MoMA Conservators discover Matisse's process for "The Red Studio" | CONSERVATION STORIES

[@Jane-yr2cg]

Fascinating! I love that there are art historians, where your job is to analyze the process of how a work of art came to be! What a dream job!

[@Rovemcmanus1312]

Love the passion these guys have.

[@wadeguidry6675]

Seems like the Museum should have a room/display featuring this painting and breaking down and explaining to the public everything they've learned with this machinery. It would be interesting.

[@Gulfstreams]

Well that's what this video is doing, no?

[@space.weather]

WOW! What I would have given to be a part of this team! There was a Matisse exhibit in my city years ago. It was my first chance to see his paintings close up. When i saw some of those intricate passages it made me cry! Looking at those little clues he left can make the viewer feel a sense of intimacy with him. It's kind of like a subtle vibration left behind, if that makes sense... Thank you! I loved this--it would be amazing to watch the entire process! 💗

[@Nolanthegardener]

I love paintings, and photographs, of artist's studios. They have a 'meta' quality to them.

[@graphene1487]

Really fascinating. Thank you for this video.

[@janemorrow6672]

Fabulous! This video made me feel the excitement of the conservators.

[@emilialav]

Amo esta pintura, tan armoniosa, a pesar del rojo me calma verla

[@annabananavr101]

These videos are so cool! I love these and would love to see more!

[@bobobahia]

Painter layers colors one atop the other. Wow, revelatory.

[@theadoresmith2777]

Remind me of a flock of paleontologists examining and getting excited over the minutiae of a new dinosaur. Charming bunch.

[@rossrobbins7707]

Fabulous, fantastic, fascinating video! Thanks so much!

[@susanjane4784]

Wonderful window into the process of a seminal painting.

[@hollyjhager]

More of these, please!

[@Divertedflight]

I'd read may years ago that the large nude painting depicted on the left, was against Matisse's desire, first removed of the hand painted frame, and then lost in a fire some years after that. Apparently there were no records of this picture in colour photos, only black n white ones. I don't know if anyone here has more information.

[@RubyWalker-j1n]

This is NOT a dig at the conservators, but as an oil painter... I could've guessed a lot of this just from looking at it! I mean, of course the red was applied when the other layers were dry. You couldn't get an even, flat coat like that if the underlayers were still wet. Emotionally I relate too -- often you keep a piece around that you're just not satisfied with, and you paint over a lot of it to see if you find something better. I love Matisse.

[@dorfmanjones]

It's called painting. Things aren't working out you make changes, sometimes radical ones. Conservators get astonished by what many working artists do all the time. A lot of us don't know where a picture's going to go.

[@gailaturner5123]

Spoken like a true Artist 👍🏾

[@Snewton12]

You got that right

[@ggconsultingmia]

Excellent production. 👍🏼

[@masterdonada]

Can I ask a question? What's the point of discovering all of this?

[@JohnnyArtPavlou]

Worship

[@m.e.langieri4957]

Is there anything in Matisse’s journals or papers that indicate WHY this sudden and complete transformation of his Red Studio to red? Did something happen in his life? When I’m his life did this happen? I am very curious

[@Jaytee1765]

It’s called an under painting. They’re talking about it like it isn’t painting 101 but this is a common technique to add visual interest. He just covered more details that normal.

[@bremlquan]

He thought red would look better

[@gobbagu]

Inspiration, it’s elusive enough for artists to work for an entire lifetime

[@Divertedflight]

@@Jaytee1765 If I understand you correctly, I hadn't thought of the notion that this red might have merely first been intended as a unifying underpaint, before going back in with other colours. I imagine Matisse after covering it in red then going; "Hey! That looks pretty good! I think I'll leave that."

[@liliana1lfr]

Fascinating!

[@katella]

Imagine getting paid to do this! To get to spend so much time absorbing a great work of art. Lucky ducks!

[@conradbo1]

Great and interesting video. Now I like the painting even more.

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

He was correct to go for red! It’s a tour de force!

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

Love Matisse and this painting inparticular.

[@sethpray8496]

this is spectacular

[@barbarabentinck1]

Please put it back where people can see it.

[@sanjana2395]

Beautiful!

[@Jefemcownage]

I think they should definitely exhibit this painting rather than figuring out how he painted

[@e.delponte32]

Good work,my compliments!

[@fritzdoesart]

I’d love to color match that color.

[@paulareeveslmt]

Completely fascinating! Thank you!

[@RocLobo358]

That's awesome

[@Acquavallo]

What is Venetian Red? Is this still a colour one can buy in a tube? What pigments make it up?

[@hagfish_]

There's a wikipedia page about the color: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_red

[@Divertedflight]

Venetian red is a natural iron oxide earth red pigment. For Europe at least, most liked sourced from Venice. (Though they unlikely mined it themselves.) Although not a bright red by modern standards, Venetian red is quite bright for an earth pigment. I've noticed that most present day versions of this colour seem to be a synthetic iron oxide red. Possibly the original mine has dug out the best and brightest seams of this colour. The synthetic replication is chemically the same colourant, but will be stronger in tinting power and some versions might need a little lead white to get the same tone seen in Matisse's painting.

