Making Mural Technical Analysis and Interpretation

• Published in: Getty research journal no. 9; pp. 27 - 60
• Main Authors: Perchuk, Andrew, Phenix, Alan, Rivers, Laura
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Getty Research Institute 01-01-2017
• ISSN: 1944-8740; 2329-1249

This cross-disciplinary study employs tools and methods of conservation and conservation science to propose interpretations of aspects of Mural, pushing these scientific disciplines outside their comfort zone of establishing facts and into more speculative and subjective endeavors that have always been part and parcel of traditional art history. Sample-based methods of paint examination and analysis, including new, advanced methods of imaging spectroscopy—hyperspectral imaging and macro-XRF scanning—revealed details of Pollock's working process, such as the order in which he applied each paint color and areas where he reworked his composition. These technical analyses elucidate how Pollock achieved the illusion of oscillation between depth and flatness in Mural. The authors' findings also revealed a significantly longer duration of production of Mural than had previously been assumed, as well as a fundamentally different compositional process for the painting than formerly described in art history. Rather than working quickly and furiously overnight in a sudden burst of inspiration, this essay shows Pollock's methodical, yet nonlinear painting process, bringing to light the artist's interest in overall compositional balance and harmony.