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A colourful bond between art and chemistry

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Abstract

How can a work of art give us clues about scientific aspects? How can chemistry help a painter enhance his creativity and, above all, preserve the original characteristics of his work? Does an artist require scientific knowledge to innovate or, at least, not to be faked? Other symbiotic fields between art and science are: tattoos, as body art with physical and chemical consequences; pigments, as basic materials with interesting historiographical preparations; spectroscopy diagnosis, as very broad and thorough method of analysis (but also specific and non-intrusive); biosensors, as one of the applications of new pigments. Note also the interconnection between the several possible paths of science and art, which reflect new challenges with enormous potential investigated through a literature review and the application as a case study in an educational inquiry module.

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Correspondence to Nuno Francisco.

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Francisco, N., Morais, C., Paiva, J.C. et al. A colourful bond between art and chemistry. Found Chem 19, 125–138 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10698-016-9259-y

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