A paper conservator balances the historical integrity of a drawing while preserving the appearance intended by the artist. Watch a Getty conservator analyze and treat an old master drawing. Created by Getty Museum.
The magnificent sixteenth-century Emperor's Carpet from Safavid Iran was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum in 1941, but its condition was so fragile that it was only displayed for public twice over the next sixty years. This video documents the ambitious three-year conservation program that was launched in 2006 to stabilize the condition of the carpet so its lustrous wools and dazzling colors can be displayed the Museum on a regular basis. Related lesson plan: http://www.metmuseum.org/learn/for-educators/lesson-plans-and-pre-visit-guides/venice-and-the-islamic-world
A three-hundred year old painting required a lot of attention before it was ready for visitors to experience in the gallery. Learn about the techniques used to repair and clean the Virgin of Guadalupe to prepare it for the exhibition in "Sacred Spain: Art & Belief in the Spanish World", as conservator Christina O'Connell walks through each step of the process undertaken in the Conservation Lab at the IMA.
Flowers in a Glass Vase is a beautiful still life painted by the Dutch artist Jacob van Walscapelle in 1667 — the earliest known signed work by this artist. We don't believe that the painting has been treated since it was bequeathed to the V&A in 1900. Over time, the oil paint has started to flake, and the natural varnish has become discoloured. The painting is now undergoing thorough conservation work, which includes carefully reattaching paint flakes, removing discoloured varnish, applying new varnish and retouching. Transformed, the painting will go on display in Room 81 of the V&A Paintings Galleries. https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/paintings.
John Constable, The Hay Wain (Landscape: Noon), 1821, oil on canvas, 130.2 x 185.4 cm (The National Gallery, London). Speakers: Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris.
John Constable, View on the Stour near Dedham, 1822, oil on canvas, 51 x 74 inches (The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA) Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.
This art history video discussion examines John Constable"s "The Hay Wain", 1821. Oil on canvas, 51 1/4" x 73" (130.2 x 185.4 cm) (The National Gallery, London).
Latex, chocolate, soap, and video game software are just a few of the non-traditional materials that have inspired contemporary artists. While they embrace the modern, synthetic and technologically advanced world in which we live, some of materials present significant conservation problems for museum conservators. Gwynne Ryan, a conservator at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden discusses the challenges museums face with this issue: Should we keep art locked away to make it last? Or let it be experienced as it was intended while accelerating its natural degradation? For more information about the Hirshhorn's conservation program, visit: http://hirshhorn.si.edu/educate/page.asp?key=205&subkey=75.
A brief explanation of the term contrapposto while looking at "Idolino" from Pesaro, (Roman), c. 30 B.C.E., bronze, 158 cm (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze), speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. Although these particular objects may not have been known in the Renaissance, the ideas and form of contrapposto were revived in the Italian Renaissance.
A brief explanation of the term contrapposto while looking at "Idolino" from Pesaro, (Roman), c. 30 B.C.E., bronze, 158 cm (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze), speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. Although these particular objects may not have been known in the Renaissance, the ideas and form of contrapposto were revived in the Italian Renaissance.
A brief explanation of the term contrapposto while looking at "Idolino" from Pesaro, (Roman), c. 30 B.C.E., bronze, 158 cm (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze), speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. Although these particular objects may not have been known in the Renaissance, the ideas and form of contrapposto were revived in the Italian Renaissance. Speakers: Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris.
John Singleton Copley, A Boy with a Flying Squirrel (Henry Pelham), 1765, 77.15 x 63.82 cm / 30-3/8 x 25-1/8 inches (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston). Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.
Charles Bargue Drawing Course introductionThe Charles Bargue Drawing Course was a highly influential guide to art instruction in the 19th century, which has recently returned to prominence in the Realist painting movement. This module introduces students to the fundamental drawing skills covered in the Charles Bargue Drawing Course, and leads them through the process of completing a Bargue plate copy.
This art history video discussion examines the "Coronation Mantle" likely made for the Norman ruler Roger II in 1133/34 in the royal workshop in Palermo of fabric from Byzantium or Thebes, Samite, silk, gold, pearls, filigree, sapphires, garnets, glass, and cloisonne enamel.
Correggio, Jupiter and Io, 1532-33, oil on canvas 163.5 x 70.5 cm (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna) Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. Jupiter and Io and the other canvases by Correggio discussed in the video, The Rape (Abduction)of Ganymede, Danäe, and Leda and the Swan illustrate stories from the poem Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid. Metamorphoses is, of course about transformation, such as Jupiter becoming a swan, but it is also about love and is one of the most influential texts ever writte
Samuel Colman, Jr., Ships Unloading, New York, 1868, oil on canvas mounted on board, 105 x 76 cm (The Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection, 1984.4), a Seeing America video Speakers: Dr. Peter John Brownlee, Curator, Terra Foundation for American Art and Dr. Steven Zucker. Created by Beth Harris, Steven Zucker, and Smarthistory. Find learning related resources here: https://smarthistory.org/seeing-america-2/
Gustave Courbet, A Burial at Ornans, 1849-50, oil on canvas, 315 x 668 cm (Musée d'Orsay). Speakers: Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris.
Gustave Courbet, The Painter's Studio: A Real Allegory Summing Up Seven Years of My Life as an Artist, oil on canvas, 361 x 598 cm (Musée d'Orsay) Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.
Thomas Couture, Romans of the Decadence, 1847 (Musée d'Orsay, Paris) Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris & Dr. Steven Zucker For more art history videos visit smarthistory.org. Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.
Coyolxauhqui Monolith (Aztec), c. 1500, volcanic stone, found Templo Mayor, Tenochtitlan, excavated 1978 (Museo del Templo Mayor, Mexico City). Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank