Material characterization, stratigraphy, textures, and painting techniques of the mural painting The Allegory of the Industrial Development of São Paulo by Fulvio Pennacchi

ABSTRACT

This work presents a study of samples of the mural painting The Allegory of the Industrial Development of São Paulo (Alegoria ao Desenvolvimento Industrial Paulista), made in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, by the artist Fulvio Pennacchi. Using transmitted light petrographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and X-ray fluorescence, the stratigraphy, the textures, the mineralogy, and the chemical compositions of the mural were established; therefore the painting techniques, pigments, and materials applied by the artist were identified. The mural was painted with the fresco technique and variations. This technique involves the use of materials of mineral origin, both in the support and for the pigments. About the artist’s relevance, Fulvio Pennacchi is considered an important muralist of his time, being one of the pioneers in the production of frescoes in Brazil. The mural, measuring approximately 11 × 6 m, painted in 1954, was removed from where it was originally made, in consequence of a fire that affected the place. Specialized engineers transported it, and today it is stored awaiting restoration. The data presented here can support the process of restoration of the mural, as well as contribute to the improvement of protocols for the analysis of works of art, and to the historical record of mural painting techniques over time.

KEYWORDS:

• Fresco
• petrography
• SEM-EDX
• applied mineralogy
• Fulvio Pennacchi

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Eliane Aparecida Del Lama http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1584-0670

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) [grant number 2015/10858-8]; National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) [scholarship number 133101/2015-0]; and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) [agreement number 38860].