Date: Fri 09-Apr-1999
Date: Fri 09-Apr-1999
Publication: Bee
Author: JAN
Quick Words:
Cunningham-Adams-US-Capitol
Full Text:
A Landmark Project For A Newtown Art Conservator
(with photos)
BY JAN HOWARD
The original 1850s frescoes in the Brumidi Corridors of the Senate wing of the
US Capitol building in Washington, DC are taking on a renewed brilliance
through the expertise of a fine arts conservator from Newtown.
Christiana Cunningham-Adams is uncovering the original splendor of the
paintings as she carefully uses a scalpel to scrape away overpaint and
varnishes that were meant to protect or preserve the decoration.
Mrs Cunningham-Adams will present a lecture and slide presentation of her work
on the Brumidi mural restoration, entitled "Expectations of Excellence,
Aesthetic Judgment as a Guide in Conservation," on Sunday, April 18, at 4 pm
in the new meeting room of the C.H. Booth Library.
The original work by Brumidi, based on Roman and Fifteenth and Sixteenth
Century Renaissance design principles, was found hidden beneath layers of
overpaint, Mrs Cunningham-Adams said.
The murals had been affected by years of moisture, leaks, dust and gas
torchlight residues.
Some areas of the paintings, such as borders, had been overpainted as many as
15 times, and the panels as many as four or more times, she said.
"This recovery is so exciting," Mrs Cunningham-Adams said.
She found that each layer of overpaint was a little darker than the previous
layer. Because the previous layer was darkened and yellowed with time and
dirt, Mrs Cunningham-Adams said, "Each new layer was retouched to match what
was there."
The original colors were based on those used in ancient Rome and during the
Renaissance period, she said. Many of the decorative elements in the corridor
wall panels are recognizable from ancient Roman art, such as scrolling vines.
Mrs Cunningham-Adams said the paintings had undergone changes that made it
appear very different today from what it was meant to be. "The memory of the
sophisticated artwork was lost. The lovely, dainty, flowers had turned dark,"
she said.
Many layers of overpaint are being scraped away in addition to retouching
nicks, scratches and gouges with watercolors. Then the surfaces will be
protected with a synthetic resin.
"Everyone is astounded as we take off these layers. We are getting a clearer
picture of what the original message of the art was," Mrs Cunningham-Adams
said.
She said the artwork in the capitol building was intended to tell the story of
this new democracy in a certain way. "The art was specifically chosen to
reveal the promise of this country. It was telling where this new country is
in history."
The Artist
Constantino Brumidi, an Italian artist who immigrated here in the 1850s, and a
team of artists created "The Apotheosis of Washington" on the Rotunda canopy,
the Rotunda frieze, and the Senate wing corridors, beginning in 1855 and
continuing for over a quarter century.
In the late 1980s, Bernard Rabin and other conservators restored Brumidi's
work on the 4,664-square foot canopy and the 300-foot frieze just below it.
The current million-dollar restoration project, which began in August 1996
following Congressional approval, came about after a one-year study of the
Brumidi Corridors by Mrs Cunningham-Adams and her husband, George Adams.
The wall restoration will take ten years to complete. The ceilings of the
corridors will be restored in the future.
Mr Adams, an engineer by profession, plans and manages the project, directs
scientific analysis and all documentation, and analyzes environmental
conditions.
Mr Adams takes photographs to record each step of the restoration as it
proceeds. "We have to keep track of the data and document all the work to be
done," he said.
Mr Adams said the entire city of Washington was meant to be a work of art.
"When we are in the capitol, we are standing inside a work of art.
"There is a coherence of theme throughout the capitol, but it was not evident
because the individual pieces had changed in different directions," he said.
"We have been able to pin down every change that had been made. Every step was
reasonable at the time. There was an accumulation of subtle changes."
The corridors lead to the Senate chamber, and many of the senators have
stopped by to see the project, including Connecticut Senators Christopher Dodd
and Joseph Liebermann, who have visited several times, Mrs Cunningham-Adams
said.
"They are excited. They have a strong feeling about the importance of the
purpose of that building, how it relates," she said. "It links the aspirations
of the new democracy with the highest values and goals of history. It's one of
the most interesting projects I've worked on."
"It's probably the most important one she's worked on," Mr Adams said. "She's
changing people's attitudes about a monument."
Mrs Cunningham-Adams said there "are acres of corridors still to be done." She
said one area will be left partially completed to show the public the process
of the restoration.
A Historical Document
The overpainting in many cases altered or completely covered the original
design. Through the restoration, Mrs Cunningham-Adams and her team of
technicians are recovering the original aesthetic character of the artwork.
"They took huge liberties. Things were painted over and hidden that we're
discovering," Mrs Cunningham-Adams said, such as a dainty butterfly in one
panel and signs that indicate the original use of rooms.
"It is a working historic document of the use of the building," she said,
noting paintings of inventors Benjamin Franklin and Robert Fulton were next to
what was once the Patent Office.
"A lot is being revealed, both artistic and historical," she said.
"They have a whole history buried there," Mr Adams added.
Before work began on the project, graphics documents were produced of each
site to indicate cracks, losses and areas that might disintegrate.
To get down to the original artwork, the restorers patiently slice between the
paint layers with scalpels to remove the upper paint layers. They are unable
to use solvents because they can stain the original painting.
"Everything is done inch by inch," Mrs Cunningham-Adams said. "We use hundreds
and hundreds of blades, which are changed every five minutes."
She works eight hours a day on the walls and spends additional hours on
project-related reports.
Of utmost importance for the future preservation of the corridor artwork is
education, Mr Adams said. Physical damage must be prevented and the climate
controlled to protect the restored paintings.
He said the materials used in the restoration are designed to be stable for
100 years, but that depends on how it is taken care of. The causes of the
current damage have to be removed. "We've got to start taking care of it or we
will lose it.
"We have to learn to love it and look out for it. It is part of our history.
We can learn about our country from these murals," he said.
Mr Adams has used an electronic instrument, a reflectance spectrophotometer,
to document the exact colors in the mural restoration, so they will always be
what is matched in future repairs.
Mrs Cunningham-Adams said, "The artwork's luminous. It makes you cry looking
at the beauty. You can't believe it's just paint.
"It's the magic and mystery of art. It's a spiritual feeling. This is such a
celebration of life given by people long gone," she said.
Christiana Cunningham-Adams has been a professional arts painting conservator
for museums, historical societies, churches, government agencies, and private
collectors since 1982.
She received her training at Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Boston;
Istituto Centrale de Restauro in Rome, Italy; International Center for
Conservation, Rome; Landesmuseum, Bonn, Germany; Conservazione Beni Culturale
Co-operative, Rome; American College of Rome; and School of the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston.