The Material Science of Art-Suzanne Deal Booth Conservation Seminar

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course will introduce students to the methods, theories, and strategies of scientific approaches to the study of art objects and will consider the meaning of different materials and surfaces across artistic media. It will showcase new scholarship in the fields of heritage science and object-driven art history, drawing strength from collaborative work among scientists, conservators, art historians, and curators. Heritage science draws on the applied sciences and engineering to understand how to preserve the world's cultural heritage and forge connections between making and meaning. The course will explore scientific methods for investigating the production and use of art objects. Focusing on the material studies of paintings and sculptures, pigments, and their binding media, students will learn about the material makeup of art objects. Readings will be drawn from a variety of disciplines, including material science and chemistry, art history, visual and material culture, anthropology, and philosophy.