Denver Art Museum Blogs
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Q&A with Paint Studio Demo Artist Carlos Frésquez
Carlos Frésquez will be in the Paint Studio September 7-8 and September 14-15. The Paint Studio is included with general admission, which is free for members and youth 18 and under.
Paint Studio Demo Artist Caleb Hahne
Caleb Hahne will be in the Paint Studio demonstrating painting emotion noon–3 pm August 24–25 and August 31–September 1, 2019. The Paint Studio is included with general admission, which is free for members and youth 18 and under.
Paint Studio Demo Artist Quána Madison
Quána Madison will be in the Paint Studio demonstrating expressionist painting as a path to well-being, noon–3 pm August 10-11 and August 17-18, 2019. The Paint Studio is included with general admission, which is free for members and youth 18 and under.
Paint Studio Demo Artist Lucía Rodríguez
Lucía Rodríguez will be in the Paint Studio demonstrating painting related to color as light, noon–3 pm July 27-28 and August 3-4, 2019. The Paint Studio is included with general admission, which is free for members and youth 18 and under.
Paint Studio Demo Artist Angela Craven
Angela Craven will be in the Paint Studio demonstrating painting related to empathy, noon–3 pm July 13-14 and July 20-21, 2019. The Paint Studio is included with general admission, which is free for members and youth 18 and under.
Paint Studio Demo Artist Leticia Tanguma
Leticia Tanguma will be in the Paint Studio demonstrating portraits in oil and acrylic noon–3 pm June 29-30 & July 6-7, 2019. The Paint Studio is included with general admission, which is free for members and youth 18 and under.
Meet Jim Howard & Learn About Fashion History in Drawn to Glamour
Drawn to Glamour: Fashion Illustrations by Jim Howard was on view March 25, 2018–Aug 5, 2018.
In conjunction with the exhibition Drawn to Glamour: Fashion Illustrations by Jim Howard (on view through August 5), this blog explores the history of dandyism through the lives and styles of two of the decidedly dapper icons featured in the paper doll book Four Famous Dandies.
Meet the Artist
Conserving a Ming Dynasty Map Made in Japan (Video & Photos)
This article tells the story of how the Denver Art Museum conserved this map. To learn more about the map itself read this article. No longer on view.
History, Artistry & Science
Traditional conservation embodies what I like to refer to as the “holy trinity” of disciplines: history, artistic competency, and science. The marriage of these three areas make conservation stand apart from restoration—or simply making something look good or better.
Details of the Conservation of The Virgin of Valvanera
These videos tell the story of how curators, conservators, and educators worked to conserve The Virgin of Valvanera (on view in Revealing a Mexican Masterpiece: The Virgin of Valvanera), a painting created in the 1700s.
The Virgin of Valvanera: Varnish
Artists have used varnishes to coat their paintings since the 1400s—some claim as early as the eleventh century. Varnishes serve to saturate the paint colors, provide some degree of protection for the paint surface, and to impart an even surface sheen. Some artists have used varnishes as an aesthetic medium, mixing resins into wet paint to create rich translucency or selectively applying them to juxtapose areas of matte and gloss.
Conservation & Varnish
The Virgin of Valvanera: Examination In-Depth
For a painting that is over 300 years old, The Virgin of Valvanera is in remarkably good condition. One would fully expect that a painting of this age has undergone several attempts at restoration (by both skilled and amateur hands). Contrary to what is usually the case, this painting has not incurred major structural damage in the form of tears or losses, has never been lined (i.e. attached to a secondary canvas or solid support material), and has not been severely over-cleaned or extensively repainted.