Film formation of artists' acrylic paints in tropical climates using dynamic speckle interferometry

Abstract

Understanding the production of twentieth-century paintings in tropical climates is critical for the preservation of twentieth-century art produced and located in these environments. Exploiting the characteristics of laser speckle, the research described in this contribution employs dynamic speckle interferometry (DSI) to analyse the film formation properties of three artists’ acrylic paint films prepared in diverse climatic conditions. With an increased relative humidity up to 73% RH, it is shown that the rate of activity or water evaporation is decreased, there is a delayed drying time and slightly less order compared to the same films cast in ambient conditions of 50% RH. Results also ind..