‘Art as Evidence: The Scientific Investigation of Works of Art’ lecture set Oct. 9 at ISU

POCATELLO – Idaho State University’s Department of Chemistry will host the special chemistry seminar- “Art as Evidence: The Scientific Investigation of Works of Art,” a talk given by Karen Trentelman on Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in the ISU Physical Science Complex Room 140.

This seminar will discuss furthering the understanding of the materials and methods used in the creation, interpretation and conservation of works of art.

The talk will detail the scientific study of works of art and addresses questions related conservation, material identification, degradation processes, compatibility of treatment methods, curatorial artist’s technique, workshop practice, attribution, provenance, or material physical properties and behavior issues.

This talk will also present examples of research projects on objects in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, ranging from Egyptian mummies, to medieval manuscripts, to ancient Athenian pottery, to paintings by Rembrandt.

Trentelman is a senior scientist and leader of the Technical Studies research group at the Getty Conservation Institute based in Los Angeles. Its current areas of research include the materials and firing conditions used in the production of ancient Athenian pottery, revealing hidden features in paintings and manuscripts using non-invasive spectroscopic and imaging technologies, and fostering the integration of imaging and analytical data.

Trentelman is also active in the education and training of scientists and conservators in the application of non-invasive analytical techniques to the study of works of art. She received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Cornell University and carried out postdoctoral research at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois, Chicago. She was a research scientist at the Detroit Institute of Arts for 10 years before joining the GCI in 2004.

This seminar is sponsored by the Southeast Idaho section of the American Chemical Society.

For more information on the seminar please contact Dr. Caryn Evilia at evilcary@isu.edu.