Scientific Study
GCI scientist Michael Schilling and consultant conservator Aneta Zebala examine the mural prior to sample collection. Mural: © 2022 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/SOMAAP, Mexico City
Since 1988 the Getty Conservation Institute has provided scientific support to better understand the original materials Siqueiros used to paint the mural and the causes of its deterioration.
Scientists at the Institute have undertaken several studies on these materials, including pigment and binder identification and plaster characterization. Environmental monitoring was carried out to assess the effects of wind, rain, ultraviolet radiation, and atmospheric pollution on the mural, and light studies were performed to show the trajectory of the sun across the mural surface at different times of day over the year (see Maekawa and Meyer, 1993).
Combined, these studies provided conservators and architects with valuable information needed to treat the mural and construct a protective shelter for it.