The materials and painting techniques of Giulio Aristide Sartorio in the pictorial cycle “The poem of human life” (1906-07): knowledge and prevention for a museum display project

Authors

  • Francesca Caterina Izzo
  • Elisabetta Zendri
  • Eleonora Balliana
  • Laura Falchi
  • Matteo Piccolo
  • Silvio Fuso
  • Henk van Keulen

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1973-9494/4192

Keywords:

Giulio Aristide Sartorio, Ca’ Pesaro, Venice, encaustic painting technique, drying oils, beeswax, craquelure, lead white, zinc white

Abstract

Summary
In 1906 Giulio Aristide Sartorio created the pictorial cycle “The Poem of Human Life" for the Central Hall of the Venice Biennale. To complete the cycle (over 240 m2) in just nine months, he used a special painting technique: “a mixture of wax, mineral turpentine and oils”.

This cycle has had a complicated history of conservation. A project involving conservation and maintenance is needed to access Sartorio’s paintings. The first step in the conservation project involves the study of the entire cycle to identify the materials and the painting techniques adopted by the artist and to understand the degradation processes present on the paintings. This knowledge makes it possible to suggest some general guidelines for the correct presentation of the cycle for public viewing in a museum. A priority is the prevention of future degradation processes, usually due to exhibition conditions themselves, including excessive exhibition stress. This research shows that any museum display project must consider the specific technical and material characteristics of the artworks prior to their exhibition.

 

Riassunto

Nel 1906 Aristide Sartorio dipinse il ciclo "Il poema della Vita Umana" per il Salone Centrale della Biennale di Venezia. Per completare il ciclo (di oltre 240 m2) in solamente nove mesi, egli ricorse ad una particolare tecnica pittorica: “ una mistura di cera, essenza di trementina e oli”. Questa opera attraversò complicate vicende conservative ed era necessario un progetto di  conservazione e manutenzione per renderla visibile. Il primo passo per la stesura del progetto conservativo ha riguardato lo studio dell’intero ciclo per identificare i materiali e la tecnica pittorica adottata dall’artista e comprendere i processi di degrado in atto. Queste conoscenze danno la possibilità di suggerire delle linee guida generali per la corretta musealizzazione del ciclo, considerando prioritaria la prevenzione di futuri processi di degrado, generalmente legati alle condizioni di esposizione e stress correlati ad esse. Questa ricerca mostra che ogni

progetto di musealizzazione deve considerare le specifiche caratteristiche tecniche dell’opera prima di prevederne l’esposizione.

 

Résumé

En 1906, Aristide Sartorio réalisa le cycle de peintures « Il poema della Vita Umana » (Le poème de la vie humaine) pour le Salon central de la Biennale de Venise. Pour compléter ce cycle de plus de 240 m2 en neuf mois seulement, il utilisa une technique picturale particulière, « un mélange de cire, essence de térébenthine et huiles ». Au niveau de la conservation, cette œuvre connut de nombreuses difficultés. Un projet de conservation et d’entretien était nécessaire pour la rendre visible. La première étape de la rédaction du projet de conservation fut l’étude de l’ensemble du cycle, pour identifier les matériaux et la technique picturale utilisée par l’artiste, et pour comprendre les processus de détérioration en cours. Les connaissances ainsi obtenues permettent de préconiser des lignes directrices générales pour la bonne muséalisation du cycle, la priorité étant la prévention des détériorations à venir, le plus souvent associées aux conditions d’exposition et aux sollicitations correspondantes. Cette recherche montre que tout projet de muséalisation doit considérer les caractéristiques techniques spécifiques de l’œuvre avant d’envisager son exposition.

