Discover old masters digitally

A new website reveals the secrets of old masters. The Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne is now offering fascinating insights into art and research with its new website. It combines the analog and digital worlds and invites visitors on an exciting journey of discovery into the world of the old masters.

Thanks to exciting storytelling and playful design, 700 years of painting will be presented in a new light and a wide audience will be inspired by the tricks of the old masters. Users have the opportunity to look over the shoulders of famous artists from Dürer to van Gogh with art technologists from the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. Exciting stories, elaborate videos and magical “curtain views” make the invisible visible. They uncover astonishing techniques and reveal many a trick of the old masters. The experts from the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum’s “Department of Restoration and Art Technology” report on the creation of important paintings in eight exciting chapters. They begin with the selection of a suitable support and end with the application of varnish, the perfect finish for a painting.
In the first of the eight chapters, users learn more about training to become a painter. The following chapters introduce the various painting supports and the structure of a painting, starting with the primer, through the underdrawing to the varnish. The different colors such as tempera and oil paint and their production are also presented in detail. The differences between the two colors are also explained. A sub-chapter is dedicated to pigments and their history, with a timeline showing when each pigment was known. Various techniques of paint application and painting methods are presented in detail, so the user learns about the academic painting method of the 19th century, among other things, but also finds out what the expression “alla prima” is all about. In addition to paints, painters also need a wide variety of tools. In addition to brushes, these can also be fingers or tools such as pens or palette knives. A separate chapter is dedicated to pentimenti, which are frequently found in the works of the old masters. Pentimenti refer to changes that occurred during the work process and are derived from the Italian word pentirsi, which means to repent. Pentimenti can occur throughout the entire work process, from the underdrawing to the final application of paint. Examples from the Wallraff-Richartz Museum’s collection are used to demonstrate such changes. The creators of the website also explain how to track down the pentimenti. The final chapter is dedicated to the varnish. It explains in detail what it consists of and how it was applied. It also explains why varnish is often no longer found on modern paintings.
In each chapter, users have the opportunity to obtain further information on specific content. This is usually done by clicking on it and a new small window opens in which, for example, terms are explained. In addition, a plus sign in the works shown indicates if there is further information on a particular part of the painting. The offer is also supplemented by videos in which different work steps are shown. The chapters also contain information on the research methods used by the experts to track down the old masters.
Art lovers can immerse themselves in the fascinating world of painting anytime and anywhere in English and German. Afterwards, they will look at paintings differently. In order to be able to tell the digital story in the museum, the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum has added “Discover!” buttons to some of its pictures, creating a link between the digital and analog art worlds.

The website is based on the exhibition “Discovered!”. Painting Techniques from Martini to Monet, which was on display at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in winter 2021/22. The exhibition shed light on the history of European painting, focusing on materials, techniques and creation processes. The exhibition was accompanied by a public survey. This revealed that many museum visitors, regardless of age and gender, would like more information on painting-related topics. It also became clear that information is not only effective in the form of text, but also with the help of moving and still images to illustrate painting materials, techniques and production processes of artists. The survey, which was conducted as part of the dissertation “Rahmenwechsel. Kunstwissenschaft und Kunsttechnologie im Austausch” by Verena Bergmann (formerly Wallner) also revealed that interest in painting technology content in exhibitions is greatest among 30 to 50-year-olds, at around 85 percent. At 80 percent, the under-30s also show a strong interest in these topics. This fact was also given special consideration in the further development of the museum’s offerings. The content, layout and language were preferably adapted to suit the particularly interested target group of under 50-year-olds. The aim is to get as many people as possible interested in the art and techniques of the old masters. The three Cologne-based art technologists Iris Schaefer, Caroline von Saint-George and Kristin Krupa are responsible for the digital story, which was realized by the Augsburg agency Waldmann + Weinold and supported by the Volkswagen Foundation, the University of Konstanz and the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design.