Primeiro estudo sobre a produção pictórica de Vitorino Ribeiro

: géis de limpeza de PVA-Bórax

Abstract

The present internship report at the Divisão Municipal de Museus (DMM) of the Câmara Municipal do Porto, focusing on the study of the pictorial production of the Portuguese painter Vitorino Ribeiro (1849-1928) and the exploration of a cleaning methodology using PVA-Borax hydrogels. The first part of the internship aimed at surveying and inventorying the Joaquim Vitorino Ribeiro painting collection, as well as conducting technical, artistic, and historical studies of four sketches by the artist, comprising a set of 24 works, all from the same period. These paintings share common characteristics, such as themes consistent with the artist's formative phase, manufacturer stamps, stamps indicating standardized canvas sizes, the use of fixed stretchers, and commercial preparations over which the artist applied grayish underpaintings to the carnations. The research thus gathers the study of Vitorino Ribeiro and his journey as an artist, as well as the technical and historical artistic influences of his master’s and contemporary colleagues. It represents the first study conducted on the painting collection belonging to the Vitorino Ribeiro collection donated to the Câmara Municipal do Porto, as well as a small selection of works chosen for their surface characteristics. The second part of the internship was dedicated to the exploration of the cleaning methodology using PVA-Borax hydrogels on four sketches and to the integral conservation and restoration intervention of one of these sketches that presented greater problems. The criterion for choosing the four works was based on the different surface characteristics: a sketch with a non-original final varnish and in poor condition; a sketch without any final coating; a sketch with pentimenti and with exposed areas of the preparation and finally, a sketch with white concentric stains based on calcite and barium sulphate, according to µ-FTIR. These stains were found in more works belonging to the collection, so their study was of particular importance, although more means and studies are needed to deepen the causes and solutions for this phenomenon. The aim was to contribute to the knowledge of this under-studied painter, as well as the painting collection at DMM, promoting its dissemination and re-discovery.

Date of Award	17 Nov 2023
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Maria Aguiar (Supervisor) & Carolina Barata (Co-Supervisor)