 

Zusammenfassung

Im Jahr 1906 malte Aristide Sartorio den Zyklus "Il poema della Vita Umana" (etwa “Das Gedicht des menschlichen Lebens”) für den Zentralen Salon der Biennale von Venedig.  Um diesen Zyklus (über 240 m² groß) in nur neun Monaten fertigstellen zu kennen, griff er auf eine besondere Maltechnik zurück: “ein Gemisch von Wachs, Terpentin und Ölen”.  Dieses Werk unterlag komplizierten Konservierungsarbeiten und es war ein Projekt für die Konservierung und Instandhaltung notwendig, um es sichtbar zu machen. Der erste Schritt zur Erstellung dieses Konservierungsprojekts bestand im Studium des gesamten Zyklus, um die Materialien und die vom Künstler angewandte Maltechnik zu bestimmen und den eingetretenen Verrottungsprozess zu begreifen.  Die Kenntnis dieser Faktoren bieten die Möglichkeit, allgemeine Leitlinien für die korrekte Musealisierung des Zyklus zu liefern, wobei als prioritär die Verhinderung zukünftiger Verrottungsprozesse betrachtet wurde, die generell mit den Ausstellungsbedingungen und der damit einhergehenden Belastung verbunden sind. Diese Forschungsarbeit bezeugt, dass jedes Musealisierungsprojekt die spezifischen technischen Merkmale des Werks berücksichtigen muss, bevor es ausgestellt werden kann.

 

Resumen

En 1906 Aristide Sartorio pintó el ciclo "Il poema della Vita Umana" (El poema de la Vida Humana) para el Salón Central de la Bienal de Venecia. Para completar el ciclo (de más de 240 m2) en tan solo nueve meses, el artista recurrió a una técnica pictórica particular: "una mezcla de cera, esencia de trementina y aceites". Esta obra atravesó complicadas vicisitudes por lo que se refiere a su conservación y un proyecto de conservación y mantenimiento era necesario para hacerla visible. El primer paso de la redacción del proyecto de conservación se ha centrado en el estudio del ciclo en su totalidad para identificar los materiales y la técnica pictórica adoptada por el artista y comprender los procesos de deterioro en marcha. Estos conocimientos brindan la posibilidad de sugerir algunos principios generales para musealizar el ciclo correctamente y se considera prioritaria la prevención de procesos de deterioro en el futuro, los cuales están generalmente relacionados con las condiciones de exposición y el estrés provocado por las mismas. Esta investigación muestra que todo proyecto de musealización debe tener en cuenta las características técnicas específicas de la obra antes de disponer su exposición.

 

Резюме

В 1906 году Аристид Сарторио создал цикл «Поэма человеческой жизни» для Центрального зала Венецианской Биеннале. Для завершения цикла (более 240 кв. м) всего лишь за девять месяцев он прибег к особой технике живописи: «смеси воска, скипидара и масла». Это произведение имело сложную историю с точки зрения его сохранения и нуждалось в проекте по сбережению и поддержанию, чтобы оставаться видимым. Первым шагом в создании проекта по сохранению явилось изучение всего цикла для определения материалов и техники живописи, принятых мастером, и выявить причины действующих процессов деградации. Эти знания позволяют дать общие указания для правильной музейной экспозиции цикла, отдавая приоритет предотвращению будущих процессов деградации, обычно связанных с условиями экспозиции и стресса, связанного с ними. Это исследование показывает, что любой проект музейной экспозиции при его подготовке должен учитывать специфические технические характеристики произведения.

 

摘要

于1906年Aristide Sartorio  (阿里斯蒂德·萨尔托里奥)为威尼斯双年展的中心展厅画了"Il poema della Vita Umana(人生的诗歌)"一系列画。为了在9个月内完成此系列(240 多平方米大),他使用了一种特别的画画技巧: “ 蜡、松节油精华和油类的混合物”。这幅作品经历了许多复杂的保留程序,当时为了展览它需要一种合适的保养与保存项目。

保存项目的第一步是通过整个系列的研究来识别画家采用的材料和作画技巧以及了解已开始的退化过程。这些研究的结果对于此系列画正确地展示在博物馆里提供了指导方针以及在预防退化过程的基础上,分析了与它有关的展示的条件。这个研究证明了每个博物馆展示项目在展示作品之前都应当考虑到有关作品的技术特点。

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Published

2013-12-30

How to Cite

Izzo, F. C., Zendri, E., Balliana, E., Falchi, L., Piccolo, M., Fuso, S., & van Keulen, H. (2013). The materials and painting techniques of Giulio Aristide Sartorio in the pictorial cycle “The poem of human life” (1906-07): knowledge and prevention for a museum display project. Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage, 13(1), 379–393. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1973-9494/4192

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