53 Am Strom in Warnemünde (1907). Gelatin silver contact print. (© Munch Museum) .............................................................................. 6 Figure 2 Edvard Munch Old Man in Warnemünde (1907). Oil on canvas 110 x 85 cm. (MM.491/Woll M 755). Photo credits: Munch Museum/Ove Kvavik, 2015. ...................... 8 Figure 3 Edvard Munch, The Drowned Boy (1907–1908). Oil on canvas. 85, 5 cm x 130,5 cm. (MM.559/Woll M 759). Photo credits: Munch Museum/Sidsel de Jong, 1998. ........... 9 Table 1 Commonly used additives in ready-made paints, including their purpose, their chemical composition and effects on ageing. ....................................................................... 16 Table 2 Summary of typical combinations of red lakes and associated aging phenomena. .................................................................................................................................................. 27 Table 3 Summary of deterioration phenomena in blue paints related to specific case studies that address paintings by Mérodack-Jeaneau, Appel et al. .................................. 36 Table 4 List of relevant types of organic red lake pigments and paints based on deterioration phenomena in case studies ............................................................................. 38 Table 5 Summary of non-invasive analysis performed on Old Man in Warnemünde and The Drowned Boy.................................................................................................................... 41 Figure 4 Old Man in Warnemünde. Areas of sampling are marked and numbered in yellow. Sample 1 A+B (S 1 A/B, MM.M. 491)