Understanding Canvas Painting Degradation: Effects of Thermal Accelerated Aging

Canvas paintings are a widespread support for paintings but face inevitable degradation over time. Canvas painting degradation can significantly impact the appearance and structural integrity of the artwork. A recent study, “Effect of Thermal Accelerated Ageing on the Properties of Model Canvas Paintings,” explores the mechanisms of aging in canvas paintings. The findings of this study are important for artists who wish to understand how different materials and techniques can influence the longevity of their work.

The Study’s Framework

The research conducted by Annamaria Seves et al. involved creating four model canvas paintings using historical materials and techniques. The paintings were then subjected to thermal accelerated aging in a controlled environment to simulate natural aging processes.

Four paintings on linen canvas in this study were prepared using the same materials and
techniques available at the time of the old masters in the past five centuries. Changes in painting techniques occurred in the middle of the fifteenth century. Before that, tempera was employed as the binding medium of the ground layer and paint media of pigments. Later, oils replaced tempera, which,
however, continued to be used for a long period. Therefore, in this study, the model canvas paintings are constituted of oil film on the oil ground layer, an oil film on the tempera ground layer, tempera film on the tempera ground layer, and finally, tempera film on the oil ground layer. The models included:

1. Oil paint film on an oil ground layer (Model A)
2. Oil paint film on a tempera ground layer (Model B)
3. Tempera paint film on a tempera ground layer (Model C)
4. Tempera paint film on an oil ground layer (Model D)

Each model was painted with titanium white pigment, ensuring a consistent basis for comparison. The canvas paintings were left unrestrained during the study.

The study aimed to develop a laboratory technique to simulate the natural aging of paintings on canvas, adopting artificial aging methods in the air (thermal oxidation) but in the absence of light. This approach to studying degradation by accelerated thermal treatment according to the reduced effect of light on canvas and on the ground layer because the pigments mainly absorbed visible light and UV radiation.

Study Results: Effects of Aging on Canvas Painting Degradation

Sample Appearance

Models A (oil paint film on oil ground layer) and B (oil film on tempera ground layer) showed significant curling after moving. In contrast, samples C (tempera film on tempera ground layer) and D (tempera film on oil ground layer) maintained their flatness throughout the aging process.