Issue 41 Spring web - Flipbook - Page 74
“With the help of our colleagues at the Getty
Conservation Institute, we now better understand how
Cranach achieved his signature painting style,” says
Birkmaier. “Being entrusted to help restore these
paintings, which are among Lucas Cranach the Elder’s
most impressive compositions, has been a major highlight
of my career. For the first time in centuries, we see them
much as he intended, which is very special.”
This pair of paintings from the Norton Simon collections
portray a fleeting moment, as Adam and Eve pause on
the verge of their transgressive decision to eat the fruit of
the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that will lead to
God casting the pair out of Paradise. Created while serving as court painter to the Electors of Saxony in Wittenberg, Cranach’s Adam and Eve exemplify his distinctive
style characterized by expressive, elongated figures against
a dark, uniform background. The artist painted the subject of Adam and Eve over 50 times, often depicting Eve
boldly gazing directly at the viewer, while Adam typically
appears more pensive.
To address structural damage to the paintings, two
conservators who specialize in large-scale wooden
supports-George Bisacca, conservator emeritus at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art and José de la Fuente,
conservator of panel paintings at the Museo del Prado in
Madrid-carried out a complex structural treatment at
Getty.
“Adam and Eve are amongst Cranach the Elder’s most
captivating portrayals of an Old Testament subject
popular at the Wittenberg court,” says Anne Woollett,
curator of paintings at the Getty Museum. “We thank the
Norton Simon Museum for the exciting opportunity to
present these innovative and dramatic images and some
of the key findings from the Getty study and conservation
project to the public.” Headed by Ulrich Birkmaier, senior
conservator of paintings at the Getty Museum, the treatment began with a condition assessment of the panels
and a thorough cleaning. He removed thick layers of
discolored varnish, as well as old retouchings and fills,
which dramatically changed their appearance. In addition
to regaining dimensionality, the contrast between the
warm skin tone of Adam and Eve’s pale flesh became
much clearer. The treatment also provided an unusual
opportunity to study the construction of Cranach’s
limewood panels and investigate the artist’s technique.
“It has been an extraordinary privilege to witness the
transformation of the Cranach paintings as a result of the
work undertaken by Ulrich, George and José. In addition
to the improved appearance of the images, the wooden
panels themselves are now structurally sound, and we
look forward to sharing the magnificent results of this
treatment with visitors in Los Angeles and Pasadena in
the years ahead,” says Emily Talbot, chief curator at the
Norton Simon Museum.
The special display Conserving Eden is curated by Anne
Woollett, curator of paintings and Ulrich Birkmaier, senior
conservator of paintings, at the Getty Museum. The
display has been generously supported by the J. Paul Getty
Museum Paintings Council.
Above, Ulrich Birkmaier with the Norton Simon Museum’s nearly fully restored Adam and Eve by Lucas Cranach
the Elder in Getty Museum’s conservation studio © J. Paul Getty Trust
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