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Case Study : Moran  Conservation of the painting by Thomas Moran Nearing Camp, Evening on the Upper Colorado River, Wyoming territory.
In 1999, shortly after it was purchased by Bolton Museum and Art Gallery, Thomas Moran’s beautiful painting, Nearing Camp, Evening on the Upper Colorado River was sent to Liverpool, to the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside Conservation Centre for conservation and assessment. The painting although in reasonable condition was after all 120 years old and was a bit dirty, which meant that not all of the colours and textures that the artist originally used were visible to us. Also any painting that comes in to the collection at the museum is assessed to make sure it is stable and will not be damaged by displaying the piece in the museum. How was the painting damaged? Over time the surface of the painting had collected dirt and dust effecting the gloss and appearance of the painting. Its varnish darkened and became yellow with age. Less obvious decay, such as the slackening of the canvas, effected the structural stability of the work. Small punctures suffered by the canvas and losses to the ground and paint layers are likely to have happened through poor storage and handling. These are not uncommon features of decay in a painting of this size. Conservation To begin with the surface was cleaned removing discoloured varnish and old restoration. Two varnish layers were identified through the technical examination. Both were darkened and yellowed with age. The lowest was an ‘artist’s varnish’ applied by Thomas Moran which was not removed. This work was carried out by Rebecca Hellen at the Liverpool Conservation Centre in Merseyside. Conservation treatment involved filling the small losses to paint and ground, followed by re-varnishing and retouching. Synthetic varnishes were used, deemed safely reversible in the future and less likely to discolour. Disguising losses to the paint and some open cracking in this way allows you to enjoy the picture without distraction. Discoveries made during the conservation procedure During conservation the painting was x-rayed which revealed some remarkable lost information. Originally Thomas Moran painted a sun in the background of the painting and he also changed the profile of the mountains, which can be seen below.
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