1921, Pierre Bonnard, The Open Window -- Phillips Collection (Washington)
From the exhibition label:
When Duncan Phillips purchased The Open Window in 1930, the paint surface was unvarnished (clear varnishes are often applied to protect paintings from dirt accumulation). Bonnard disliked varnishes because varnishes discolor over time and would alter his carefully considered color relationships. However, in the early 1980s, when The Open Window was cleaned as part of a conservation treatment, a modern synthetic varnish was applied. Forty years later, the varnish had turned dull and gray, flattening the painting's subtle color contrasts and obscuring Bonnard's energetic brushwork. A cross-section of a microscopic paint sample from the lower left edge of the painting shows Bonnard's technique of layering complementary hues brushstroke by brushstroke to create a shimmering optical effect.
In 2023, conservators at The Phillips Collection removed the degraded varnish to reveal once more the vibrant colors and intended matte surface of the painting. Through examination with an infrared camera, conservators also determined that Bonnard used little if any black pigment in The Open Window. Instead, darker passages seen in the painting, even the "black" cat at lower right, are created with mixtures of blue and red paint, which appear transparent in an infrared image (black pigments appear black). Dark areas in the infrared image correspond with blue, lavender, or blue-green brushstrokes.
1921, Pierre Bonnard, The Open Window -- Phillips Collection (Washington)
From the exhibition label:
When Duncan Phillips purchased The Open Window in 1930, the paint surface was unvarnished (clear varnishes are often applied to protect paintings from dirt accumulation). Bonnard disliked varnishes because varnishes discolor over time and would alter his carefully considered color relationships. However, in the early 1980s, when The Open Window was cleaned as part of a conservation treatment, a modern synthetic varnish was applied. Forty years later, the varnish had turned dull and gray, flattening the painting's subtle color contrasts and obscuring Bonnard's energetic brushwork. A cross-section of a microscopic paint sample from the lower left edge of the painting shows Bonnard's technique of layering complementary hues brushstroke by brushstroke to create a shimmering optical effect.
In 2023, conservators at The Phillips Collection removed the degraded varnish to reveal once more the vibrant colors and intended matte surface of the painting. Through examination with an infrared camera, conservators also determined that Bonnard used little if any black pigment in The Open Window. Instead, darker passages seen in the painting, even the "black" cat at lower right, are created with mixtures of blue and red paint, which appear transparent in an infrared image (black pigments appear black). Dark areas in the infrared image correspond with blue, lavender, or blue-green brushstrokes.