Chemistry_114:_Chemistry_Of_Art

Material and skills covered:

Selected fundamentals of chemistry relevant to creation, conservation and preservation of objects of art will be presented. The course will survey pigments, dyes, paints, ceramics, glassy and metallic media, paper, lithography, engraving and fresco. Other topics will include, conservation, the museum environment, and scientific examination of art, forgery detection by scientific means, and safety in the studio.

This course is designed to be especially appropriate to majors in Studio Art and Art History. There are no prerequisites. No previous chemistry in high school or college is required. Chemical principles will be chosen for their demonstrable relevance to art.

Goals: What will students learn?

Our goals will be to (1) introduce students to scientific thinking, and (2) to help bridge the gap between art and science by demonstrating the value of chemistry to students interested in creating or conserving art.

Objectives: What will students do to obtain that learning?

1. Students will have reading assignments provided by the instructor including current literature on technique and materials of art.

2. Lecture-discussions based on the readings.

3. A weekly laboratory will illustrate the applications of chemical principles to art objects and media.

4. One field trip to the St. Louis Art Museum to study selected art objects and paintings from the viewpoint of chemical science.

5. Each student will perform an individual term project on a topic chosen by the student, culminating in a short paper on the chemical science related to some aspect of art.

Methods used:

The course will begin with an introduction to the chemistry relevant to studying the chemistry of art. The bulk of the course will be spent looking at the chemistry of art objects and media. There will be lectures, discussions, weekly labs, quizzes, videos, guest speakers, and a research project.

Grade determined by:

The grade will be based on evaluation of the following student work:

3 one-hour exams 300 points

Quizzes, homework, participation 200 points

Laboratory 200 points

Term Project 150 points

Final Exam 150 points

Textbook: The Molecular Basis of Color and Form: Chemistry In Art by Patricia S. Hill, (Course Pack) 2006.