Mountain Landscape, Before Treatment

Mountain Landscape

Artist: Alexander Lawrie

Title: Mountain Landscape

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Date: 1867

Dimensions: 10 1/4” x 18”

This landscape depicts a scenic lake surrounded by mountains, likely a scene from Upper Ausable Lake, NY. Alexander Lawrie was heavily influenced by the Hudson River School artists, whom he met in his travels to upstate New York. This painting came to WUDPAC in 2018 from a private owner. Treatment was partially carried out by previous painting majors and some pre-program interns in the paintings lab.

Condition Summary

Overall, the painting is in stable condition. The lining fabric is still securely attached. The mechanical cracks, while stable, are visually disruptive especially in raking light, where the cupping is highlighted. The varnish is also somewhat yellowed. For a a more thorough description of condition, view the Condition report and Treatment Proposal prepared by Laura McNulty and Yungjin Shin, WUDPAC 2021.

Treatment Summary

While structurally stable, this painting would benefit greatly from aesthetic compensation. This would include grime and varnish removal, relaxation of cupped paint to reduce appearance of cracks, and inpainting. The reduction of cupping would also help prevent chipping and loss of paint in the future. In order to address the cupped paint, the painting will have to be removed from its stretcher and humidified. The removal of its current lining material may also be necessary.

While the painting has been removed from its stretcher, cleaned, un-lined, humidified, and infused with BEVA there was difficulty in getting even humidification over through entire surface. This irregular humidification is likely due to the use of two different grounds by the artist. The bottom third of the painting - the lake and most of the foliage - has a red ground, while the top two thirds - the mountain range and sky - has a lead while ground. The lead white ground is much slower to humidify. When initially humidified, it was done so with no tension, and with the two grounds, it has caused distinct dimensional changes between the two areas. The painting was humidified again, this time with adjustable tensioning in place. Once the painting was evenly humidified, the tension was adjusted to rectify the initial distortion. The painting was then BEVA lined onto Sunbrella on a heat table in a vacuum package. Any remaining tented cracks were encouraged to lay flat with the heat of the lining.

This project is a group endeavor between myself, my major supervisor Matthew Cushman, and my fellow paintings major Brianna Weakley.

Click on each image for an enlarged version. Images provided by Amanda Kasman (WUDPAC ‘21)

Before Treatment, Recto, Normal Light

Before Treatment, Verso, Normal Light

Before Treatment, Recto, Raking Light

Before Treatment, Recto, UV Illumination

Before Treatment, Recto, X-ray Radiography

Before Treatment, Recto, IR Reflectography

Treatment Steps Completed:

Note: Green text indicates treatment done by previous students

  1. Before treatment photography and documentation, including UV, IR, and X-ray imaging.

  2. Cross-section samples taken and analyzed.

  3. Cleaning tests were conducted.

  4. Grime, dust, and varnish removed.

  5. Painting was removed from its stretcher and lining reversed.

  6. Painting was placed in a humidity chamber, unrestrained, for six hours at 80% humidity and then placed under vacuum on the vacuum heat table to relax the mechanical cupping and cracking.

  7. BEVA was infused throughout the painting to ensure stability of painting after treatment and its storage in a private home.

  8. It was then noticed that the bottom corners were cupping upwards as the fabrics had humidified differently due to the different grounds, which causes slight dimensional changes. There was also still room for improvement in relaxing the cupped paint. Further humidification, under tension, was required to rectify the dimensional changes and further settle the paint.

  9. The painting was placed face down on a clean surface and strips of Hollytex were adhered along the edge using BEVA film reactivated by heat.

  10. Hollytex strips were used to tension the painting by attaching it to a working strainer with pins. The use of pins also allows the tension to be easily modified.

  11. Surface area calculations were made to consistently humidify the chamber with a saturated salt solution at 75% humidity. Once stable, it was used to humidify the painting.

  12. The painting was then placed in the humidification chamber for 7 days, with adjustments to the tension made at intervals.

  13. The lining fabric, Sunbrella, was prepped with “whole milk” BEVA.

  14. A vacuum package consisting of silicone release Mylar, prepared lining fabric, braided cord, and thin Mylar was assembled on the hot table.

  15. Once the painting was supple and tensioned appropriately, it was removed from its temporary stretcher and the BEVA-Hollytex strips removed with mechanical action.

  16. The painting was then placed on the prepared lining fabric, a vacuum pulled, and heat applied at 60C through the hot table.

  17. Once warmed, cupped paint was encouraged back into plane with gentle pressure from various burnishing instruments.

  18. At the paint that the BEVA had fully melted, the heat was stopped, and fans were placed around the painting to cool.

  19. Once cooled, the vacuum was stopped. Overall weight was applied and the painting allowed to fully cool overnight.

This treatment is being handed off to new students, updates will be linked if made available.

Looming canvas onto working stretcher prior to humidification

PC: Matthew Cushman

Applying BEVA to lining fabric

PC: Matthew Cushman

Removing BEVA-Hollytex strips before lining

PC: Matthew Cushman

Encouraging cupped paint into planarity with gentle pressure from fingernail

PC: Brianna Weakley