AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

Over the past several years, the Menil Collection has been undertaking tests to investigate the reversibility of wax-resin linings. The research has involved studying the use of heat, solvents, suction, and Evolon®CR as a solvent delivery and wicking material to extract wax-resin lining adhesive. In 2019, after receiving a grant as part of the Getty’s Conserving Canvas Initiative, the research formalized into an exploration of the following key questions: How much wax-resin can safely be removed during wax-resin extraction and what, if anything, is left behind? And how does wax-resin lining and its subsequent extraction affect color? The efficacy of tests was evaluated through several criteria, including visual assessment, weight change, colorimetry comparisons, cross-section microscopy, and TSP-GCMS. In June 2022 the initial findings of this research carried out on a series of mockups was presented at the AIC Paintings Specialty Group Session in Los Angeles. In October of 2022, the project Treatment Team, comprised of conservators from the Menil and other institutions across the US and Europe, convened in Houston to apply the protocol to extract the wax-resin from The Green Stripe (1955) by Mark Rothko, a painting that had been lined in 1962. A detailed walk-through of the protocol used for the extraction treatment of The Green Stripe will proceed a presentation of the results. An evaluation of the quantitative results of the treatment related to the color change and the amount of wax-resin extracted will be presented along with more anecdotal visual and physical assessments of the canvas and paint layers before and after the treatment. The extent to which results from the treatment of The Green Stripe differed from those anticipated by the research utilizing mockups will also be discussed as part of an overall assessment of the treatment protocol in general as well as its application in particular to the materials and treatment history of The Green Stripe.