An analytical study of polypropylene as a support for paint layers. From concept to material in contemporary art

The artist Jordi Teixidor is one of the leading exponents of twentieth century Spanish abstract art. In recent years, he has used a synthetic polymer as a support for his art work, namely polypropylene. The behaviour of this material in combination with layers of oil paint has not been studied until now. One of the objectives of this study was to chemically characterise the material present in Jordi Teixidor's work, using FT-IR spectroscopy, in order to be able to examine the behaviour of this set of materials after undergoing cycles of accelerated aging. After subjecting the samples to temperature and relative humidity cycles and ultraviolet radiation, their physico-mechanical behaviour was determined via tensile and bend tests, with the results being processed further by means of spectroscopic techniques and colour measurements. It was found that the possible migration of the additives present in the PP support and the gradual degradation of the materials could affect the adherence between the paint layers in the future.