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44 views11 pagesYve-Alain Bois, Jeffrey Weiss, RH Quaytman, Harry Cooper-Light Repairs. Roundtable On The Restoration of Rothko's Murals
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/ 11
Light Repairs
‘A ROUNDTABLE ON THE RESTORATION OF MARK ROTHKO'S HARVARD MURALS.
WHEN IS A PAINTING not a painting anymore?
1962, Mark Rothko created the Harvard Muras, set of sx monumental paintings five
‘of which were dlsplayed inthe penthouse dining room ofthe university's Holyoke Center,
windowed perch with stunning views, Deeply and delicately hued expanses, the canvases.
din color trom searing orange-ed to light pink to dark purple. But in the decade that
followed, continual exposure to daylight drastically changed the works, fading them so that
‘some areas lightened to near white while others tuned a dull black. Languishing in storage
for many years the works were thought tobe beyond repai. But recently 2 team of conservators
and scientists made a new and unprecedented attempt to restore the pctures-—not with
pigment or chemieals but wit ight: For ach canvas, they devised a highly complex colored
light projection that, when shone on the work, returns It tots ginal coloration. What we see
what was meant tobe seen, ostensibly. But what ar the risks of such an approach? Does
the use of light open the door to vetual realty, to smoke and mieors, turning the paintings nto
Something else altogether? Or dos it constitteabilan way of making the paintings viewable
again without so much as touching a tread of camvas?
Conservator CAROL MANCUSI-UNGARO, who worked on the project: curators HARRY
‘COOPER and JEFFREY WEISS; art historian YVE-ALAIN BOI; Artforum editor MICHELLE KUO;
and artists LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON, DAVID REED, KEN OKISHI, and R.H. QUAYTMAN peer
Into the voi ‘CAROL MANCUSLUNGARO: Rothko's Harvard Murals were installed in 1964,
bt ae suffering differential damage they were putin storage 1979. They
were included ina few exhibitions, two at Harvard and one waveling exibition,
bt basically chey hadi’ been seen or studied for decades.
“The murals are one of only theeecomnissions that Rothko made. Scholars
sade the Seagram painting and they studied the Rothko Chapel, but they
largely skipped the Harvard Murals ec
‘only knew the story about thei fading and being removed from view The works
themseltes—and thee aet-istorical legncy—were los.
Given the significance ofthe workin general, the importance of the work
in Rothko’ cree
se hardly anyone had seen them. Most
and the fet thatthe murals wee in a university where in
‘depth research was posible, seemed an appropriate ne to take 3 good ook
atthe murals,
The work had last been examined in 1988, when Harvard mounted anexhi
bition atthe [Arehue M_ Sackler Maser, afte caefly staying the panting
‘composition, history, andthe associated studies on papet.Yetat the ime,
fncs in the press wasn the damage “Yep they were once red and now they're
ie.” Serioas reflection ws absent.
“This time around we wanted to lok at the murals and consider what could
hedone. Are they going to be oot of ight forever? Are we never going study
then oF write aout thers, deopping then frm the anon of modern aet? Orean
wwedo something?
Thaeset of questions was aly whar gave bith co this projet A team of art
historians, conservation scientists, and conservators from che Harvard Art
Museums, working with the MIT Media Lab's Caters Culture research group,
«devine novel solution. We had Fes key goalsin ind restore the los color
‘othe murals toaddess the ifferenial fading across the five panels so that they
‘oul he sen asa singular work of art a5 Rothko intended, and to present the
tvidence ofthe artist's hand,
Given the vulnerability of he unvarised pat surfaces, we could not realy
‘se paint for the correction, asit might interfere wich the artists brushstrokes
hich are sil sible}, and might not he removable. And given the size and
abstract nature ofthese work, a8 well as the extent of he cifferetil facing, we
couldnt attempt localized treatment. Therefoee, we had ta develop an approach
that was both reversible and an overall solution, These criteria gave bith othe
ides of usinga projected, computer generated, colored light system,
HARRY COOPER: Wel, should say that l was the curator of modern are at
arvaed from 1998 through 2007, sol was there alter that fist show but before
this project got stared was in on some ofthe early dscisions, bat have realy
just Been an inerested observer from Washington, DC.
