Closed Today. Reopens Tomorrow at 10:00 AM.
Become a Member
Your Cart
Landscape
Chaim Soutine (Lithuanian, 1893–1943)
Oil on canvas
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick N. Leonard 1961.18
ADOPTED
This painting has languished in storage for too long. It is currently housed in a thin strip frame, which will need to be replaced with something that can aesthetically and structurally support the picture. Currently, the canvas tension has gone slack. Too many years of this has resulted in a diagonal crease in the canvas in the lower right corner. A thin coat of varnish has completely discolored, obscuring the original paint layer. A thick coat of grime that coats the surface doesn’t help matters.
Once in the lab, the canvas will be removed from the stretcher, and relaxed and humidified to restore its shape. The painting will be reattached to a stretcher and properly tensioned. All the grime and yellowed varnish will be removed, and losses will be inpainted and toned, with special attention given to the upper right corner. The painting will either be left unvarnished, or carefully coated as a protective measure, with care to avoid any discernible sheen. Cleaning tests indicate that the results will be dramatic.
