Winter Season Launch: 19 January 2017
The Unvarnished Truth: Exploring the Material History of Paintings investigates Old Master and modern paintings through stylistic and scientific examination to reconsider their physical history. A multidisciplinary project organized from the collections of the McMaster University Museum of Art, it draws upon the expertise of researchers in a variety of disciplines—including anthropology, conservation, and applied radiation science, among others—to document the material structure of these works and to refine the narratives of their origins. The show includes paintings by such artists as Vincent Van Gogh and Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko, and from the Workshop of Peter Paul Rubens.
Aert van der Neer, Untitled, A Frozen Waterway with Villagers Playing Kolf and Skating and a Horsedrawn Sleigh, mid-17th century, oil on panel. McMaster Museum of Art, McMaster University. Levy Bequest Purchase, 1993
UV illumination of Aert van der Neer’s Untitled, A Frozen Waterway with Villagers Playing Kolf and Skating and a Horsedrawn Sleigh
The Unvarnished Truth: Exploring the Material History of Paintings is organized and circulated by the McMaster Museum of Art. The MMA gratefully acknowledges the support of the Museums Assistance Program, Canadian Heritage and the Ontario Arts Council. The Agnes gratefully acknowledges the support of the George Taylor Richardson Memorial Fund, Queen’s University, and the Museums Assistance Program, Canadian Heritage.