Quick and Easy - Research a Painting

What to do first

In this simplified example, it seems like a relatively simple old painting, at least at first glance: An autumn scene, captured on a small canvas. But if we look closer, the painting offers visual clues that almost speak to us about its past. We see a beautiful day in a wooded area, full of fall color. Autumn has already begun to change the leaves on the trees. Some leaves have already fallen to the ground yet still hold their vibrant color.

The viewer’s attention seems to first focus on the leaves but the eye tends to eventually drift to a background framed by the trees, directing us to an open clearing in the distance - perhaps a meadow of wildflowers or even a marsh. The viewer’s attention then returns to the foreground, where the trees and their colorful foliage take more precedence.

We also see several exposed rocks and some touches of blue in the foreground that may suggest a water element: maybe a nearby stream or lake. Behind the rocks, a large fallen tree or branch seems to lie on the ground. Perhaps it helped to mark a path, trail or road to this secluded spot. We notice the landscape seems somewhat uneven and what seems like an incline on the somewhat darker, left side of the painting.

It’s a romantically calm and quiet place, where warm filtered sun lights up the fiery orange and amber leaves, especially on the right side of the painting.

This balanced outdoor scene could have been a plein air work by an amateur artist or student who most likely had some level of formal art training. The background seems to have been painted first, the trees and foreground detail, after. The colorful leaves seem to have been added later with an almost impressionistic touch.

We can see the artist’s signed name located in the bottom right corner and it looks like the artist has taken the time to add a bit of detailed flourish to some of the upper and lowercase letters.

The artist has captured a timeless autumn scene on the front of the canvas – but history has something more to say here – on the other side of the painting.

On the reverse side, there are a number of things this painting has to say to us and they all help to identify and date the painting and artist.

The canvas and wooden frame seem to be in somewhat good condition. If we look at the frame we see a tongue-in-groove style construction in the corner areas. Not all the corners match evenly.

The frame seems to be made from a soft wood, probably Pine. Some areas have more to say about what this painting has experienced. We notice that the all the outer edges on the frame seem to be slightly beveled. Several indentations, perhaps from a tool, may suggest that the finished work may have once had a formal frame around the outside and a tool may have also been used to install or remove the painting from an outer frame. Angled holes in the frame seem to confirm this. A similar hole in another area is surrounded by denting, probably from a hammer.

Looking at the frame again, we can see a difference in the condition of the wood from top to bottom. The top area seems to have a darker exterior with signs of lighter wood underneath showing through from scrapes. A closer look tells us that this darker area may have been exposed to smoke, a heat source, or even a fire. The back of the canvas does not seem to have any holes, but does seem to have a small amount of water mark damage and other liquid markings.

The stapled edges of the painting seem to be decent condition in some areas, whereas in other areas, the tongue-in-groove construction shows through a ragged, damaged canvas.

Nail holes from the underside of the canvas frame show through some of the canvas edges – again, probably where the canvas was attached to an outer formal frame. Other edges show signs of missing paint as well as where the canvas may have been pressed against an outer frame.

This is an unrestored painting - and this video is just a starting point in a journey of discovery. Never try to clean or touch-up a painting yourself which can destroy both the artwork and its value. Keep it dry inside & away from sunlight & heat. Contacting an art professional early in the search is highly recommended.

(The basic painting example used here was found in an 18th c. house so although it may look older, this oil painting has been estimated to have been only painted around the mid-20th Century. It seems to been created by an unknown, amateur artist, and it was also determined that it was not missing or stolen.)

Disclaimer: Video and content provided as a public service. Not intended to be a substitute for any professional advice or service.

Photography, Content, and Video by J.C.Gary. Music mix courtesy FCS Productions. © 2015 J.C.Gary. All rights reserved.
Some content based on Smithsonian Museum web site or resources, thank you. Not affiliated with Smithsonian in any way or form.

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