University of São Paulo: Turner and Monet paintings already portrayed air pollution in the 19th century

In an article published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Sorbonne University in France and Harvard University in the United States analyzed paintings by impressionist artists such as William Turner and Claude Monet and showed that stylistic changes in works – which acquired hazy contours and a whiter color palette – would be portraying the air pollution caused by the Industrial Revolution throughout the 19th century.

According to Maria de Fátima Andrade, from the Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences (IAG) at USP, to measure the level of atmospheric pollution in the past, scientists need to use a “grid estimate” of sulfur dioxide emissions from the time in question. “They estimated how much fuel was consumed in the Industrial Revolution, and from the total coal material consumed, they estimated how much sulfur was emitted ,” she explains. Between 1800 and 1850, coal consumed by the UK accounted for half of global sulfur dioxide emissions, as it would have contributed to the visual effects depicted in Impressionist paintings.

The cloudiness found in the works of Turner and Monet was a consequence of visible pollution in the air, which ended up affecting the painters’ worldview. This was caused by a “combination of particle emissions and a lot of humidity in these regions, which further increased this drop in visibility”, clarifies the professor.

Despite the study addressing the representations of atmospheric pollution during the 19th century, philosophers also recorded that air visibility was already impaired in the Middle Ages. At that time, the burning of firewood and coal emitted huge concentrations of polluting particles and, as Maria de Fátima explains, the population recognized that pollution polluted the castles, interfered with vision and would probably be harmful to health.

Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) provides data that prove the relationship between pollution and health, such as hospitalization data due to exposure to polluting events. That is, the measurement of pollution today goes beyond its visible effects: “We have equipment that is installed in stations on the surface, which measure gases and particles. There are also satellite data, which measure the entire column of carbon monoxide, oxygen and hydrogen”, says Maria de Fátima.

For the teacher, analyzing the atmospheric conditions of the past can be essential so that we can plan for the future. From measures taken centuries ago, such as fuel changes and reorganization of cities, it is possible to verify the positive and negative effects of certain actions and, thus, implement more adequate control policies. “When we prioritize control and establish a standard, pollutant concentrations decrease. Nowadays, we think a lot about seeking solutions based on nature, that is, mitigating the impact of pollution by increasing green coverage, for example”, concludes the professor.