This painting is from a series of unique pulp art pieces brought to The Center. The conservator initially observed that the quality of the paint layer was inconsistent throughout the painting surface, indicating previous restoration. For example, the paint on the female figure was much more yellow and thickly applied than on the rest of the painting. Examination under UV light confirmed the conservator’s hypothesis of heavy overpainting; large expanses of previous overpaint were in fact present, including all of the woman’s body, face, hair, and the man’s jacket.

This quaint little painting of an Old Woman Feeding the Birds was recently brought to The Center for treatment due to the complex tear throughout the canvas. The painting, measuring 9 ½” x 7”, had fallen from the wall, causing numerous tears and pulling of the left edge of the canvas from the stretcher. The artist is unknown, but the piece is most likely from the late 19th/ early 20th century and an important personal item to the owner.

I recently had the pleasure of carrying out an unusual and unexpected treatment of a painting here at The Center. It was a wonderful example of how a routine conservation examination can reveal insight on a painting’s past, and the mystery surrounding its history.

"The River Road – Early Snow" (oil on canvas), pictured above, came to The Center because of lifting throughout the paint layer. Cracking and lifting of the paint layer occurs when stresses on the painting are too strong for the strength of the paint layer. These stresses, such as, environmental changes in heat and humidity, cause the paint, ground, and canvas layers to expand and contract at different rates resulting in cracks and lifting. Because the paint layer was friable, the already dry paint became more brittle than normal over time.

Recently treated at The Center, a Franz Kline masterpiece; a white field with broad, black, very expressive brush strokes.  The painting came to the our conservation studios because of concern for the stability of the paint layer in particular areas. The primary concern was tiny (in comparison with the 62 ¼” x 80 ¾” size of the painting) delaminations of black “drips” from the white paint.

We successfully treated two paintings: both of which had experienced moisture damage to the extent that shrinkage of the canvas occurred, causing injury to the paint layer. In both cases, it was necessary to re-stretch the canvas in order to begin the restoration. There are several techniques to stretch canvas. However, when loosening of the paint and/or ground layers along cracks where the layers lift upward into peaks (a process called “tenting”) is evident, the most effective technique or method to us is the “Dutch Method”.