A Short History of the Chemistry of Painting Harriet G. Friedstein Nazareth College, 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14610
A wealth of information dealing with the history of ceramics, pottery, architecture, sculpture, and metalsmithing can ~ -he~found ~ unon a visit to a local universitv lihrarv. In contrast, very little has been written of the chemistry of ancient naintines. Few manuscrints and hooks are available that give brecise;ecipes or techniques of the ancient painting craft. There are some terms mentioned in old books and manuscripts referring to general terms as "resins," "tempera," "nlaster." hut s~ecificdetails are not outlined. 0rigi"ally the.artist, the scientist, and the technologist were one and the same. The scientist tries to understand why things are the way they are; the artist searches for new ways of using technoloev to oursne an endeavor for aesthetic pleasure; and the t e c h h o g l s t produces a needed tool or object. Modern chemical analvsis has given us some new information so that we can begin to decipher the mystery of antiquity. It is not necessary to study art to view a painting. The same holds true for the enjoyment of any art form, although knowledge might increase awareness of the reasons for enjoyment. Many art history hooks deal with the aesthetic qualities of a painting and the development of representation throughout the ages, as painters were able to move from a two-dimensional to a three-dimensional realistic representation. Painters in the same localities seem to paint very muchlike one another. In studying the history of art and science, there seems to he a correlation for this similarity. As the "scientist" discovers new methods and chemicals, so the "artist" can change techniques and styles. Quotes are placed around the words scientist and artist, since, in many cases, they are one and the same. The "artist" ex~erimentswith a variety of chemicals to produce a desired p(gment and permanence. Does that make himlher anv less a scientist? In a ureoccupation with the classification of knowledge into subjects, history has overlooked the interdependence of people for knowledge that is needed in each discipline. This paper does not deal with the thousands of paintings as aesthetic creatures; rather it explores the intricate dependence of chemicals upon one another to produce the beauty. ~
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