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Conservation

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The platinum photograph played an important role in establishing photography as a fine art during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The physical qualities of the process, with its capacity for achieving a wide range of tonalities, could be further manipulated by using glycerine in combination with the developer. This video illustrates the basic materials and steps involved to create a platinum print with unique and painterly effects using the glycerine process.

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The National Gallery of Art is home to one of the most highly respected and extensive art conservation laboratories in the world, with a staff of more than 50. Among them are not only conservators of paintings, three-dimensional objects, works on paper, photographs, textiles, and frames, but also scientists and specialists in preventative care, which encompasses everything from monitoring environmental conditions to pest management. In addition to treating works of art in the collection, conservators and scientists collaborate with curators to perform research that improves our understanding of artists’ techniques and materials, and ultimately of the works of art and their historical contexts. In this lecture held on July 16, 2017, Mervin Richard, chief of conservation at the National Gallery of Art, discusses the history of conservation at the Gallery and some of the many activities that occupy the department today.

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The Mellon Foundation sponsored a project to create ConservationSpace, a web-based document management system developed specifically to address the needs of conservators. The software marries the versatility of a word processor with the capabilities of a database. Users can manage examination and treatment reports, images, notes, and other records associated with a work of art via a browser-based system with remote storage. The system is highly configurable and designed to interface with existing collection management systems. In this video conservators discuss how ConservationSpace addresses their needs.

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Photographers have long been drawn to the luminous qualities of the platinum and palladium processes to achieve their aesthetic goals. National Gallery conservators and scientists spearheaded an interdisciplinary study of these rare and beautiful prints in an effort to appreciate their material nature and to ensure their long-term preservation.  This video illustrates the basic materials and steps involved in the production of platinum and palladium prints.

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Follow the journey of Marc Chagall’s masterful mosaic, Orphée, from its original setting in a private Georgetown garden through extensive conservation at the National Gallery of Art to its installation in a secluded spot in the Gallery’s Sculpture Garden. Chagall designed the 10-by-17-foot mosaic as a wedding gift to John and Evelyn Nef, Washington art collectors and philanthropists, proclaiming: “Nothing for the house. The house is perfect as it is. But I will do something for the garden: a mosaic.” Fully realized by mosaic artist Lino Melano, Orphée presided over the Nefs’ garden for over 40 years, until it was bequeathed to the Gallery in 2009. For three years, a team of Gallery staff and contractors collaborated to safely remove the mosaic from its original garden setting, to stabilize each of the 10 panels and prepare them for reinstallation, and to attach them to a new wall in the Sculpture Garden, recreating the contemplative setting of the Nefs’ garden. This once hidden jewel now delights visitors to the Sculpture Garden.

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The issue of preservation arises frequently in discussions of land art and monumental outdoor sculpture, the type of work for which Michael Heizer is best known. For his Scrap Metal Drypoints, Heizer selected salvaged zinc and aluminum plates scarred with appealing scrapes, scratches, marks of oxidation, and corrosion—all dramatic evidence of environmental effects. In preparation for exhibition, conservators and curators, in consultation with the artist, elected to restore the clarity of one of the prints by mitigating the distracting staining and discoloration visible in the paper support. The challenge of handling and maneuvering the eight-foot-long print—particularly when swollen with water—requires seamless coordination. Over a period of three days, the monumental print was bathed in calcified water in a custom-built sink, removing much of the paper’s general discoloration. Once the print was lifted from the bath and dried under blotters, the conservators examined the remaining stains and selectively treated them by brushing and spraying weak solutions of bleach. A final bath removed all remaining chemical solutions from the paper. After a long period of drying, the print was hinged and framed for display in the exhibit The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L.

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David Bull, paintings conservator, National Gallery of Art, shows how The Feast of the Gods looked at various stages of its creation by examining reconstructions as well as infrared and x-ray images that show the paints below the surface. This clip is from European Art: Feast of the Gods, produced by the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

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In addition to The Feast of the Gods, the 1598 inventory of the Camerino listed a “bacchanal of men” by Dosso, now lost, and three other paintings by Titian: Bacchus and Ariadne, now at The National Gallery, London, and The Bacchanal of the Andrians and The Worship of Venus, now at the Prado in Madrid. Above them hung a series of ten smaller scenes from the Aeneid, also painted by Dosso (including one now at the National Gallery of Art). David Bull, paintings conservator at the National Gallery of Art, presents a reconstruction of the camerino and the arrangement of the paintings within. This clip is from European Art: Feast of the Gods, produced by the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

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Ann Hoenigswald, senior conservator of paintings, and Felix Monguilot Benzal, 2012-2013 Kress Interpretive Fellow, review the conservation treatment of El Greco’s Saint Martin and the Beggar (1597/1599). In 2014, Spain will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the death of El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos, 1541-1614) with major exhibitions of the artist’s works. Upon completion of treatment, the Gallery will loan Saint Martin and the Beggar and its companion painting Madonna and Child with Saint Martina and Saint Agnes to their city of origin for The Greek in Toledo exhibition at the Museum of Santa Cruz, Toledo. In this video from January 22, 2013, Hoenigswald and Monguilot Benzal reveal how the original texture and color of the paint will return once a layer of discolored varnish is removed. The Kress Interpretive Fellowship is supported by a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation to provide a new kind of mentored professional development opportunity within American art museums.  

