If Van Gogh's Walls Could Talk | Art Institute Shorts

Why It Matters

Identifying the original pigment clarifies Van Gogh’s color choices and improves historical accuracy for conservation, scholarship, and exhibition decisions. It also demonstrates how scientific analysis can resolve longstanding questions about artistic intent and material composition.

Summary

Conservators at the Art Institute examined Van Gogh’s painting The Bedroom to resolve a discrepancy between the canvas’s current blue walls and the artist’s letters describing violet walls and lilac doors. Microscopic analysis revealed numerous pink particles in paint samples, which were matched against the museum’s pigment archive and identified as carmine lake derived from cochineal insects. This pigment finding indicates Van Gogh originally mixed red carmine with blues to produce a more lilac/violet hue. The discovery lets curators and viewers better understand and visualize the color intentions behind the work.

Original Description

Become an art detective for the day as we explore the mystery hidden within the walls of Van Gogh's "The Bedroom."

Francesca Casadio, vice president and Grainger Executive Director of Conservation and Science, takes us into the lab and shares the surprising secrets that science can uncover.

Work shown:

Vincent van Gogh. "The Bedroom," 1889. Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection.