"Puberty" 1894 - Study of Technique and Conservation
About the work
In 2009 the City of Oslo's Conservation Department, under the Agency for Cultural Affairs, began a study of technique and conservation of Munch's famous painting Puberty from 1894. The picture appears to be the first preserved version of this motif. The coordinator of the project is painting conservator Biljana Topalova-Casadiego, PhD.
The painting will be examined and technical analyses will be conducted in order to acquire information about the picture's history of treatment, painting technique and materials. Various conservation techniques will be considered, and the results of these examinations will form the basis for further treatment of the picture.
The work on Puberty will be relevant for the conservation of the reminder of the paintings in the Munch Museum as well. New information derived from the study will benefit the entire collection. It will contribute to heightening awareness about the conservation of Munch's paintings and will provide a general contribution to the existing research pertaining to the artist's works. And it will generate both short and long-term exhibition projects.
"Puberty", 1894. Oil on umprimed canvas. 149x112 cm. Unsigned. The Munch museum.
About the picture
The motif
Munch's painting Puberty, depicts a young naked girl sitting on th edge of a bed. Her legs are pressed together. She holds her hands in front of her body; one lies between her knees, while the other rests on her right thigh. She stares straight ahead with eyes wide open. Her mouth is closed and her long hair hangs down over the shoulders. The light enters from the left, and behind her a dark, ominous shadow is visible. The motif is often regarded as a symbol of anxiety and fear, a young girl's awakening sexuality and the changes a young person experiences physically and psychologically on the path towards adulthood.
History of Treatment
Knowledge about the Munch Museum's version of Puberty (1894) as a physical object is lacking when considering the painting's national and international significance.
1894 Munch paints the museum's version of Puberty.
1944 The painting is stored in Munch's winter studio at Ekely in the first years following his death.
During the 1940s- after Munch's death the painting is lined to a new canvas. It is then mounted onto a new stretcher. The edges of the painting are covered with paper tape.
1963 Tears in the canvas and scratches in the paint layer are repaired with infilling and retouched. 1995 A few attempts were made to clean the painting, but they did not result in treatment.
Detail of Puberty's right outer edge covered with paper tape. In the exposed area, an old hole made by a nail is visible in the original canvas, as well as a tack from the present attachment of the painting. av "Pubertets" høyre ytterkanter (eller oppspenningskant) dekket med papirtape.
Puberty has not been treated since. Aside from short technical descriptions and some photo documentation, a thorough technical examination of the artwork has not been made. The condition of the painting now necessitates treatment. An evaluation of the painting's condition from 2004, which resulted in a conservation plan for Munch's paintings owned by the City of Oslo, places the picture in the category of those having the most complicated conditions.
Detail Fragmented area with losses in the paint layer and exposed canvas. Raking light.
Preliminary Work
Changes have taken place in the field of conservation since Puberty was last conserved. Today's standards demand an interdisciplinary aproach, complex methodology and many different preliminary examinations and tests. A number of questions must be cleared up before new treatment can commence. Some of the sentral issues are:
- How great are the changes suffered by the materials present in the painting?
- Can one visualize this and predict how things will conceivably develop in the future?
- In what condition are the canvases (the original canvas and the lining canvas) and the paint layer?
- What is required in order to further treat and preserve the painting?
- What types of risk can be identified, reduced or eliminated?
"Puberty" examined with a portable XRF analyser (Thermo Niton XL3t 900S GOLDD) by Biljana Topalova-Casadiego.
Detail. Ultra-violet fluorescence photograph of Puberty.
Detail (above) "Puberty's" upper right corner photographed under a raking light. Ultraviolet fluorescence photograph of the same detail. (Below) Retouched tears in the canvas are visible as dark areas in the middle of the shadows.
Work on Puberty will also encompass the following tasks:
- Consultations by both Norwegian and foreign proffesionals in the field
- The coordination and integration of this information
- Reference and literature analyses
- Documentation and examination of the painting
- Carrying out the treatment of the painting and elaborating preventive routines
"Puberty" to be examined with a portable XRF analyser (Thermo Niton XL3t 900S GOLDD) From right to left: Mirjam Liu, (University of Oslo, UofO), Biljana Topalova-Casadiego, Unn Plahter, (UofO)), and Hartmut Kutzke (UofO).
Collaborators on the Project
"Puberty" is being examined and documented. Photographer Jaroslav Hollan and Biljana Topalova-Casadiego at work.
- The City of Oslo's Photography Department, Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- Chemists and conservators in the Conservation Section at the Museum of Cultural History, Univ. of Oslo Kulturhistorisk museum
- Institute for Archeology, Conservation and History, Univ. of Oslo, IAKH Institutt IAKH
- MOLAB (Eu-ARTECH – Access, Research and Technology for the conservation of the European
Cultural Heritage). Eu Artech
- Holger teknologi
- The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Nasjonalmuseet
- Bergen Art Museum Bergen kunstmuseum
- NIKU Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research Niku
Press coverage
Aftenposten 21.3. 09
Aftenposten 26.5.09
Wired Magazine 17.8.09
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