From the WKRC Cincinnati website with a few minor edits for clarity:
Children on a trip to the Cincinnati Art Museum today saw a kind of artistry they probably didn’t expect to see. Work is now underway to restore one of Vince Van Gogh’s last masterpieces.
“Is it really a Van Gogh?” The young visitor to the Cincinnati Art Museum asks the man looking through a microscope that surgeons use. The chief conservator is working on one of Van Gogh’s last great masterpieces, needing the tool for the detailed, precise work.
Per Knutas, Chief Conservator at Cincinnati Art Museum: “When you see under the microscope, vigorous brush strokes, it’s fun to see how he built up the painting.”
The Dutch post impressionist painter is known for the vivid colors in portraits and landscapes. But in the 70’s an old technique used to protect the painting, Undergrowth with Two Figures, left wax in Van Gogh’s brush strokes.
“The wax was clear, but over the years has become milky and obscures the intended colors of the painting.”
Per Knutas usually works in a back room. But the combination art historian and chemist is on display so visitors can watch on a projection screen, as he uses a soft brush to apply a solvent, then a stick to carefully scrape the wax buildup away.
“To bring back the intended colors, it’s not just important to the art world. This is the way the artist intended it to be.”
“I started today, guess how long it will take… a day?”
The young visitors guess …a day…20 hours? Knutas will work until July 31 to get the painting back to the way Van Gogh wanted us to see it. The work is so detailed, it does not go on all day.
You can check the art museum’s website for the times, which will usually be between 2 pm and 5 pm.
