Textiles with a complex woven pattern were used as painters’ canvases by Italian and Spanish painters throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. The X-Ray technology reveals these patterns in the paintings and allows us to follow the position of each thread in the textile, both horizontally and vertically. Drawing all crossing points identifies the repeat of the pattern and a weave draft can be generated from this. Reconstructions have been woven in linen on a handloom. The presentation will guide you through the story of this project.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Helena Loermans is a former laboratory technician, engaged in histochemical and morphometrical investigation of normal- and pathologic muscle in the mouse, (Nijmegen University, The Netherlands) and is now weaving in her studio in Odemira. Lab O is a laboratory for the research and reconstruction of canvases of old master paintings. Its mission is: Recovering and sharing the knowledge of historic canvases. Loermans studied Jacquard Design in Florence, including textile analysis. She has a long term experience as a fine production weaver and as a weaving teacher and tutor in various European funded projects for Rural Development, Projects on Reintegration in Society as well as for adults with limited capacities.