Wolfgang-- I knew about color of paint being dulled by exposure to light, but I did not know that the underlying "grounding" of paint would be disturbed. Ah, fascinating! Are both the surface light problem and 'grounding' the reasons that Lascaux has been closed up? I understand it is opened for only two months a year and one has to make reservations a year ahead to visit. A poet friend of mine visited the caves a number of years ago with a NEA grant and wrote some marvelously insightful poems about the animal paintings. Yes, I have heard that a "long exposure camera setting" (say 3 to 5 seconds) absorbs less light and somehow I guess the less light absorbed, the less damage done? Wow! So we are speaking microscopically then? I am very curious about the "Old Pinakothek in Munich" to which you refer. I am assuming this is a Neolithic dig somewhere around Munich? Is there a website about it and could you send the link? (This will mean a 'new e-mail heading for us all though.) But it sounds very interesting. I'm an amateur (but interested) archeology buff even though I am a poet. Sounds like this site has been well researched and documented if studies have been conducted about 'light' degradation. Judy Platz (US Maine) ----- Original Message ----- From: Wolfgang Schlick To: ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Friday, May 28, 2004 7:01 PM Subject: Re: [<orcadia>] Re: Orkney hood-reply to Fiona >So, it the flash that is the issue. Does that mean you could take photos without a flash? Depends on what is on show but in most cases: NO! ... at least not such things like the hood or similar stuff. The shots I talked about where taken under "laboratory conditions", will say using as little light as possible, lights of specific wave lengths that does not harm the object so much und/or using extrem long "exposure times" (sorry, don't know the proper English expression). @ Judy: It is in fact nearly the same problem as it is with old paintings where not only the colors of the top layers are affected but the underlying grounding as well. Under "heavy" light the whole system is "weathering" ... within relatively short times or only small figures of flash lights as intensive studies at the Old Pinakothek in Munich have proved (and I am sure in other places as well). ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com

Judy, as far as Lascaux is concerned, light is a problem, but a minor one. More critical was the overall humidity within the cave, brought in by thousands of tourists and their "evaporations" ... Old Pinakothek is a gallery in Munich founded by the Bavarian kings and specialising in old paintings from medieval times til the 18th century ... details follow off list ... cu Wolfgang