Learning to Look: A Conservator’s Introduction to Looking at Paintings

Dr. Dawn V. Rogala, Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution

What might crack patterns in paint, stains or holes in the canvas, or the construction of wooden stretcher bars tell us about a painting’s unique history? Join Smithsonian paintings conservator Dr. Dawn Rogala for an informal presentation on the first steps a conservator takes in approaching and analyzing a painting. This talk focuses on the information initially available to the viewer without the use of expensive analytical tools.

Case Closed?: Solving Several Blanton Painting Mysteries & Finding New Ones

Hannah W. Wong, Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Prints and Drawings, and European Paintings, Blanton Museum of Art

Research on provenance, artists’ biographies, and cultural contexts are familiar art historical tools for understanding artwork. However, conservation studies and technical analysis can be interpretive game changers.  Hannah considers several case studies in which X-radiography has expanded or dramatically changed the conversation around specific Old Master paintings at the Blanton.