Abstract

Violeta Parra's visual art is characterized by the integration of the popular Chilean artist's craftsmanship, her field research, the role of women, poverty and injustice, as well as the use of everyday and modern art materials. Today, fifty years after her passing, Parra's creations are still being debated on the grounds of a solid narrative that supports the current socio-political discussion of the Chilean and Latin American scenario, for which she has earned a fundamental place in the collective memory. "Justice" (1964, 149.5 x 109.5 cm) is an oil painting on burlap canvas from the collection of the "Museo Violeta Parra" (Violeta Parra Museum). For the first time, the recent conservation treatment of the painting has allowed the development of a scientific multi-analytical approach. This research aimed to study the color palette and understand the studio practice used by the artist in the creation of the oil painting. The scientific strategy included visual documentation, canvas characterization, noninvasive portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF) to determine elemental composition, and vibrational spectroscopy analysis to identify pigments. In addition, a stratigraphic study was conducted to understand the painting technique used by Parra. However, due to the rich elemental composition found in the blue areas, consistent with the predominance of this color in the composition of the painting, a chemometric analysis was performed that allowed the identification of five characteristic elements: iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr) and copper (Cu). By using Raman spectrometry and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis, the blue pigments were later identified as ultramarine blue, copper phthalocyanine blue, anthraquinone blue, and manganese blue. In contrast, no specific pigments could be identified to explain the systematic appearance of cobalt and iron. Since commercial production of manganese blue was limited to a narrow time frame, its identification could be further used as a marker for Parra's color palette. Furthermore, the findings of the stratigraphic study showed that the artist made an overall application of a white ground layer, used a block distribution of underlying colors, and suggested the application of a varnish. Results correlated with previous documentation about Parra paying close attention to the facial expressions of the figures in her oil paintings, which is consistent with the application of multiple pictorial layers using a wet-on-wet painting technique. Due to the lack of evidence or studies on the subject, this research represents the first scientific milestone on the studio practice and use of materials in Parra's visual artwork.