[MICHELLE KUO: But had you ever thought about pursuing some conservation
during your tenuce there?
LARRY COOPER: Nox really had actually sen the 1993 Sackler show, where
the panels were presented a8 kind of natral- history abject orate, and he
‘theme ofthe show was realy the stniking color change
‘And then while Twas working atthe misc he paintings lived under ext
-heawyduty garbage-hag plastic wrapping in sorage, an cceasicnaly someone
‘would want t see them. We would scaly say no.
did’ think there vas anything to be done about therm. would never have
though of projecting ight. And I was very skeptical about it, But Lam very, very
impressed with the resus,
LH. QUAYTMAN: Wha happens when he work changes assume the paintings “We wanted to look at the murals and consider
what could be done. Are they going to be out of
ht forever? Or can we do something?”
—Carol Mancusi-Ungaro
will continue to change? I guess sofware and technology change, 0.
‘CAROL MANCUSHUNGARO: Wel, chose are two different things. With the pain
ings the scientists were very careful in designing the light projection to ensure
‘thatthe projected ight did ot contribute o further fading
LYNN HERSHINAN LEESON: am sruck bythe ac that Rothko was trying 10 give
an impression of ight ro his painting, nd here the light isting o give an
impression of painting, Iisan inverse elect. But wonder why its necessary 0
have a canvas tall! Why not just show thes asiterl—
RH. QUAYTMAN: As. projection ofthe painting, you mean?
LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON: As projection or some artifact depicting what the
‘work slike. This ia mediared version thats almost ike a séance—
JEFFREY WEISS: Tha'sapreat image,
LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON: Where you have two completly different slices of
sedi in time
‘CAROL MANCUSHUNGARO: I certainly see where you'tecoming from, and all
can sys that, fr us this proporiton was an attempt to considera possiblity
for conserving the works. We were working within the mindset ofthe traditional
tenets of at conservation,
The projected light was designed to addres ony the areas where she paint
had faded. A compensation image wa created that dictated the nator and spe
cif location ofthe projected light for localized correction. Se the paintings are
not indiscriminately landed with colar. Bat tha not to deny the point you're
‘making about the hybrid nature ofthis projec.
JEFFREY WEISS: The fading is overall right?
‘CAROL MANCUSLUNGARO: Irs difeential overall
JEFFREY WEIS: Bu one form of fading or another is at stake inthe ete series
‘throughout ll he painings?
{CAROL MANCUSLUNGARO: Yes,
LYNN HERSHIAN LEESON: fr again, then: Why use the canvasar all?
HARRY COOPER: Why not project onto a blank wall c—
LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON: Or even a blank amen if you want that texte
HARRY COOPER: Thar gets sight to the question of what is left ofthe paintings
intheexpesience, And Lyin, yore sugestng that maybe very lies le ofthe
coriginal paintings in this séance, a you called
LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON: Yes, Because it isn approximation fromthe period
photographs ofthe paintings right?
{CAROL MANCUSHUNGARO: Yes. The Ektacheome sides of the murals were made
Jn 1964, andthey provided a record ofthe paintings before che damage, But gven
‘he nature of Ektachzomesldes, they tend o emphasize red and change overt
So the First sep taken bythe seientint wast digitally estore the faded slides in
collaboration with the Digital Humanities Lab a he University of Basel. And
then the second source for the unfaded anginal color was the sixth panel that
Rothko had made forthe commission bur ukimatly ejected. had remained
inthe posession ofthe esate.
HARRY COOPER: But would sil say there are impoctant aspects ofthe experi=
‘nce left Even with the compensation image, we're sll sexing brushwork
RH. QUAYTMAN: And painted edges:
HARRY COOPER: Yes. We se exactly how Rothko fussed with those edges and
aspect of texture, although one questions whether slightly higher level of
lighting overall would allow one 1 see litle moe ofthe texte.
YE-ALAIN BOIS: The only problent I have with projected lights, concerning,
Rothko in particular, shat projected light onl lights the surface: The dicate
underlayers ce lost. Ifyou shine more light chen that surface effet would gee
‘ven more pronounced. So thoughe thar the low level of ight inthe gallery was
‘ceallya goad idea—ro tr to approximate the way the work would have been
Ir ro have some ofthe underiayers show through
EN OKIISH I ako don't think that pute projection, without the paintings,
ould be ableo produce the mixture of pigment and light tha would approx
‘mate what a painting looks like. With a digital projects, the image fs always
flactened 1. greater degiee than when you have light eeflected of pigment. So
oui tha miste very interesting,
Bor I did notice that, overall the painting stil factened, The way Rothko
worked, it wasn really glazing, but it was using ayers and layers of pigment
and paint and through the brushwork, thes alos or this kind of quid abyss
‘of layers would arise. got the feeling that chese layers were somehow lost At
the same time, we were eing a kind of pumped-up Rothko. Like the way a
Photoshop color carecion pumps up an mage, or the sense you get of looking
atanexhibition catalogue sd seeing pumped-p version of work, evenif he
pumped-p version looks good. “My concern is that the impression we have from this installation is unnervingly
real—which makes it easy for us to forget that it’s an illusion, for the most part.
It’ the substitution of one medium for another.” —Jeffrey Weiss
‘YEALAIN BOIS: was fearing that, but then in the adjacent gallery there were
several other paintings by Rothko, Two of them lookedextremely ery and actu-
ally colosstially more vibran than the restored ones. So Idd’ atallhave the
fecling hae these restored works were pumped up
DDAVID REED: Even with anormal Rothko under normal lighting, i's hard to
cellexacly whatische macerialty of the paint and whats the inne ight ema~
‘ating from the canvas. Looking at chese canvases under the projected light, I
had chat same kindof confosion. l'stypical,
‘of Rothko, and I think is co be expected
from his paintings. I like the confusion
between “Wh is thelight2” and “Whaeis
the materials?
JEFFREY WEISS: Bu o me, these remarks
are sil asedon the dea thar we're looking
atthe paintings through projected, colored
light, as opposed to the way they were
intended to fonction, which isto conjure a
metaphoric impression of iner light using
the material means of paint and eanvas
alone, in combination withthe lluminadion
‘ofthe room, of course
Pan full of admiration for what the
Rothko team has done, andthe care with
‘which beer executed. My concern that,
the impression we have from his installa
tion is unnervinglyteal—which makes it
«easy for uso forget cha its an illusion, for
the most pat. ls the substicuion of one
‘medium for another
(CAROL MANCUSIUNGARO: Every day, the
projection iscuned off ata certain te so
soucansee the paintings a they ae
JEFFREY WEISS The lghs go on and of
YEALAIN BOIS: “We're of” at four et
[MICHELLE KUO- When chat happened, everyone inthe roam went, “Ahly
amazing!”
‘DAVID FEED: oven iked that ovecyteatrical aspect of the presentation. That's
also a part of Rothko. Thave story that Psy about eles When Twas st
‘dent the Seu School 66, brought a peso to Rothko co sgn. Me took a
liking to me because, a the time I was on leave rom Reed College in Pordand,
Orson, and his ioe as thinking of going thee
Wehad a long talk, and he took me ino his stad, where he was working
‘on what would become the Rothko Chapel paintings in Houston. The paintings
‘were on rolling wals with wheels and hang tom ropes and pulley. Ie was ke
2 stage set, th ig igh He ple ee paintings up and deven snd asked me
‘which height liked best, and ce best elation beewes the heights, Then he put
his arm around my shoslder and whispered—s stage whisper—in my ear"
have never told histo anyone ele, bur when Iwasa chi escaping rom Russia,
there were pogroms, and Isaw big open graves. And thar’ where these foeens
come fom,
In preparing for cis conversation today ead James FB. Breslin’ book
Mark Roshko: & Biography, 1993], and ie rurns out that Rothko actualy cold
this same story toa number of people But I've kept the secret until now
[Laughter I played my coe
JEFFREY WEISS: We admire your discretion.
