Helena de Barros is an Assistant Professor at Rio de Janeiro State University. She holds a PhD in design and is a researcher and collector of historical and contemporary prints. Her work delves into the impact of image reproduction technologies on design expressive capabilities, focusing on Brazilian graphic memory.
Her research project at the University of Reading centres on chromolithography, a historical colour printing technique. Through this study, she aims to enhance identification skills in historical prints and material culture research methods. The Michael Twyman collection of chromolithographic prints offers a wide variety of samples and the opportunity to deepen her understanding of English commercial production while exploring the intricate processes of manual chromatic construction and lithography techniques through microanalysis and colour identification. The research aims to expand technical training to recognise historical colour usage in Brazil and the Global South, promoting connections between design, history and social studies.
