Science in Art: The Chemistry of Art Materials and Conservation

The course elaborates on the chemistry behind the visual arts, and how an understanding of art’s material properties helps preserve our cultural heritage. It is offered by Trinity College Connecticut on edX, an online education platform.

Trinity College Connecticut is an independent, nonsectarian liberal arts college with more than 2,200 students from 44 states and 62 countries. Through this course, participants can expect to understand, from a chemical point of view, how conservation protocols and the material aspects of an art work allow a better appreciation of an artwork and its creation.

Some of the learning objectives of the course include:

• Understanding of materials used to create art
• Learning the science behind human perception of art
• Illustrating techniques used to conserve and date art objects
• Detecting art fakes and forgeries