The Painter II (Painter and Model II)

Normal light

Oskar Kokoschka’s technique of adding layers and layers of paint is demonstrated in The Painter II (Painter and Model II). Where some of the superimposed layers are reworkings of the final subject, others appear to be distinct compositions, and a bonus group likely belongs to studio graffiti. This painting presents an exemplary case study showcasing how different technical imaging methods allow for deeper views into the layered structure.

Infrared

Infrared reflectography allows for the viewer to dive underneath the painted surface of The Painter II. Specially designed cameras can detect infrared radiation, operating one step beyond what the human eye can perceive to reveal hidden layers. In this first infrared reflectograph, a couple of expressive stick figures are etched into the first paint layer below the finished composition. One stick figure located between the two self-portraits of Kokoschka is oriented horizontally. The other, located in the upper right corner, appears to carry female signifiers and runs with her hands held high, hair flowing behind her.

These drawings are likely impulsive, playful studio graffiti that Kokoschka covered with green paint. Looking closely, they are still slightly visible to the naked eye.

Highly sensitive, sophisticated infrared cameras can “see” deeper yet into the painted layers by using more penetrating infrared radiation wavelengths. This infrared reflectograph shows painted layers that lay underneath both the surface and stick-figured layers. Kokoschka appears to have edited the position of the woman’s hands, which were once clasped above her head. A landscape with rolling hills and a flowing river starts to emerge in the background.

X-radiograph

Since an X-radiograph presents materials capable of absorbing X-rays in all layers of the painting at once, they can be challenging to interpret. The metallic aluminum bars attached to the reverse of the Masonite® support interrupt the compositions.

The hazy figures of the double self-portrait and woman intermesh visually with the lower resting layers of the landscape. In the center of the composition, a fluffy cloud emerges on the horizon.

Looking closer, a figure in the lower right is positioned with their back toward the viewer. Is this figure looking out, admiring the scenery, or are they part of other paints that are transparent to X-rays?

Raking light

Light cast from a sharp side angle onto the painting highlights the crests and valleys of Kokoschka’s thickest applied paint. The extensive network of cracks is also more visible. The specific type of sharp-ridged formations, marked by long lines that radiate diagonally and by triangular shapes, indicate that the paint is very brittle. Embrittled paint is particularly vulnerable to physical shock and excess tension; these vulnerabilities help explain why the painting was eventually transferred from a tensioned wooden stretcher to a rigid support.

Specular light

Kokoschka did not varnish his paintings, preferring a matte surface finish. The glossier aspect of the surface, captured clearly in specular light, stems more from the presence of protective applications of resin and waxes to the paint layers. These materials, applied predominantly during the 1957 treatment, prevent the vulnerable paint layers from further cracking and loss. The painting’s network of cracks is spotlighted by the specular light.

Ultraviolet-induced fluorescent (UVF)

Under ultraviolet (UV) light, the soft greenish glow of a resin conservation coating uniformly covers the surface. As conservation materials age, they often exhibit their own fluorescence and grow increasingly harder to differentiate from the artist’s materials to the untrained eye. Old repairs to damaged paint layers, such as the red-purple area to the left of Kokoschka’s self-portrait on the easel, mark where a tear in the canvas is located. New conservation additions tend to appear a dark purple and are more readily detectable, such as the cracks above the same self-portrait figure’s ear.

Normal light, back of painting

As part of a past conservation treatment, the original canvas of The Painter II was adhered to another canvas, called a lining, with a glue paste in an attempt to give it more strength. The lining was unable to fully support the stress of the heavy paint layers; therefore, the lining was removed in 1957. The canvas was re-adhered to a rigid Masonite® panel with wax resin. Aluminum bars were attached to the panel to discourage distortion and provide safer handling of the artwork.