Reconfiguring the effects of acetylene gas on the use of colour in Dr E. A. Wilson’s watercolours

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• Alex Partridge, Maciej M Pawlikowski MA, Dr Lindsay MacDonald, Dr Liz Watkins, Isaac Gilbert
• Thursday 29 August 2019, 11:00-12:00
• Lecture Theatre, Scott Polar Research Institute.

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Dr Edward A Wilson, a noted artist and member of Scientific Staff on two expeditions led by Captain R F Scott to Antarctica, wrote about the effects of the light emitted by an acetylene gas lamp on his perception of colour whilst painting, commenting that the yellows and blues appeared different. This project proposes the use of hyperspectral imaging to measure the reflectance spectrum of the pigments in Dr Edward A Wilson’s watercolours to enable a calculation of the effects of acetylene gas light on the perception of colour that is recorded by the composition (colour contrast, distribution etc) of his paintings. The key to this analysis is the spectral power distribution of the acetylene gas discharge, which depends on the mixture of gases actually used. To establish this a lamp of the type used in the expedition has been set up at UCL to measure the spectrum of the light it produces; other sources of light and fuel available on the expeditions will be taken into account.

This project aims to reconfigure the effects of the material and technological context – acetylene gas lamps, the reflectance spectrum of watercolour pigments – on the distribution and appearance of colour in Wilson’s Antarctic paintings. As part of a material, technological and social history of early 1900s Antarctic expeditions, the project recalls the experiments and innovation of the “Discovery” 1901-04 and “Terra Nova” 1910-13 Expeditions, to form a new context for the analysis Wilson’s colour work.

The technologies and techniques that underpinned the production of the iconic images of Antarctic expeditions led by Captain R F Scott – including Ponting’s photographs and Wilson’s watercolours – combined scientific and art practices in a cultural, technological, visual record that mapped the Antarctic for public exhibition. The project proposes a form of non-destructive colour correction to offer a comparative image of the watercolours as they would appear under the light of the acetylene gas lamp in the Winter Base Hut and to further understanding and make apparent the material history of exploration for an audience today.

There will be a short discussion about the project by Dr Liz Watkins (University of Leeds) and Dr Lindsay MacDonald (University College London), followed by a short presentation by Headwall’s European Channel Manager, Francesco Beccari and Isaac Gilbert (Analytik, Ltd.) and demonstration of the Hyperspectral Lab Scanning kit complete with a VNIR Sensor.

This talk is part of the Scott Polar Research Institute - other talks series.

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