INVESTIGANDO O PROCESSO DE CRIAÇÃO DA PINTURA “COSTUREIRAS” DE TARSILA DO AMARAL, DE 1950, POR IMAGENS UVL, IR E MA-XRF

REVEALING THE ARTISTIC PROCESS OF TARSILA DO AMARAL’S “COSTUREIRAS”, 1950 BY UVL, IR, AND MA-XRF IMAGING

In last decades, technical-scientific investigations into cultural heritage assets have increasingly become part of analysis methodologies accessible to professionals from different areas for a broad understanding of the complex material and historical nature of objects. In this interdisciplinary word, the painting “Costureiras” by Tarsila do Amaral (1886-1973), from 1950, was studied by ultraviolet-induced visible luminescence (UVL), infrared image (IR) and macro X-ray fluorescence scanning (MA-XRF) techniques. UVL and MA-XRF images enabled the exploration of the conservation status of the artwork, the creative process of the artist, and areas featuring materials distinct from the original painting. By combining the results of IR and MA-XRF images, it was confirmed that changes occurred in the creative process during the composition of the artwork. MA-XRF images further allowed the inference of the primary pigments employed by the artist, revealing that, during canvas priming, Tarsila do Amaral utilized pigments based on lead and zinc.

Keywords:
image analysis; spectroscopic image; Brazilian painting; artistic materials