Hidden Layers: Varnishes and Technical Challenges in the Study and Conservation of Italian Divisionist Paintings

The conservation of Italian Divisionist paintings raises specific issues. Particularly challenging is the removal of old discoloured varnishes applied in previous conservation treatments. Divisionist painters did not usually varnish their paintings as a whole: they often considered a localised and selective application of specific types of varnishes, as intermediate layers between overlapping paint strokes. Is it possible to distinguish between original varnishes and old discoloured restoration coatings? Discussing specific case studies will demonstrate how technological advancements in painting conservation allow to perform treatments with a more sophisticated degree of selectivity, thus recovering and preserving the original morphology and aesthetic intention of Divisionist artworks.

Davide Gasparotto:
Davide Gasparotto is currently Senior Curator of Paintings and Chair, Curatorial Affairs, at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. He studied at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa and began his career as Curator at the National Gallery of Parma, Italy. Before joining the Getty Museum in 2014 he has been the Director of the Galleria Estense in Modena. He specializes in painting, sculpture and the decorative arts of the Renaissance, especially in northern Italy during the Cinquecento, on the rediscovery of classical antiquity between the Middle Age and the Eighteenth century, and on the history of collecting. He published extensively on Italian and European art from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth centuries, including studies focused on Antonello da Messina, Valerio Belli, Giovanni Bellini, Bonacolsi l’Antico, Botticelli, Giacomo Ceruti, Giambologna, Parmigianino, Piero della Francesca, Pontormo, Andrea Riccio, Rubens, Watteau. As part of his daily curatorial practice, he has developed over time a strong interest in painting conservation and technical art history.

Christian Tortato:
Based in Milan, founder and owner of the Art Conservation Studio “Oltremodo”, Christian is specialized in conservation of easel paintings. He works for major public museums (among others Pinacoteca di Brera, Museo del 900, Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco - Milano) and for private foundations (Fondazione Prada - Milano). He teaches conservation of modern and contemporary paintings in the master's degree programs at the University of Urbino and Mantua. His main area of research is focused on testing innovative methodologies for surface cleaning and selective removal of old altered film-forming materials.

Scientific Organization: Francesca Borgo

_{Image: Giovanni Segantini (Italian, 1858-1899), Spring in the Alps, 1897, Oil on canvas, 116 x 227 cm, Los Angeles, The J. Paul Getty Museum (2019.3) , Copyright: Courtesy of Getty’s Open Content Program}