Depth of layers

Depth of Layers is an interdisciplinary project in which researchers Pd.D. Mateja Golež and Ph.D. Darja Rant from the Civil Engineering Institute of Slovenia, prof. Marija Jenko and Alenka More from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Department of Textile and Clothing Design, University of Ljubljana and doc. mag. Anja Jerčič Jakob from the Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, and video artist Ula Pogorevčnik investigate and artistically interpret historical materials.

They focus on canvases and traces of paintings on which the late Slovenian Baroque painter Leopold Layer painted. The project, which was created in cooperation with the Parish of Kranj and will be presented in the gallery of dr. Cene Avguštin of the Kranj unit of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage emphasizes the special role of textiles in world art, as it was the canvases that led the way to the popularization of painting.

The project explores where the painting materials used by Baroque and late Baroque painters in Slovenia came from. It is therefore about colors, bases (grounds), especially in the center of interest is the origin of textiles for canvases. As is known, Kranj was a strong center for the production of ship canvases in the 19th century and earlier. The team is investigating whether (Kranj) canvases were also used for painting. Where did Slovenian painters get them from?

The project explores the paintings of Leopold Layer, which are kept by the Kranj Parish and the National Gallery. Based on samples of unrestored works by Leopold Layer, the researchers create a research-visual exhibition after examining samples of canvases under an electron microscope. In addition to the results of the research, painting and textile interpretations of microscopic images will also be on display.

Photo: Electron microscope of the Civil Engineering Institute of Slovenia