The conservation treatment of Severin Roesen’s Still Life, from the collection of Conner Prairie, is one of those very rewarding projects. The exquisite details of the painting were obscured beneath several layers of dirt, dust, soot, and heavily discolored natural resin varnish. The vibrant original colors appeared dull, dark, and hazy. The painting was a shadow of what it once had been, but those original colors and details were still there, just deeply buried. Removing all of those layers to once again reveal the beautiful colors of Roesen’s Still Life was not only rewarding to me as a conservator working behind the scenes, but it’s also rewarding to the visitor who now gets to enjoy the painting and all of its details and subtle colors.

Here is the painting in all its glory in the IMA’s Early American galleries. So what went on behind the scenes to get it here? About 85 hours of careful conservation work.

The painting installed in the IMA’s Early American Galleries.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Art, Conservation

IMA TV has the scoop. For more discussion of the conservation process, here’s a short video with Christina Milton O’Connell, Associate Conservator of Paintings at the IMA, and Stephanie West, Conservation Technician at Conner Prairie.

Filed under: Art, Conservation

Severin Roesen, Before

Severin Roesen was known for his realistic, sumptuous still life paintings. Most of his work was done in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where he settled in 1857.

Roesen pioneered the American still life and is the artist who comes to mind as the premier colonial still life painter. Although best known for his meticulously painted tables filled with fruit that reflected mid-nineteenth century optimism, his particularly striking and difficult to find floral still life paintings paved the way for floral themes in American art.

The IMA has long sought to display a work by Roesen in its Early American gallery, so it was very exciting to learn that Conner Prairie had a floral still life painting by the artist that they wanted to put on long term loan at the IMA. The only requirement was to bring it back to its original glory by conserving the painting.

It is with great anticipation that we await the completion of this work, when the painting can be placed on view for the public to appreciate its beauty and become acquainted with the style and quality of Severin Roesen’s still lifes. We sincerely thank Conner Prairie for sharing this treasure with the IMA and its visitors.

Filed under: Art, Conservation

IRT Facade

I recently got the chance to go see Crowns at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. It was great- the actors had good voices, the hats were compelling and fun and funny, the set was interesting and transitioned well for the actors from scene to scene. Most importantly, the audience loved it and really got into the story. To my surprise, there were a lot of kids there who enjoyed it, too. Way to go, Indy people, for taking your kids to the theatre.

But, I’m not actually interested in making this a theatre review. I have been thinking lately, spurned on by the recent culture rally Indy Culture Matters, about the large amount of cultural offerings we have available to us here in Indy. I have also been thinking about how much this defines the city as a thriving, important global community with an invested, artistic population. Most of our residents care about culture, and support it. But, I think the part that some people forget about is that fact that the institutions and organizations that comprise the local arts scene all actually support Indianapolis residents. Jobs, tourism, revenue- and more than our sports teams bring in, too.

So, get out and see the newest show at IRT, Interpreting William (which is based on the story of the founder of Conner Prairie.) If you aren’t into theatre, try something else.  Some events have shockingly cheap tickets. Indianapolis has countless offerings: Museums, gallery walks, historical houses, gardens, the zoo, the symphony. We have so much going on all the time, and it’s a shame to let all that amazing culture be wasted on JUST the tourists.

Feel free to comment and let me know of all the cool Indianapolis hot spots I left out!

Filed under: Current Events, Local, Musings