Documenting the painting technique - Fundació Gala

The paintings in the collection are thoroughly studied to identify the techniques and materials used, establish their condition and develop the right strategy to ensure their conservation.

L’espectre de la llum com a mitjà

The study of the pictorial layers begins with a thorough inspection of the work under various types of light (natural, reflected, raking, ultraviolet and infrared) and the taking of photographs and macrophotographs of details. With the help of a binocular magnifying glass, these inspections make it possible to observe different technical characteristics and procedures of the painting and understand aspects of the materials.
For example, visible light – in its reflected, raking and transmitted variants – yields information on the artist’s strokes, pictorial texture, brushwork, brush types, etc. Ultraviolet light makes it possible to identify subsequent touch-ups and the type of varnish used, if any, by the artist, depending on the different fluorescent responses of the materials found in the work. Infrared reflectography makes it possible to see the underlying preparatory drawings and whether there is any pentimenti. X-rays of the paintings provide information about the canvas or wood on which they are painted, as well as about some types of pigments.

Finally, analytical studies of the pigments and binders used in paintings make it possible to identify the materials and supplement the information about Dalí’s painting technique.