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Date: Fri 09-Apr-1999

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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.

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