ART 4760 TECHNICAL ART HISTORY (3 credits)
Technical art history, which investigates the materials and techniques of artworks and the scientific methods used to study them, is one of the fastest growing areas of art history. Knowledge of the physical properties of an art object, often revealed only through scientific tools, can provide crucial insights into its origins, creative genesis and development, dating, alterations and best approaches to restoring or conserving it. This course will focus primarily on the information yielded by technical studies of Renaissance panel paintings. After reviewing the context and style of Renaissance paintings, the course explores the techniques and materials used in their creation and the scientific methods of examination and their applications. The intersections between the technical examination of art and paintings conversation will also be briefly introduced.