Image analysis applied to the planning of a canvas painting restoration intervention

Annamaria Amura; Landi Luisa; Luigi Pisani; Maria Veronica Soro; Giorgia Zantedeschi; Stefano Pagnotta

doi:10.37558/gec.v18i1.822

Annamaria Amura Department of Pure and Applied Sciences University of Urbino Caro Bo.
Landi Luisa School of Conservation and Restoration, Department of Basic Sciences and Applications, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Italy
Luigi Pisani School of Conservation and Restoration, Department of Basic Sciences and Applications, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Republic square, 13, 61033, Urbino, Italy.
Maria Veronica Soro School of Conservation and Restoration, Department of Basic Sciences and Applications, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Republic square, 13, 61033, Urbino, Italy.
Giorgia Zantedeschi School of Conservation and Restoration, Department of Basic Sciences and Applications, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Republic square, 13, 61033, Urbino, Italy.
Stefano Pagnotta Civilization and Form of Knowledge Department, University of Pisa

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37558/gec.v18i1.822

Keywords: color reintegration, image analysis, virtual proposals, raster to vector, diagnostic image

Abstract

This work proposes a methodology of digital analysis of the state of conservation of a canvas painting to solve difficulties related to the pictorial reintegration of paintings that present an excessive number of different lacunae in terms of size and extent. The case study is related to the small-size oil on canvas painting executed by an unknown artist, where the lacunae were challenging to analyze and localize graphically. Therefore, it required a careful evaluation of the approach to be used during the pictorial reintegration intervention. Using an image analysis method, based on the semi-automatic extraction approach, the state of conservation’s graphic relief outlining different virtual operating proposals was obtained.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Annamaria Amura, Department of Pure and Applied Sciences University of Urbino Caro Bo.

mura Annamaria is a Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science at University of Urbino with a research project in “Digital Image Analysis for the Automation of Graphic Documentation of Cultural Heritage.” She has had several teaching supports contracts in computer science and design courses. She has a B.d. in Technology for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, Class 41, and a M.d. in Graphics of Images, LM12, Documentation and Photography for Cultural Heritage. Her research interests include digital photography, Image analysis, features extraction from diagnostic Images, raster to vector automation method, GIS database, virtual restoration, Graphic documentation.

Landi Luisa, School of Conservation and Restoration, Department of Basic Sciences and Applications, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Italy

Landi Luisa Graduated in 2004 at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, she carries out restoration and conservation of artistic assets for public and private institutions in Florence. Since 2011 she is a contract professor at the Faculty of Science and Technology - Single-cycle master’s degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage of the University of Urbino.

Luigi Pisani , School of Conservation and Restoration, Department of Basic Sciences and Applications, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Republic square, 13, 61033, Urbino, Italy.

Pisani Luigi restorer since 1987 lecturer at the University of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage Urbino. Taking care of structural problems of works of art in wood and oil on canvas. - Responsible deposit for post-earthquake art authorized Mibac-Amandola (FM) The main restorations: -St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta (Malta) Oil on canvas the Conversion of Saint Paul by Mattia Preti -Oil on canvas Madonna and Child with Saints by Simone de Magistris -San Ginesio (MC) - The Vaccai theater in Tolentino (MC) after the fire, - The Tarsias of the Renaissance choir of the Lendinara Canozi in San Pietro (Modena).

Maria Veronica Soro, School of Conservation and Restoration, Department of Basic Sciences and Applications, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Republic square, 13, 61033, Urbino, Italy.

Soro Maria Veronica is a restorer just graduated from the University of Urbino with a dissertation project that analyses the preparatory drawings and sketches on canvas that the painter Arturo Gatti used for the creation of Polish Chapel decorations located in the Basilica of Loreto. In addition to the specialization in restoration of painting on canvas, wooden sculptures, panel paintings and mixed media (contemporary arts) that she obtained during the five-year Master Degree in "Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage" from the University of Urbino, she also has a Degree in “Preservation of Cultural Heritage” from the University of Bologna.

Giorgia Zantedeschi , School of Conservation and Restoration, Department of Basic Sciences and Applications, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Republic square, 13, 61033, Urbino, Italy.

Zantedeschi Giorgia is an undergraduate student of the five-year master’s degree in “Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage” of the “Carlo Bo” University of Urbino, which is specialized in canvas painting, wood sculptures and painting and mixed media (contemporary arts) restoration. She also attended the degree course in “Conservation, Restauration des oeuvres d’art” of the Academy “Esa Saint Luc” of Liege for a year (European Erasmus project). The thesis project in which she is engaged, concerns the conservation and restoration spaces of contemporary art collections and takes the “Enea Righi Collection” as case study.