[@jessemakes]

Yes! in many forms watercolor, oil, acrylic etc. (Pr 102) Is the pigment.

[@therestlessknitter4290]

It’s sometimes called Indian red although Venetian red tends to be more yellowish, and yes, it is still available. It is pigment red 101 (PR101) and is an earth pigment. Very readily available and cheap.

[@hennamelender]

Venetian red is derived form iron(III) oxide, at least Kremer sells it as a pigment. The tube versions are mostly synthetic copies.

[@Noyb.265]

Small Wonder Rothko was obsessed with it.

[@sunnylady411]

I think he did not like previous layout of colors, maybe it was boring to him. Then he was thinking for entire month how to fix while paint was drying. You cannot apply oil paint on top of partially dried layers without compromising integrity of paint layers future. I am sure he was watching at it and got frustrated. Then he did this incredible cover up with bold color just to see if it is okay. Probably he was thinking to paint on top of it, but after seeing result with Venetian red he just decided to sign as it was contemporary and was not looking bad and was different from previous work.

[@pchabanowich]

Are you guys doing the visual punning on purpose? One of your experts is wearing a sweater that is a dead ringer for the other half of the image. Great stuff!👍

[@darinasa4428]

Now how do I know none of these folks ever painted?

[@mandyschmidt7960]

So a painter put a color on top of another color. Great. Let the people enjoy the painting...

[@TheKunstlich]

I find the enthusiasm of the presenters rather Q2, but some of the statements make me wonder if they know anything at all about the painting process. Hair does get loose even at the smoothest strokes of a brush, no vigor needed. Yes, you have to let paint dry before painting over it, there is no surprise he did this. And yes, the process of painting includes layering and sometimes making bold decisions, accepting them or taking them back. Everything else would bei coloring by numbers. Oh and wow, you see this on the edges of all paintings. What´s the deal? Guys, it´s a painting! An important one and all that, but in the end it´s a painting, a painting, a painting. Your "discoveries" are not really worth making such a drama about it.

[@StephenS-2024]

Now go look at Rothko.

[@mathrodite]

Did anything need conserving? Seems a bit selfish to keep it away from public view for two years.

[@tacofoxo]

Artwork deteriorates over time and a lot of work goes into preserving paintings like this to ensure future generations can view and appreciate it as the artist originally intended. Even with strict temperature and humidity control and very careful handling of the artwork, it is virtually impossible to prevent the slow decay of the materials used. Art conservation is a constant process that involves research, chemistry, and the careful application of archival materials to restore pigment and structural integrity to paintings. Careful study of classic work such as The Red Studio allows for art historians to better understand the artist's process and it also allows for archivists to better understand how best to preserve the work. Decades or centuries-old artworks you encounter in galleries are never going to be 100% the work of the original artist. Skilled archivists retouch areas of the work on a regular basis using techniques that are reversible and seamlessly integrate with the original work.

[@Divertedflight]

The paint looked a little flaked on the sides. I imagine there might have been a few loose spots the paint needed gluing down on the front. Then a careful cleaning. Two years does seem like a long time though. This work would have been one of my expected highlights on visiting the gallery.

[@TheyreStillOutThere]

Look out everybody, the morally flawless conservation expert has entered the chat

[@lsat1876]

But also we would not know what these people discovered about the process behind it

[@ReganAtSea]

you know big museums can only show a fraction of their collection at a time right

[@liammcooper]

"You enter the most private place in an artist's life" yeah I'm sure Matisse would be thrilled that 4 random strangers are scientifically picking apart his paintings... let's go dig up his old snotrags too

[@ConstantThrowing]

The process must be: get a canvas and paint random things on it

[@Snewton12]

This is ridiculous. A painter works until the whole painting sings. You may paint over many dried layers until you get what you want. This is a normal very common way of working. Getting all excited discovering layers of colors tells me these folks are ignorant of the painting process.

[@alanhyt79]

WHAT????

[@atmakali9599]

Matisse would think you were all fools.

[@audreyburton5367]

That's what painters do. They work and rework the painting. This is so stupid.

[@conorbaldwin4848]

I really admire your profile and your good sense of humor, you seems worth talking to and I just want to be friend with you if you don't mind!

[@adrianzugravu6577]

Has the world gone mad?

[@akirakurosawa2791]

super over interpretation :) a lot of those just happens and then for years gallerists try to find interpretation. if it was not the work of Matisse these guys perhaps even did not look at it more than 2 mins.

[@petersonruiz8855]

You should wear masks when handling important works of art, mainly those made with paint. Avoid talking maskless over the painting because drops of saliva may reach it causing undesired contamination.

[@sklakoo]

All this for what ?