|
Horse and Train, by Alex Colville, is an icon in Canadian
art. The unsettling image of a horse running towards an oncoming
train, combined with the precision of the artist’s technique,
is captured in the memory of all who have seen the painting or one
of the many reproductions of the image. Upon viewing the painting,
art gallery visitors often comment that it is darker than they recall,
questioning whether it is changing in tone over time. It had also
been noticed that there is a cracquelure over the painting’s
surface, a condition rarely seen in Colville’s work. The recent
renovation of the Art Gallery of Hamilton provided an excellent
time for CCI to undertake a technical examination and assessment
of the work as well as the necessary treatment.
A technical examination was done to determine the nature and
cause of the craquelure and to determine if the painting’s
appearance had changed significantly due to darkening. Such an
assessment requires familiarity with the artist’s materials
and techniques. Colleagues in several institutions — the
Art Gallery of Ontario, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection,
the New Brunswick Museum, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and the
National Gallery of Canada (NGC) — allowed the author to
examine other works by Colville, and to study associated documentation
in the gallery files. They also provided insightful comments on
the condition and treatment of various Colville works. This investigation
culminated in discussions with the artist himself.
Visit to Ottawa
With the generous support of the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Alex
Colville visited Ottawa, February 16, 2004. With CCI staff, Mr.
Colville and his daughter Ann Kitz spent the morning in front
of Horse and Train. In the afternoon, Stephen Gritt,
Chief Conservator at NGC, arranged for several paintings in their
collection to be examined in NGC’s conservation laboratory.
During this memorable day, invaluable information was obtained
from the artist on his materials and techniques and, specifically,
his thoughts on the appearance of Horse and Train.
Upon seeing the painting, Mr. Colville was relieved to observe
its condition and felt its appearance had not changed in a major
way. There was nothing in the technical examination to suggest
the painting had become darker. It is dark because it was painted
that way. The tone was created by a deliberate choice of colour
and pigmented glazes. The artist completed his vision by designing
and constructing a frame that accentuates the somber, dark impact
of the work. Mr. Colville noted: “Right from the beginning,
I thought of this painting as dark; dark in the visual sense and
in the metaphysical sense.”1
|
 |
|
The artist’s
technique and media
Colville’s paintings begin with sketches and preparatory
studies. Having had difficulty rendering the horse, the artist
recalls making a three-dimensional model of it from which he made
drawings. The artist transferred the design of the horse and the
tracks to the prepared panel using a transfer cartoon currently
in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario. Thin black lines
from the transferred drawing can be seen in areas of exposed ground.
Fine indentations or scoring, into what would have been a still
malleable ground, are visible along the contours of the horse
and train track.
The artist prepared the hardboard support with two to three coats
of ground on the front surface and a thinner coat on the reverse
to reduce the tendency of the panel to warp. The front surface
was sanded smooth and thin washes of colour were applied to the
ground in preparation for the design layers. The image was built
up in a detailed, precise manner often using extremely fine brushstrokes,
which are characteristic of Colville’s work. A thin coat
of dammar varnish was applied to the surface as a protective layer.
The 1950s was a period of transition and experimentation in Colville’s
choice of paint media. The artist moved from oil paint, used in
his student and wartime paintings, to a faster drying medium,
which allowed him to work in layers and apply distinct, fine,
juxtaposed strokes of colour. He used casein tempera in many paintings
of the period, such as Three Sheep (1952; NGC) and Couple
on a Beach (1957; NGC). He left many casein paintings unvarnished,
preferring flat, matte surfaces that remain in pristine condition
today. Recalling this period, Colville also describes using pigmented
stand oil glazes over underpainting done in gum arabic emulsion.
He believes this is the technique used in Horse and Train, although
gum arabic has not been identified in the analyses done so far.
Mr. Colville has generously allowed us to study his 1945 version
of The Artist’s Handbook of Materials and Techniques
by Ralph Mayer, which includes his notes on the mixtures he was
using at the time, as well as his experiments with driers to obtain
a suitable drying time and surface appearance.
A turning point in his choice of media came following a visit
he made in 1963 to Ralph Mayer’s studio in New York. Mayer
described a new polymer paint that he felt was the most stable
paint available. Colville was introduced to Henry Levinson, President
of Permanent Pigments Inc., manufacturer of Liquitex paints, from
whom he obtained paint samples. He has used the acrylic medium
ever since. “When I first started using acrylic polymer
emulsion, I acquired the paint in jars. It was really liquid.
I used that for years.” In front of his paintings at NGC,
the artist spoke about his preference for a paint with little
body, that produces a flat, matte or semi-matte film. In the final
stages of his acrylic paintings, Colville generally applies a
thin layer of synthetic varnish to protect the surface. He continues
to design the frame for each painting he finishes.
Colville’s technical process is thorough, meticulous and
deliberate. He makes every effort to impart a high degree of permanence
to his works. “I really want the paintings to last. Right
from the beginning, I’ve always felt this way. The idea
that some painters have, that they actually like the paintings
to age and transform ... there’s nothing I’d like
more to avoid.” Since the late 1950s, he has often written
detailed notes on the reverse of his paintings, describing the
materials used: “I thought the more information I give for
possible use by conservators and so on, the better.”
Horse and Train is in good condition; however, there
is a fine cracquelure over the surface. This type of cracking,
often referred to as drying cracquelure, could have been caused
by the materials he used. It is also likely that an ill-advised
cleaning attempt, early in the life of the painting, could have
contributed to the problem. A light surface cleaning has recently
been completed. Inpainting of minor abrasions to the painting
and the original frame will be done soon.
The painting will be featured in the Art Gallery of Hamilton’s
exhibition of treasures from its permanent collection entitled
“Lasting Impressions: Celebrated Works from the Art Gallery
of Hamilton.” This exhibition will reopen the newly renovated
gallery and will tour six venues across the country in 2006–2007.
A significant publication that will include an article on the
technical examination and conservation of the painting will accompany
the exhibition.
Acknowledgements
This project has contributed to the knowledge about one of Canada’s
foremost painters. I would like to express my appreciation to
colleagues in various institutions who allowed me to examine Colville’s
paintings and related documentation. I am grateful to the Art
Gallery of Hamilton for their support of Alex Colville’s
visit to Ottawa and to Stephen Gritt, Chief Conservator, NGC,
for making the arrangements to view and discuss the paintings
at NGC. I would like to acknowledge the work of Kate Helwig and
Jennifer Poulin, Conservation Scientists at CCI, who sampled and
analysed cross sections, and Jeremy Powell and Carl Bigras, Scientific
Documentation Technologists at CCI, for their photographic documentation
of the painting. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude
to Alex Colville and his daughter Ann Kitz, who came to Ottawa
to view Horse and Train and who provided us with such
valuable information.
- All quotes are from Alex Colville, in conversation; Ottawa,
February 2004.
|
