Activities

International Symposium in Istanbul (12-13 April 2012)

Rembrandt or Not?
Scientific Research on Art

Art technological research is more and more becoming recognized as a field in itself. Understanding how a particular work of art was created and with what materials, can greatly enhance our interpretation of the work. Paintings are composed of multiple layers such as a wooden board or canvas with a preparation, grounding, various layers of paint, varnish, etc. This layer structure will for art technological researchers provide vital information as each layer reflects the intricate choices of materials and working practices and techniques needed by the artist to express an idea.

Sakıp Sabanci Museum, Conservation Department will be hosting a two day symposium on current technical research on art on the 12th and 13th of April at the Sabancı Museum. Scientific research on the works by Rembrandt and his contemporaries will be presented within the framework of the symposium.

The 1.day of this event will feature current technical research being carried out by conservation scientists from the Metropolitan Museum & the Pratt Institute in New York, and at the University of Copenhagen. On the 2.day Dr. Jørgen Wadum will offer a whole day's lectures about his research on 17th century Flemish and Dutch painters, especially on Rembrandts paintings. His final presentation will be on Vermeer’s The Girl with the Pearl Earrings, on which he had personally conducted conservation work.

The charge for this event is 50 TL (25 Euro) which covers the two-day symposium participation fee, coffee/tea, post-symposium reception and tour of the Rembrandt exhibition. We do require all to register in advance as places are limited. Talks will start at 9.30 am and conclude by 16:30. The symposium will be conducted in English with simultaneous translation to Turkish.

Venue:
Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi
Sakıp Sabancı Cad. 42
Emirgan 34467 İstanbul
T 0212 277 22 00
F 0212 229 49 14


For registration, program and other information click here.


Paintings Conservator Filiz Kuvvetli (filizkuvvetli@sabanciuniv.edu)
Conservation Laboratory Manager Nurçin Kural Özgörüş(nurcin@sabanciuniv.edu)


Day 1 Thursday, April 12. 2012

9.00 Registration and coffee

9.20 Welcome speech

9.30 Session 1 by Senior Researcher, Ph.D. Anna Vila from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Department of Scientific Research, New York (1 July 2012 at CATS, Copenhagen).
FTIR and SEM-EDX as Applied to the Characterization of the Materials, Structure, and Morphology of Art Objects.

10.15 Short break

10.20 Session 1 continued.
Characterization of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Photographic Processes

11.05 Coffee break

11.25 Session 2 by Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Cindie Kehlet from the Pratt Institute of Art and Design in New York.
Application of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) on Art

12.05-13.30 Lunch

13.30 Session 2 continued
Pratt’s Mobile Lab in the Ancient City of Herculaneum

14.15 Short break

14.20 Session 3 by Professor Emeritus, Dr. Ole Faurskov Nielsen from University of Copenhagen.
Infrared (İR) and Raman Spectroscopy Theory, Instrumentation

15.05 Coffee break

15.25 Session 3 continued. Applications in Art and Archaeology
Several examples from own research using mainly Raman spectroscopy will be given.

16.10-18.00 Reception and tour of the Rembrandt exhibition.

Day 2, Friday, April 13, 2012

Whole day lecture by Dr. Joergen Wadum. Keeper of Conservation at the National Gallery of Denmark & Director CATS, Copenhagen.

9.30 Registration and coffee

10.00 General Introduction to Technical Art History and the Centre for Art Technological Studies and Conservation - CATS

10.30 Tracing Bosch & Bruegel - Four Paintings Magnified

11.15 Coffee break

11.35 Rembrandt's (1606-1669) 'The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp' examined and restored

12.20-13.30 Lunch

13.30 Rembrandt or not? The Rembrandt Research Project at the National Gallery of Denmark

14.15 Break

14.20 Carel Fabritius (1622-1654), between Rembrandt and Vermeer

15.05 Coffee break

15.25 'The Girl with the Pearl Earring': Vermeer's Mid-Career
Masterpiece in the Context of Technique and Illusion