DAVID REED: His words ha perf ffeee
‘nn me, which Pm suze was intended. They
were pat of a kind of performance
CAROL MANCUSHUNGARO: Did he say any
thing about the tfeceo the sky ight on the
paintings?
DAVID REED: Oh yes, if | remember cor
rectly he used along stick to manipulate a
feame under the skylight from which apiece
‘ofeloth was suspended. As the lth opened
and closed, he asked when the light was the
best once paintings
RH. QUAYTMAN: Ics inceresting because
the entie work metaphorically abour the
rating of ight, andthe the ight saving.
‘When I weneandsaw the Hawvard Murals,
I didn’t see the switeh off a four, bat jst
saw the projection. did fee thatthe zoom
‘wasdaek, and that wae weird tome, becase
you can look at paintings in datk eons
WEALAIN 8018: Thats the ay Rothko
should always be. You should always be ia
4 dark room. He always switched off the
gallery lights whenever there was a show.
How Rethkos are i changes them drama.
ically: Because, agi, fis very harsh ight,
you don't see the play ofthe underayers,
and it’ toally diferent So they should always be undelit, He himself said 0
all heme, throughout hse,
JEFFREY WEISS: chink there wore some exceptions butts tre, he often asked
for this, eventhough we almost never do‘ llthe same, l would say that there
‘sa sharp difference berween sing an actual painting in a darkened room an
Seeing painting enhance bythe peojction of color in che form of actual ight
FH. QUAYTMAN: Yes. jus think they're diferent chings.
JEFFREY WEISS: Is one thing to say, as David has chat Roxhko shea and
‘on his own cerms thar is fine as fr asit goes, bu is another ching for ws tobe
creating tha ides of cheater using thes other means.
‘YEALAIN BOIS: remember when Carol was working on the restoration of he
Rothko Chapel puicings wih wm inside the chapelitclf Andrey tes lod
waspasing hy; everything ad vochange, You remeber tha? He was nightmare
because it was so volatile in many ways. ln this parser ese ofthe Harvard Murals the relation to lights fixed. Thats cha the projection does, You rere
41 momeat of color variation and that it [think would peter to have something
that an approximation of tru of one moment, rather than nothing a al
RH. QUAYTMAN: Bar werent che works nade fora room fallf igh?
{CAROL MANCUSUNGARO: Ye.
HARRY COOPER: But a room in which the blinds were supposed to be drawn,
And yt the views are so nie that people dda deaw the blinds,
LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON: Ws there any kindof photographic record ofthe
shifls? When did people novice hove bad it was geting, the evolution?
‘CAROL MANCUSHUNGARO: Ie was noted bythe conservators. few years later,
but tomy knowledge there wasno systematic notation of change,
‘YWE-ALAIN BOIS: also sas the Sucker show in 1993, an at that sie Leame
away thinking chat che whole ides behind the show, on which conservators and
curators collaborated, was to justly the situation: “I wasnt Harvard au
(Ofcourse this was before yur time, Carol If remember wel he wall text
referred 10 Rothko’ pigment as “fugitive,” implying that he knowingly used
paint that would fade. There were tiny samples of canvas sid to have been
Painted with the same colors that Rothko had used, and to have been submnied
tothe same harsh ight conditons—it looked like the result ofa forensic investi
sation, the ist of which was to blame Rothko hinsel
‘CAROL MANCUSIUNGARO: Actually, Rothko was very knowledgeable about is
materials and Lithol Red, which he used, was thought to be a permanent color
atthe time
MICHELLE KUO: One more technically minded ssc is the diferenceberieen
analog and dgia When we ate working with pricing digital images, we have
totale between CMYK, which isthe main mel afcolor printing, and RGB,
which fs what you se onthe sreen. So the tanelation fom a digital image to
sn analog, materially printed image s something we're always wrestling with
Fes nevercommensurate.
