Student Voices: Conservation Derek Lintala, MA/MS candidate Kress Program in Paintings Conservation
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Many analytical techniques used to study paintings make use of areas of the electromagnetic spectrum that fall outside the visible region, including infrared radiation and X-rays. I captured an X-radiograph of the portrait of Lady Willoughby, which revealed that her proper left arm and hand had been moved multiple times throughout the painting process.
Lady Willoughby de Broke by George Romney (British, 1734- 1802); 1779-188; oil on canvas; 50” x 40”; Arkansas Museum of Art (2019.006.001). Left: The painting before treament; Right: The painting following the removal of discolored varnishes and retouching, with some new retouching applied.
49 The Institute of Fine Arts Annual 2020 - 2021
s a third-year student in the Kress Program in Paintings Conservation, my studies focus on developing skills used in the treatment of easel paintings, while at the same time learning analytical techniques that can be used to better understand a painting’s manufacture and history. In the summer of 2020, I began the treatment and technical study of the portrait Lady Willoughby de Broke by the late 18th-century British painter George Romney. The painting is part of the collection of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. Treatment was prompted by a severely discolored varnish that disrupted the original color relationships, as well as by discolored retouching applied in a previous restoration. The accompanying technical study revealed certain idiosyncrasies of Romney’s technique, and was particularly rewarding as Romney is an understudied artist overshadowed by better-remembered portrait painters of 18th-century London.
What at first appeared to be a straightforward cleaning was a challenging one. The painting was coated with multiple varnishes: the upper, most recent layer was composed of a natural resin, and readily soluble in a solvent mixture often used in the cleaning of paintings. Underneath this layer was an older varnish containing natural resin with the addition of an oil component, making it much more tenacious and less soluble in the same solvent mixture. To remove this, I used a combination of techniques including a solvent gel. A gel increased the amount of time that solvent was in contact with the varnish, causing it to shrink and release from the paint surface. This technique also reduced the amount of mechanical action necessary to remove the varnish. I am currently retouching areas of lost original paint, as well as continuing the painting’s technical study.
