California Landscape Painting Varnish Removal Treatment

Paintings Department:

Surface Cleaning and Varnish Removal Treatment

Associate Paintings Conservator, Kelsey Fox during treatment

This painting by Hanson Puthuff, Laguna Bay, 1921 was brought into the studio by a client whose family had collected several early California paintings though out the years. She recently inherited this painting that she remembered hanging on the wall for decades in her family home in California. The painting had discolored and had a heavy layer of dirt which required surface cleaning and varnish removal to brighten and resaturate the palette. Once cleaned, we were surprised to be able to uncover the artists signature in the treatment.

Hanson Puthuff was an early member of the Eucalyptus School of California landscape painters. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and then moved to Los Angeles in 1903. For 23 years, Puthuff worked as a commercial artist producing signs and posters, while he continued to paint on his own time. In 1926, he left commercial art business and devoted his time to plein air painting. Puthuff became one of the preeminent California painters working in the Impressionist style with a focus of the landscape of California, rolling hills, canyons, Sierras, and desert scenes of the southwest.

The treatment for the painting included an aqueous surface cleaning to remove the surface dirt, and solvents to remove the yellowing varnish layer. At this point, it was discovered in the lower corner that the artist signature had been overpainted with colors that were inconsistent to the rest of the painting. This section was examined under UVF/IR photography which confirmed it was overpainted at a later time. The paint was further tested and was found that it was oil based and could have been added when the work was framed. The overpaint was carefully removed to reveal a complete signature in the artists hand. Finally, the painting was given a conservation grade brush applied varnish to complete the project.