‘The same kindof incommensurate exit between the digital color of the
projected light and the color of te physical pigment, and tata diference that
will always be there. At che end of the day, we're relying onan implied object
ity of visual perception amongall of, eventhough we're all probably scing
slghuy ditferentcolos.
KEN OKISHE One thing that had rouble with s precisely tis eduction of coloe
tonumbers. Ther'the kind of olor hats prociced in a painting, onthe ane
hhand, andthe kind of color tha’ produced in digital image, on the other; the
iil nts asi orm a reduction of a painting toa set oF murnbrs
And theexperence of when they tun olf the projection becomes arial Fist
ofall allthese people are gathered there, Ang then whatovr i faded bythe sn
appears before you, while che numerical, digital color disappeats. A certain
Stractre comes tothe fore and yu also get diferent compleity afte layers
‘oF color, even though the color is now totally *verang,” But there is something
in that tension between these experiences tt I atoll tally Hike. ied that
iccreated thienew kind feel
MICHELLE KUO: Rebecca, youslook skeptical
LH, QUAYTMAN: No, Iman, I think the way paintings teavel through history
‘sual ells he truth So chi going tobe some kind of eat I's going to keep
happening, this kind of technique. This also the result of bg changes in at
sestoration in general. les ast Where do we go with
LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON: Yes, but fi happens in an ati’ ifevime, to their
‘work, they can ofcourse contol how te technique wil project ou, tral,
And that’s something that ass should think aboot thee work wil be
aechived—and take sesporsibiity forts future
RH. QUAYIMAN: knows Ighnk about that Tot. But I Would rather ere on the
side ofthe painting than technology.
JEFFREY WEISS This kind techniques inevitable, i what you're saying. And
agece. Broadly speaking, in our culture today, the distinction betwen the digital,
or techaologized, image and the painted image often easly ignosed,
This isa condition of beholding thats very different from the sphere ofthe
Rothko project, but ne thatthe projets nevertheless participating in—in 2
really fascinating and complex way, but one that should give ws pause with
Fespect to what we say about che material and echnical terms of pining vers
other kinds of iagemaking
RH. QUAYIMAN: Assn, chough: Whereis it leading, I wonderin tems of your
‘work, Carol, nd other things that his technology could be used on?
{CAROL MANCUSIUNGARO: Well, 'm inereste in what you all thik Ths kind
of sofware can theoretically he used on other works of art.
LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON: Have you ever considered puting confine? CAROL MANCUSLUNGARO: Jens Senges Narayan Khandekas and other scien
tists who worked on this will publish an actile abot the tools we wed, nel
ing the mat, for people who want todo ths, andi willsoon be available onlin
YEALAIN BOIS: But Lynn, you mesn—ike showing online dhe unrestored and
restored paintings to see the di
LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON: Ys,
RH. QUAYTMAN: But you wouldn't be experiencing a painting that wa:
YWEALAIN BOIS: No
JEFFREY WEISS: And you would have ambient space and sale and
HARRY COOPER: I'm litle uncomfocable with his idea that what wee geting
inthe project when heights are oni digital experience. would ay iis pardy
“anexperience of extremely high-esolton, digitally produced light, but one that
ismaried—hrough this amazing amount of work, nthe most
the structure of paint and cans
And s0think seeping to tlk about this as Jefrey i suggesting aspartic
patingin a socery ofthe spectacle digal evoluion, lights ae noise But think
its very rare o see che aplication of digital technology in sucha painstakingly
materia way, marty ite physical substrate
Tes something { cerainly have ever seen before, Normally, when we go see
projections onto one surface or another, the surface never matters, Sometimes
{es sta projsction into the air. ut here the surface was tested witha kindof
Toe. Thats the ony way Lean really describe i
JEFFREY WEISS: I sil a question of color impose by projected light, ean,
ro matter how good itis tdacsn’t change the fact hat i's ferent medium
foram enhanced medium. Nothing yousay in defense ofthe project can alee the
face that we're talking about basic shift
‘YWE-ALAIN BOIS: Yes, but you have to compare i othe alternative, whichis
hascally wo epi
JEFFREY WEISS: Well, o: The third option is todo nothing
‘CAROL MANCUSIUNGARO: But with his, yu jst lip a switch and it nothing.
