Research at the Hamilton Kerr Institute

Staff Interests:

The Hamilton Kerr Institute staff have specific areas of expertise in addition to the general research opportunites presented by each painting we treat. More information can be seen in each staff members profile, listed on the Staff pages of this website. Our particular specialisms are grouped together here for easy reference.

Dr Spike Bucklow

Spike’s research interests fall into two broad categories; visual perception and artists techniques. Research into visual perception includes work on formal connoisseurship of paintings to the classification of technical imagery. Research into artists’ techniques includes theoretical and practical work on pigment recipes. Whilst specialising in pre-twentieth century art, he has particular interest in medieval and early modern painting. Visit Spike’s profile.

Mary Kempski

Mary Kempski has a particular interest in traditional artist’s techniques and the use of tempera as a retouching medium. Visit Mary’s profile.

Marie Louise Sauerberg

Marie Louise’s interests include technical art history, especially medieval painting technique. Ongoing areas of research include multi-media polychromy, with particular emphasis on varnishes and glass. Other interests include the structural treatment of unlined canvas painting with emphasis on tear mending. Visit Marie Louise’s profile.

Dr Renate Woodhuysen

The history of painting techniques and materials and the history of plant lakes in painting. Main interest: reconstruction of recipes for the preparation of pigments, lakes, oil media and varnishes. Experiments concerning the handling properties of historic pigments and media and the reconstruction of historic painting methods. Visit Renate’s profile.

Lucy Wrapson

Lucy’s research interests centre on the technical study of medieval painting, especially English and Italian art of the Middle Ages and on Romano-Egyptian art. Visit Lucy’s profile.