Special Exhibitions
Conserving the Past for the Future
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Special Exhibitions |
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Conserving the Past for the Future |
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How the Work Was Made The underlying, dominant material in Lot's Wife is lead. In this painting sheets of lead foil were subjected to various treatments and then stapled and glued to a wooden substructure constructed from pine supports and covered with several sheets of plywood. (It accounts for much of the painting's weight of 1,200 pounds). The malleable metal was marked and distressed by controlled incidents, such as being walked on and driven over with fork lifts. Footprints and tire tracks can be seen in the top unit. The metal's surface was also stained with chemicals-hydrochloric acid being a favorite agent of the artist. This preparation enriched much of the lead surface with splotchy white marks, and the upper panel is additionally embellished with a glowing, bluish irridescence.Around 1989 Kiefer produced a number of important pieces that significantly expanded how he had previously employed lead. He used its inherent chemical properties, altering its surface by applying a concentrated solution of sodium chloride. In Lot's Wife he created a flamboyant abstract composition, eccentrically shaped by pouring and physically manipulating salt water slurry. When the sodium chloride solution evaporated, it deposited a white and yellowish crystalline layer of varying thicknesses. These buildups of salt attracted Kiefer not only for their visual qualities, but also because they helped to convey his compelling iconography. In the lower section, Kiefer applied paint on fabric, a continuation of his long attraction to the tradition of painting. The canvas, however, went through a lengthy and rigorous journey before being mounted over the lead substructure, obscuring much of it. Initially, the woven material was stretched, primed, and probably placed outdoors for a period of time. After sufficient aging, Kiefer thickly applied commercial stucco, enriched with linseed oil and polymer emulsion, using trowels or large brushes. In many areas he may have purposely added animal skin glue to induce cracks in the paint surface, which added to the layering effect. Somber tones of gray and black were applied and allowed to drip in numerous places. While still wet, the entire surface was dusted with a thin coating of ash. At this point, Kiefer intentionally burned the canvas with a blowtorch, creating amorphously shaped voids. The fabric was then unstretched, flattened, (including the tacking edges), and fastened with a commercial polyurethane adhesive onto its lead-covered support. To complete the composition, two small sections of canvas of a different weave and thickness were added to the lower right bottom and side of the larger piece. Page 2 of 3 | On the next page: The Conservation Approach to Kiefer's Painting |
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