In Situ Study of the Painting “Hiroshima I”

• Published in: Heritage Vol. 6; no. 6
• Main Authors: Smolianskaia, Aleksandra A, Andreev, Ivan I, Sirro, Sergey V, Aseev, Vladimir A, Tereschenko, Elena Y, Smolyanskaya, Olga A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 01-06-2023
• Subjects: Analysis; Japan; Germany; Russia
• ISSN: 2571-9408; 2571-9408
• DOI: 10.3390/heritage6060255

* A hidden portrait of Werner Tübke’s father was revealed. * The state of the painting, the texture of the author’s brushstroke, the technique of applying the paint layer, the artist’s work on the composition, and the types of pigments and binders used were identified. * The unique artistic language of Werner Tübke at an early stage of the artist’s work was examined. * The grounds have been laid for the further comparison of Tübke’s early paintings with his later works, as well as his contemporaries’ and predecessors’. A hidden portrait of Werner Tübke’s father was revealed. The state of the painting, the texture of the author’s brushstroke, the technique of applying the paint layer, the artist’s work on the composition, and the types of pigments and binders used were identified. The unique artistic language of Werner Tübke at an early stage of the artist’s work was examined. The grounds have been laid for the further comparison of Tübke’s early paintings with his later works, as well as his contemporaries’ and predecessors’. This article presents the results of technical studies of the oil painting by the artist of German origin Werner Tübke “Hiroshima I” (1958). The creative heritage of this author has not been studied enough and represents scattered data on the technology of painting and artistic techniques. The aim of this work was to determine the art materials and painting technology described in his diaries, using the example of his only painting represented in Russia: “Hiroshima I”. For this purpose, an in situ approach was implemented using some simple museum instrumentations—UV-induced visible luminescence, infrared reflectography (IRR), radiography, portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and polarizing microscopy using microprobes. As a result, the pigment composition of the painting layers could be determined, the painting technology refined, and a previously unknown hidden portrait of Werner Tübke’s father revealed.