Beneath the surface of "Evening"
When you look at a painting in a museum, what story does it tell?
Winslow Homer (United States, 1836-1910), Evening, circa 1870, oil on canvas. Gift from the Berger Collection Educational Trust in honor of the preservation of the Winslow Homer Studio, 2018.9.3. Image courtesy of Luc Demers.
We’re inclined to observe the brushstrokes, color, line, or maybe the subtleties of an artist’s technique. We might consider how the artist organized the composition or where the painting fits into the narrative of art history. But we don’t often question whether or not the work on the wall is the final product or how the painting might have changed over time. What if what we see isn’t what the artist originally intended? What if the canvas is just one fragment of a much larger narrative?
In the spring of 2018, art conservator Nina Roth-Wells came to the PMA to review a painting that had just come into the collection as part of a generous gift of Winslow Homer works from the Berger Family Educational Trust. It was a small Homer painting from 1870 titled Evening, depicting an empty field in twilight. There was nothing particularly out of the ordinary with a scene like this, but by looking closely at the application of paint, Roth-Wells noticed something strange. Observing the painting under UV light revealed unusually large patches of darkness, indicating that something had been added on top of the varnish. Roth- Wells suspected that there may have been something present just underneath the surface of this calm evening scene.
After clearing permission from the museum, the registration team took Evening to a veterinarian’s office, hoping to get a better look at those obscured dark spots on the surface with an x-ray.
“Conservation is like healthcare for works of art,” said Roth-Wells, “It preserves longevity.”
In this case, the only way to preserve this painting’s health was by looking through each layer of paint and seeing what its history might reveal about its current condition.
The vet laid the painting down on the table and scanned over the surface with the x-ray. The ensuing image revealed three clearly defined objects in white lead paint just under the surface of the scene. Not only was there a full underpainting, but Homer had painted a horse, a woman, and a building in the background. The empty field was covering up something completely different that he had worked on before.
The PMA has no intention to restore the three figures, as that was not what Homer intended, but everyone was thrilled to discover that the 150-year-old painting had multiple histories. What originally appeared as a darkened, damaged canvas was actually just the indication that the painting had a deeper story. As conservation practices change, who’s to say this painting won’t reveal another secret? What’s certain is that as time goes on, an object seemingly fixed in time can continue to change, and preservation can often transform into archaeology.
Or as Exhibitions Registrar Erin Damon said:
“I was astonished at what I saw, and was thrilled to witness something truly remarkable and unexpected. Museums of our size rarely have the time or opportunity to study an object so closely; the biggest reward of the entire experience was that we actually found something.
- Sophia Namara, Content and Communications Specialist
This feature was originally published in PMA Magazine, the PMA’s quarterly members magazine. Would you like the inside track on all things PMA and features such as this delivered to your mailbox in an award-winning print format? Become a member today!