Engineering and art history: The two areas of study traditionally have had little in common. On March 7, however, UCSD officially announced the establishment of the Center of Interdisciplinary Science for Art, Architecture and Archaeology, or CISA3 – a unique program that will research the history behind the construction of paintings, sculptures and buildings by using sophisticated diagnostic-imaging technology. As director of the new center, the campus has appointed engineering professor Maurizio Seracini, an authority on art diagnosis from Florence, Italy, who has been instrumental in developing the field for the past 32 years.
Working from UCSD’s CISA3, director and engineering professor Maurizio Seracini (right) and students have analyzed works such as Leonardo da Vinci’s 1475 painting “”Annunciation.””
Located at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, or Cal-(IT)2, CISA3 is the brainchild of the Jacobs School of Engineering, Cal-(IT)2 and the division of arts and humanities. The center is comprised of a mixture of students and faculty members, including undergraduates and researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
According to Seracini, CISA3 has three ultimate goals, one of which includes the development of research on the proper tools and methodology to study monuments and works of art. The importance of that method for art researchers, Seracini said, can be understood simply as a doctor’s need for apt tools in diagnosing a patient.
“”Works of art are unknown to us,”” Seracini said. “”They are considered art precisely because each piece of work is so different.””
The second mission CISA3 has set out to accomplish is the training of a “”doctor,”” or professional art diagnostician.
In addition to identifying the problem, the doctor would also decide on the best prescription for the preservation of each work. According to Alexandra Baker, the CISA3 program manager, different kinds of wavelengths are used to analyze paintings. Infrared radiography, for example, shows the original charcoal underneath paint layers, and X-ray fluorescent lights are used to identify the paint pigments used by the artist. The art diagnostician can use the results of such imaging techniques to instruct the restorer on the least-damaging method of preservation.
Lastly, CISA3 hopes to widen its scope internationally by conducting field projects in different countries.
Currently, this objective has advanced the furthest, as CISA3 has three major projects lined up for 2007.
In January, Leonardo da Vinci’s “”Annunciation,”” finished in 1475, was scanned and analyzed by the recently formed CISA3 team in Italy before the painting was moved to an exhibit for da Vinci in Japan.
According to Doug Ramsey, director of communications at Cal-(IT)2, numerous layers of restorative paint were applied to “”Annunciation”” while it was in the possession of the Church. The painting, which depicts the Virgin Mary with child against a backdrop of war and mayhem, was considered inappropriate because the serene image of the Madonna was overshadowed by destruction. Touch-ups were added over the years to subdue the violent background.
“”What is significant is a whole new interpretation of art from a scientific perspective,”” Baker said.
Next, CISA3 will study the Palazzo Medici, or Medici Palace, in Florence.
“”The Palazzo Medici is a symbol of the Renaissance in Italy,”” Seracini said. “”It is where the Medici family lived for hundreds of years.””
Researchers hope to uncover secret passageways and hidden murals at the historical building, which will be done using imaging technology that won’t touch the actual structure.
The center is also working with the San Diego Museum of Art to make digital clinical charts for each piece of art exhibited at the museum. The charts include information for scientists concerning the materials used in the original work and the state of conservation of the paintings. In addition, the charts document the artistic aspects of history, style and iconography behind the art. SDMA will be the first to obtain such charts.
“”The collaboration with the San Diego Museum of Art gives the center a chance to become open to the community,”” Seracini said. “”I believe that CISA3 will become instrumental in cultural initiatives at San Diego as a result of our work and links to projects abroad.””
Though CISA3 has only been in operation for a week, plenty of students are already showing an interest in the program. According to Baker, participants must have a background in both science and the arts.
CISA3 does not offer any classes or a degree as of yet, but according to Seracini, the potential for these developments is high.
“”For a long time in the mid-’70s, the idea of a scientist working with art was not accepted,”” Seracini said. “”It is not so anymore. The center will be the reference for a new field.””
