As winter looms over our heads, we find ourselves enjoying the last few days of nice weather near our beautiful lakefront- much like the figures in French painter Félix Buhot's painting Jetty at Trouville, 1884. This piece, depicting a serene day along the coast of France, recently underwent a magnificent transformation in our Painting Department.
The painting before treatment.
Before the conservation process could begin, the piece was first removed from its frame for an initial examination. This examination determined that the painting was done on a medium-weight, medium-weave linen canvas. The surface had been primed white, and the paint layer was thinly to moderately applied oil paint.
The painting before treatment, removed from it’s frame for examination.
As the painting is over 100 years old, a thick layer of surface grime and accretions scattered throughout were not unusual. Before our conservators began cleaning the painting, it almost felt like a heavy smog was engulfing the figures as they strolled. That drastically changed once cleaning began! The painting's surface was cleaned as safely as possible, using appropriate aqueous solutions and dry methods. Where the painting was once dull and colorless, cool tones of blue and purple began to come out of the sky and water.
The dramatic cleaning in progress.
The areas of the piece that had experienced some flaking paint were consolidated using conservation adhesives. The losses were filled and textured using an appropriate conservation grade fill material. Texturizing the surface is done by mimicking the painter's brushstrokes, and it is important in rendering a seamless transition between the new and original surface. It also allows the inpainting to be virtually unidentifiable, which was then done using reversible conservation paints.
After treatment, before being replaced in it’s frame.
As our Painting Department worked on reviving the piece, our Custom Framing and Fabrication Department worked on repairing some abrasions, scratches, and dents that appeared on the original frame. The frame was composed of wood, gesso, and gold leaf. The smaller scratches and abrasions were inpainted to emulate the surrounding surface. Larger areas of losses were then filled and ingilded. A wax layer was then applied to provide a protective barrier between the frame's surface and its surroundings. After both the piece and frame were fully conserved, the piece was reinstalled into the frame. An acid-free coroplast backing board was attached to provide additional protection.
The painting after treatment.
The resulting piece beautifully captures a day in the life of the people in this seaside town. This piece was likely influenced by Buhot's neighborhood around the boulevard de Clichy in Montmartre, Paris- a place where he regularly drew inspiration for his prints and paintings. It is also not the first Buhot depicting nature's elements in a seascape setting, as much of Buhot's work was focused on creating the effects of weather such as rain, snow, mist, and fog. The piece Jetty at Trouville serves as an exceptional example of Buhot's mastery in creating these elements in a painting. It now can truly be appreciated as it has returned to the form the artist intended.
