Characterization of the techniques and technologies of the 17th – century Dutch and Flemish paintings on wood supports and their application in a copy of Pieter Nason’s Portrait of a young man and the reconstruction of the missing frame

Supervisior :
Professor Jerzy Nowosielski

Studio of Technologies and Copy of 17th–20th Centuries Painting

>Mateusz Jasiński

Above all, I am interested in issues of painting technique and technology. I am particularly passionate about the paintings of the old masters of seventeenth-
-Century Holland and Flanders. Dutch artists were great individuals, characterised by technical proficiency, and they knew perfectly how to paint long-lasting pieces, which right through to the present day remain examples of durability. Issues of painting technology are of great importance to me – after we become acquainted with the history of a given painting, we begin to look at it differently and notice previously unseen details.
While working on copies, I not only try to follow the rules of the old art but also document in photographs the entire creative process, hoping that this will help ordinary people understand the process of the emergence of a painting in the old times. The use of new technology is very important in conservation and painting technology, thanks to it we can better explore the pieces of the old masters. In addition to paintings by the old masters, I am also interested in and I make copies of nineteenth and twentieth-century paintings. Knowledge of technique and technology as well as continuous improvement now allow me to freely imitate the style of both the old masters and modern artists.
As a conservator I work in easel painting and participate in projects related to the conservation of wall painting. I also try to undertake my own painting and drawing projects, unrelated to my conservation profession, and take part in exhibitions and plein-air workshops.

>Professor Jerzy Nowosielski

Both Dutch and Flemish painting arouse fascination and admiration – and conceal secrets. This is not always related to the biographies of the artists or their communities but often to a high degree results from the technique and technology employed in their work.
The aim of Mateusz Jasiński’s degree piece was to collect important information on the technique and technology used in painting in seventeenth-century Flanders and Holland, as well as presenting it in the context of Pieter Nason’s artistic output. His pieces were analysed in terms of technology, painting-style and history of the era. His research centering on technology and history yields an accurate and detailed description of the stages in the creation of a painting, from the painting support to the final layers. The culmination of the whole process was the making of a copy of Pieter Nason’s Portrait of a young man from the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw. The author also reconstructed the missing frame which used to create an illusion of the painting’s space. It has to be highlighted that this painting is one of the most interesting examples of illusionist painting held in Polish collections.