JEFFREY WEISS: Yes, but hetore the switch fipped, we're sll eeating ase oF
conditions that we're asking people to encounter as auchen
KEN ORISHI: Hur anyone going toa museun now sees people holding Pads up
to objects all the me. So in many ways, pople are already secing images of
seeworks flossing front af artworks,
“There is no moral problem here. I don't have anxieties
about all the technological monsters that are going to
crawl into my bed.” —Yve-Alain Bois
{ personally don'thave such a problem with the face that there i diferent
smedium used to restore the work. id ehink twas weird, hough, that in that
space the ony thing anyone taleed about was the restoration-—nobody actully
talked about the paintings.
‘And atthe moment when the projector died, when they turned off, many
peopl said, “Oh, ies mach beter now!” Which also think totaly ridiculous,
Brig rases the question Is this « mediated expecence or an unmediated exper
cence? Does iad othe experience ofthe artwork in tell?
HARRY COOPER: Maybe I'm staking our an extreme positon, but would be
happy witha presentation in which you simply walk into the room, and only on
your way ourare you told what you have sen. Because thee i this problem of
what we know and what we se, But of course that raises alr of the concerns
Jeffcy has about deception and honesty to the materials
All he same, as Ken was saying, the discussion becomes Rixated the ech
nique and the issues, you'r cold right upfront abou this big framing device.
RH. QURYTMAN: We could pu it inthe media part ofthe label or something
HARRY COOPER: You could hide. You could pt itn fine prin, Lanughter] The
seulfnobody ever reads excep vs,
YWEALAIN BOIS: never eead wall text?
‘CAROL MANCUSLUNGARO: Well, che eam hoped viewers would begin to think
and talk about the paintings themselves. [Laughter] My question is, Why sit
thar peopleare aoe talking aboot the murals?
DMD REED: havea lor of thoughys about these psntngs that tink I wouldnt
have ha if Thane scenshem in thi evived state Tone, the experience drove
home the fcr thatthe paincings are meant to function a a group-—to become
tne experience. Tha's one reason think the projections do work, because
they even out all the background colors the paitings canbe sen togethe “The fact that they area group, set of mukipl, modular paintings his
‘orically important. Arte rime, Barnett Newnan was working on “The Sations
‘of dhe Cross [1958-6]. On Kawara made Title, che eripeyeh, in 1968, and chen
here are Lee Lozano’ “Wave Series” paintings done berween 1967 and 1970,
And Jo Baer made weve paintings fora show at Fischbach Gallery in New York
in "66 that could be installed in different confgueations but were meant to be
fr0up-So seing the Rothko paintings as one work addsc0
anderstandng che historic position,
‘CAROL MANCUSH-INGARO:Iapyce And the Rothco Chapel came next, ad the
all with similar grounds
the Harvard canvases
re eerainly one experience with fourteen paintings
DDAVID REED: Exact
sre organaed ina very peculiar way. nthe set ofthree canvases installed on one
wallouching each othe, he width of the eanvas onthe ight saler than the
wide ofthe canvas on the lef. You would think there woul be laeye cereal
‘nvas and two canvases of the same size on ether sie. That's not the ease.
Then the image on the canvas the right ie leo squeezed, so chat there is
strong sense of momentum
proportion, andthe forms, that [had
‘Wonder about sina spin that happens atthe Rothko Chapel, where vo
stop and look at jastone panting, Now, [think thar this very intentional. One
ry Bic
And another thing realized th
from lft to eght in the paintings in terms of olor,
‘realized was there before, Irae me
Wants keep moving and seal the paiciags. There is someching
about thisexperence, and ld’ expect fin hat in Rothko’ paintings. The
projections helped me ose he paintings ina diferent wa.
