Autumn Landscape with Haystacks, about 1952
Maurice de Vlaminck (American, 1876-1958)
Oil on canvas
Gift of Mrs. Blakemore Wheeler  1956.16 

How much will it cost?  $2,400 

ADOPT NOW!

This picture would benefit enormously from a thorough cleaning. The layers of a decades-old thin synthetic varnish have yellowed, discoloring the entire surface of the painting. The aged varnish has also collected a moderate amount of grime, which has embedded itself into the surface layer.  

Treatment involves the removal of the varnish. It is suspected that Vlaminck originally left this artwork unvarnished, as did many of the artists associated with the Fauve movement of the early twentieth century. We will determine whether we leave the painting unvarnished or apply a thin coat of stable varnish. Either way, the painting will be markedly improved, resulting in brighter blue skies. Right now, the forms of the white clouds are being affected by the aging varnish and residue of old lining adhesive, caught in the interstices of the heavily impastoed paint. 

The frame also requires some treatment, including a new liner to replace the discolored linen that surrounds the painting, and scattered areas of loss carefully stabilized and retouched.

Detail of the left side of the painting, showing the yellowing layer of varnish that lies over the white cloud; notice how the artist has thickly applied his paint.