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At the time of their acquisition in 1995, Cornelis Verbeeck's paintings Dutch Warship Attacking a Spanish Galley and Spanish Galleon Firing Its Cannons were covered with layers of discolored varnish. Their sojourn in the conservation lab, however, revealed a complex story that transformed our understanding of these paintings. Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque paintings, is joined by Michael Swicklik, senior conservator, and Richard Ford, frame conservator, as they discuss this exciting discovery, and the paintings' new appearance as two halves of a reunited battle scene.

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"In the Tower: Mark Rothko," on view February 21, 2010 through January 2, 2011, featured the enigmatic black paintings of Mark Rothko. In preparation for this exhibition, Jay Krueger, head of painting conservation at the Gallery, investigated the layers and materials Rothko might have used to create the black paintings. These austere paintings—each presenting a single black rectangle on a black or nearly black field—are among the most mysterious of Rothko’s career. Black is a frequent, often imposing presence in Mark Rothko’s earlier paintings, from the figurative works of the 1930s and the surrealist-inspired canvases of the mid-1940s to the “multiforms” of the late 1940s. Black was rare in his work for more than a decade, but Rothko returned to it in 1964 for a key commission. That year the collectors Dominique and John de Menil commissioned Rothko to create series of paintings for a Catholic chapel in Houston, today the non-denominational Rothko Chapel. Having recently worked on multicanvas commissions for the Four Seasons Restaurant (1958–1959) and Harvard University (1961–1963), Rothko was already painting in the series format. He worked on the chapel commission from the fall of 1964 through the spring of 1967, producing 14 large paintings and four alternates, many of them direct successors to the black paintings of 1964.

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Vermeer: Master of Light is a visual pilgrimage in search of what makes a Vermeer a Vermeer. It is a journey of discovery, guiding the viewer through an examination of three of Johannes Vermeer's paintings and exploring the "secrets" of his technique. Utilizing the potential of x-ray analysis and infrared reflectography as well as the power of computer technology, the program delves beneath the surface of the paintings to unveil fascinating insights into Vermeer's work. This film celebrates one of the most extraordinary painters in the history of art. Narrated by Meryl Streep, with commentary by Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art, and David Bull, conservator. This segment explores the power of the National Gallery's painting A Lady Writing. It examines Vermeer's painting techniques and his use of color.

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Vermeer: Master of Light is a visual pilgrimage in search of what makes a Vermeer a Vermeer. It is a journey of discovery, guiding the viewer through an examination of three of Johannes Vermeer's paintings and exploring the "secrets" of his technique. Utilizing the potential of x-ray analysis and infrared reflectography as well as the power of computer technology, the program delves beneath the surface of the paintings to unveil fascinating insights into Vermeer's work. This film celebrates one of the most extraordinary painters in the history of art. Narrated by Meryl Streep, with commentary by Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art, and David Bull, conservator. This segment uses computer technology to illustrate how Vermeer applied the optical principle of the camera obscura while painting Girl with the Red Hat.

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Vermeer: Master of Light is a visual pilgrimage in search of what makes a Vermeer a Vermeer. It is a journey of discovery, guiding the viewer through an examination of three of Johannes Vermeer's paintings and exploring the "secrets" of his technique. Utilizing the potential of x-ray analysis and infrared reflectography as well as the power of computer technology, the program delves beneath the surface of the paintings to unveil fascinating insights into Vermeer's work. This film celebrates one of the most extraordinary painters in the history of art. Narrated by Meryl Streep, with commentary by Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art, and David Bull, conservator. This segment examines the National Gallery's painting Girl with the Red Hat. It explains Vermeer's mastery of color and explores the minute details of the painting with magnification of, in some instances, more than 300 percent.

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Vermeer: Master of Light is a visual pilgrimage in search of what makes a Vermeer a Vermeer. It is a journey of discovery, guiding the viewer through an examination of three of Johannes Vermeer's paintings and exploring the "secrets" of his technique. Utilizing the potential of x-ray analysis and infrared reflectography as well as the power of computer technology, the program delves beneath the surface of the paintings to unveil fascinating insights into Vermeer's work. This film celebrates one of the most extraordinary painters in the history of art. Narrated by Meryl Streep, with commentary by Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art, and David Bull, conservator. This segment uses computer technology to deconstruct The Music Lesson and demonstrate to the viewer how Vermeer has painstakingly placed every object in the painting to achieve his desired result.

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Vermeer: Master of Light is a visual pilgrimage in search of what makes a Vermeer a Vermeer. It is a journey of discovery, guiding the viewer through an examination of three of Johannes Vermeer's paintings and exploring the "secrets" of his technique. Utilizing the potential of x-ray analysis and infrared reflectography as well as the power of computer technology, the program delves beneath the surface of the paintings to unveil fascinating insights into Vermeer's work. This film celebrates one of the most extraordinary painters in the history of art. Narrated by Meryl Streep, with commentary by Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art, and David Bull, conservator. This segment analyzes the National Gallery of Art's painting Woman Holding a Balance. With the help of special effects we are able to understand Vermeer's construction of the painting and his complete control of the work.

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Vermeer: Master of Light is a visual pilgrimage in search of what makes a Vermeer a Vermeer. It is a journey of discovery, guiding the viewer through an examination of three of Johannes Vermeer's paintings and exploring the "secrets" of his technique. Utilizing the potential of x-ray analysis and infrared reflectography as well as the power of computer technology, the program delves beneath the surface of the paintings to unveil fascinating insights into Vermeer's work. This film celebrates one of the most extraordinary painters in the history of art. Narrated by Meryl Streep, with commentary by Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art, and David Bull, conservator. This compilation video combines all 5 parts of the Vermeer: Master of Light video podcast series.