{CAROL MANCUSIUNGARO:I think che consistency of the ground olor certain
‘oninbuced to your ability do that
LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON: How ithe digital rconsirction happen? Did they
«ake a particular color and tere al.
what was addressed
(CAROL MANCUSHUNGARO: According
calculated froma very lege dat set, addres each of more than eto milion
locations or pixels, on each painting. They took into account reflectance th
bien igh that would blend with the projector ligh
arable, and eeined the mages even further to acenune For aniformity arose
rer? Was there particular pater ro
0 Jens the compensation images were
the panels ec
LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON: Essentially pixel by pixel, it scems.
[MICHELLE KUO: Bur withoue she actual sixch pal, and its undamaged seton,
it seems this could relly haw
rection of the Ekeachromes—
HARRY COOPER: Which is based on a ot of assumptions
‘YWEALAIN BOIS: And, of cours, there ae several studies on paper that hve not
faded ether,
[CAROL MANCUSEUNGARO: In fac, he studies on paper showed exactly what
David was aking about in terms of peogzession and color ofthe geound
‘WEALAIN BOIS: Another asin moment during the ritual of switching off the
proietion i when the conservators show youhow its done. They bring yo! a pece
so ts between te painting and
nl you se thar the projected coloration isrealy pixel by px
Of white cad and pas iti ont ofthe projection
the projection
And you realize tha he amount of work that went nto this i quite amazing,
You als realize shat sometimes the colors they have aed inorder ro oben
what youse ae very surprising The olor correction is completly unlike what
you would expec
JEFFREY WEISS: Ther is always wow factor with ny aplication of scence and “Think Rothko would have liked this. He liked controversy.
The legacy of Rothko lies inthe theatrical, in dematerialized color.”
—David Reed
Jn away thar we shouldbe wary of. Iemakes me think ofan apposite story about
James Tirrll who claimed that Rothko’ work was very important o him when
Ihe was taking are clases, But he realized lace chac he was seeing them a8 pro
jected slides, an tha that was ehat mattered o him-—the paintings themselves
‘were actually disappointing,
‘YEALAIN BOI: Buc magine the case of» Brice Marden wax painting that has
been damaged and somehow rubbed so tha irisexteemely shiny. And che oaly
alfference isthe sheen, which kills the painting. Would we have the slightest
‘station in killing the sheen by using projection? No, Tihiak tha if chat the
best way, if’ the only way, 'd rather have chat than a Brice Marden with a
rega-sheen in the middle ofthe work, I mean, tha’ hideous.
JEFFREY WEISS: Knowing tha there areal of oxher Brice Marden paintings
cut there that are relatively unalfected I would rather leave your panting alone
WEALAIN BOI: You ares maximal
JEFFREY WEISS: No, I'm distressed that we cant see to get around the fac that
\weate sil speaking of two different medium, and that fo me ie differen from
‘most kind of painting restoration, which donot alter the mediam of the work,
YEALAIN BOIS: You'tenoc a maximalis. You're a puts.
JEFFREY WEISS: Using words lke maximal and purist strikes mesa way 0
avoid unpacking the implications. [think we ll on some leve!—as curators and
historians—need ro atleast raffic in a certain kind of “pore,” Because nobody
else wil Sof this kind of restoration i going to happen anyway, it should be
done in the context of debate. Taking i for granted as just OK or even an
impeonement or beter than nothing sa mistake,
‘CAROL MANCUSHUNGARO: Bur whats interesting inthis conversation is that most
aged painings hae heen treated in some way and the resration materials aren
allays consistent with che original materials. So wee justcomfortable with che
festorer mixing up some kind of syatheve pain that wil look ike the original
;int—and puting iron imitate the way the artist worked?
JEFFREY WEISS: Wellin fact, wee not always comfortable with that. What's
‘more thisisa difference of kind, thnk, nc of degree. Thar’ the mostimportant
