The introduction of synthetic organic pigments and binders mainly during the 20^th century has caused a revolution within the art of painting. The choice of pigments has increased enormously and also polymeric binders -most notably acrylic, alkyd and polyvinyl acetate- have claimed their place in the artistic world. Even more than for traditional paintings, the knowledge of the constituents of modern materials is essential prior to any conservation treatment and to develop long-term preventive conservation strategies. Technical studies concerning the painting technique of modern paintings also require the identification of the materials used. Material identification can also provide information on the restoration history of an art object, or can be useful to answer questions regarding authenticity issues.

In a first phase of the project the focus was placed upon the identification of modern synthetic pigments which are generally organic compounds. Therefore techniques frequently used for the identification of inorganic pigments, like X-ray fluorescence (XRF) or scanning electron microscopy (SEM), are often not applicable. Especially spectroscopic techniques come to the front: micro-Raman spectroscopy (MRS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Both vibrational techniques require specific databases, that are commercially not available, to allow a correct and quick identification of modern pigments. As a part of this 4-years research project a spectral library of synthetic organic pigments has been created, that is made available to the conservation science community through this website.

More information on the on-going project can be found here.