Stefano Pagnotta, Civilization and Form of Knowledge Department, University of Pisa

Dr. Pagnotta is editorial board member of Anthropology Open Journal, review board member of MDPI Minerals Journal and "Cultore della Materia" in Archaeology at University of Pisa. PhD in Earth Sciences, Md in Archaeology and Bd in Conservation of Cultural Heritage. He is research fellow at ICCOM CNR. Visiting scientist at the Institut für Chemie in Potsdam, at the Pure and Applied Science Department University of Urbino and at the Vinča Nuclear Institute. Author of more than 50 paper in international peer reviewed journals with an h-index of 10.

References

Adobe® Photoshop® CC Help, (Last updated 2/2/2018), pp.361-363, 471- 473. Available at: https://helpx.adobe.com/pdf/photoshop_reference.pdf, [accessed 29/06/2020].

ALTHOFER H. (2002). La questione del ritocco nel restauro pittorico. Padova: Il Prato Editore.

AMURA A. et al. (2020). "Color Segmentation and Neural Networks for Automatic Graphic Relief of the State of Conservation of Artworks.” Color Culture and Science Journal 12(2): 07–15. http://jcolore.gruppodelcolore.it/ojs/index.php/CCSJ/article/view/CCSJ.120201 (September 16, 2020).

ARTHUR, D. and VASSILVITSKII S. (2007). “K-means++: The Advantages of Careful Seeding”, in SODA ‘07: Proceedings of the Eighteenth Annual ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms. New Orleans, LA. pp. 1027–1035.

BASILE, G. (2008). La storia del restauro dell’Annunciazione di Antonello da Messina. Available at: http://www.giuseppebasile.org/restauri/l-annunciazione-di-antonello-da-messina/1-la-storia-del-restauro-dell-annunciazione-di-antonello-da-messina, [accessed 29/06/2020].

BENNARDI D., FURFERI R. (2007). Il restauro Virtuale, tra ideologia e metodologia. Firenze: Edifir Editore.

BIAGI MAINO D., MAINO G. (2017). Principi e applicazioni del restauro virtuale. Collana: Studi Storia e Teoria del Restauro n°29.Firenze: Edifir Edizioni.

HEIBER, W. (2002). Thread-by-thread tear mending workshop, in Painting section Conservation News, 77: 38-39.

BRACCO, P. et al., (2002). “Caravaggio: l’incoronazione di spine’ e il suo doppio”, in OPD Restauro, 14: 13-42, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24395142.

BRANDI C. (1977). Teoria del Restauro. Torino: Enaudi editore.

GONZALEZ R.C., WOODS R.E. (2012). Elaborazione delle immagini digitali. (III ed.). Pavia: Pearson Pavia Bruno Mondadori S.p.A.

HENRIQUES, F., GONÇALVES A. (2010). “Analysis of lacunae and retouching areas in panel paintings using landscape metrics” in: Digital Heritage: Third International Euro-Mediterranean Conference, 99-109.

KUNZELMAN, D. et al. (2010). “Immaginare il restauro: l’integrità pittorica del dipinto visualizzata grazie al ritocco virtuale” in Le fasi finali nel restauro delle opere policrome mobili, Atti del congresso internazionale “Colore e Conservazione”, Materiali e metodi nel restauro delle opere policrome mobili, Trento 19- 20/11/2010, CESMAR7, Il prato, 137-144.

McANDREW A. (2004). “An introduction to digital image processing with MatLab”, Notes for scm2511 image processing, School of Computer Science and Mathematics, Victoria University of Technology, 264 (1). Available at: http://www.math.hkbu.edu.hk/~zeng/Teaching/math3615/ls.pdf, [accessed 29/06/2020].

PROTIERE A. and SAPIRO G. (2007). “Interactive Image Segmentation via Adaptive Weighted Distances” in IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, 16 (4): 1046-1057, https://doi.org/10.1109/TIP.2007.891796.

SACCO, F. (2002). “Sistematica della documentazione e progetto di restauro”, Bollettino ICR, N.S. 4(1): 28-54.

STANCO F. et al. (2011). Digital Imaging for Cultural Heritage Preservation: Analysis, Restoration and Reconstruction of Ancient Artworks. CRC Press.

TONAZZINI, A. et al. (2019). “Analytical and mathematical methods for revealing hidden details in ancient manuscripts and paintings” in Journal of Advanced Research, 17: 31-42, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jare.2019.01.003.