Watercolour and gouache paintings of José Wasth Rodrigues: materiality, technique and preservation

• Grant number: 20/13970-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: January 01, 2022
• End date: June 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Paulo César Garcez Marins
• Grantee: Isabela Ferreira Sodré dos Santos
• Host Institution: Museu Paulista (MP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/07366-1 - Collect, identify, describe, exhibit: the curatorial cycle and the production of knowledge, AP.TEM

Abstract

José Wasth Rodrigues figured as a multifaceted artist and a great scholar of Brazilian colonial history in the early twentieth century, thus his contributions in the first movements of rescue and valorization of the national heritage being undeniable. In the State of São Paulo his works are remarkable, such as the Obelisco da Ladeira da Memória and tiles panels along the Serra do Mar. Among the different fronts he had worked on, his heraldic art deserves to be highlighted, as the artist produced a series of municipal coat of arms of great historical relevance. In this context, the investigation of the watercolor and gouache painting collection of the artist, belonging to the Paulista Museum of the University of São Paulo, is proposed based on physical-chemical methods of analysis for the identification of the materials used in their production and possible ongoing processes of degradation, exploring the state-of-the-art of analytical techniques which guarantee the material integrity of the analyzed objects. The investigation will be conducted in a transdisciplinary approach as a way to contribute to the understanding of elements related to the materiality of the productions and their technical aspects, while bringing information to assist in the actions aimed at their preservation. (AU)