Over the past three decades, painting research has expanded far beyond traditional stylistic and iconographic approaches. Developments in conservation science, archaeology, materials analysis, and digital humanities have substantially broadened the questions, evidence, and methods brought to the study of painted works (Drucker 2013; Bishop 2018). Despite this diversification, the field still lacks a systematic account of how its research themes, collaborative structures, and methodological orientations have evolved over time. While bibliometric approaches in the humanities have proven effective for mapping scholarly trends and networks (Žic Fuchs 2014; Su et al. 2020), comparable large-scale analyses remain rare in painting studies.

To address this gap, this study presents a longitudinal bibliometric analysis of painting-related scholarship published between 1994 and 2024. Drawing on a curated dataset of 4,063 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection, refined through expert review, the research adopts a newly designed analytical framework termed Perspective–Dimension–Unit (PDU). The PDU framework organizes the analysis into three linked layers: distributional patterns of knowledge production, structural relations among collaborative and thematic networks, and temporal evolution of research topics. VOSviewer is used to visualize country, institutional, author, and keyword co-occurrence networks (Van Eck / Waltman 2010; Sinkovics 2016). CiteSpace is applied to identify pivotal references, burst terms, and stage-based topic subnetworks (Chen 2006). Plotly-based Sankey diagrams are used to trace thematic flows across the three developmental stages. Together, these tools connect statistical description, network analysis, and temporal visualization within the PDU framework.

The results reveal three developmental stages: a Blooming Stage (1994–2006) of gradual growth, a Down-Time Stage (2006–2016) of consolidation and methodological refinement, and a Flourishing Stage (2016–2024) characterized by a sharp increase in output and deep interdisciplinary convergence. From a distributional perspective, the field shows both concentration and diversification. Western nations, including the USA, the UK, and Italy, and institutions such as CNR, CNRS, and major museums remain dominant, but China and other non-Western hubs are becoming increasingly visible. The disciplinary scope is inherently interdisciplinary, bridging arts, archaeology, chemistry, and materials science. This is reflected in publication patterns shared between heritage-science journals and art-historical venues. High-output authors further reflect this dual structure: conservation scientists have advanced material and imaging methodologies (Colombini et al. 1999; Delaney et al. 2010), while art historians continue to shape debates on style and meaning (Loh 2004). Taken collectively, the evidence suggests that painting research has become increasingly interdisciplinary, globally distributed, and methodologically diverse.

Structural analysis uncovers a core-periphery collaboration network anchored by Euro-American clusters, with growing intercontinental linkages. Keyword analysis identifies five major thematic directions: material characterization, organic binder studies, archaeological pigment research, conservation science, and wall painting investigations. High-impact studies in painting research predominantly advance technical and material analysis, especially through innovations in imaging and analytical workflows (Alfeld / Janssens 2015; Delaney et al. 2016). Such studies underscore the steady convergence of scientific analysis with art-historical inquiry.

Evolutionary modeling further highlights three broad trajectories. The first traces a movement from material and pigment identification toward integrated analyses that connect techniques with workshop practice and historical production contexts. The second shows a shift in mural conservation from laboratory consolidation methods toward environmentally responsive and community-engaged approaches, as seen in recent work at sites such as Dangeil (Guiducci et al. 2020). The third reflects the development of pigment studies from compositional description toward culturally grounded interpretations of material choice, exemplified by research on Tang mural palettes (Guo et al. 2022).

By integrating distributional, structural, and temporal perspectives, the PDU framework demonstrates a scalable and transferable approach to examining the development of interdisciplinary research in painting studies. The findings highlight the field’s growing methodological diversity, collaborative complexity, and global integration. Rather than viewing paintings solely as visual objects, recent scholarship increasingly situates them within material, technical, and cultural systems, aligning with broader reflections on digital and computational shifts in art history (Näslund / Wasielewski 2021; Mansfield 2024). This study further illustrates how bibliometric models can support cross-disciplinary reflection across art history, heritage science, and digital humanities.