National Gallery of Art | Videos

The video Lost-Wax Bronzecasting is a step-by-step demonstration of the process produced by the Victoria / Albert Museum, London.

This symposium, the culmination of a five-year grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, covers the technological development and implementation of imaging instrumentation, key findings obtained when applied to works of art, and the implications for art history. Scientists, conservators, and art historians document the success of this project and highlight state-of-the-art work occurring at the National Gallery of Art and other institutions around the world using imaging methods based on reflectance spectroscopy in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Ruven Pillay, imaging scientist, C2RMF, Paris, speaks about software for viewing multimodal data sets. He demonstrates how to combine these results with information obtained from 3-D imaging scanning of art objects. Pillay spoke at a one-day symposium held at the National Gallery of Art on September 21, 2015, which supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This symposium, the culmination of a five-year grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, covers the technological development and implementation of imaging instrumentation, key findings obtained when applied to works of art, and the implications for art history. Scientists, conservators, and art historians document the success of this project and highlight state-of-the-art work occurring at the National Gallery of Art and other institutions around the world using imaging methods based on reflectance spectroscopy in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Marcello Picollo, CNR researcher, Institute of Applied Physics “N. Carrara”, presents several case studies using reflectance imaging spectroscopy of objects from small paintings on copper plates to large frescos. Picollo spoke at a one-day symposium held at the National Gallery of Art on September 21, 2015, which was supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This symposium, the culmination of a five-year grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, covers the technological development and implementation of imaging instrumentation, key findings obtained when applied to works of art, and the implications for art history. Scientists, conservators, and art historians document the success of this project and highlight state-of-the-art work occurring at the National Gallery of Art and other institutions around the world using imaging methods based on reflectance spectroscopy in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Costanza Miliani, CNR researcher, department of chemistry, University of Perugia, explains mid-infrared imaging spectroscopy and shows an example of a Fourier transform imaging spectrometer and the types of information that can be obtained with it. Miliani spoke at a one-day symposium held at the National Gallery of Art on September 21, 2015, which was supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This symposium, the culmination of a five-year grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, covers the technological development and implementation of imaging instrumentation, key findings obtained when applied to works of art, and the implications for art history. Scientists, conservators, and art historians document the success of this project and highlight state-of-the-art work occurring at the National Gallery of Art and other institutions around the world using imaging methods based on reflectance spectroscopy in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Koen Janssens, professor, department of chemistry, University of Antwerp, explains x-ray fluorescence imaging spectroscopy, the necessary instrumentation, and various case studies mainly focused around works by Rembrandt. Janssens spoke at a one-day symposium held at the National Gallery of Art on September 21, 2015, which was supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This symposium, the culmination of a five-year grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, covers the technological development and implementation of imaging instrumentation, key findings obtained when applied to works of art, and the implications for art history. Scientists, conservators, and art historians document the success of this project and highlight state-of-the-art work occurring at the National Gallery of Art and other institutions around the world using imaging methods based on reflectance spectroscopy in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Yuriko Jackall, assistant curator, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, speaks about what new information obtained from chemical imaging tells us about the changes made by Fragonard in his painting Young Girl Reading. Jackall spoke at a one-day symposium held at the National Gallery of Art on September 21, 2015, which was supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This symposium, the culmination of a five-year grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, covers the technological development and implementation of imaging instrumentation, key findings obtained when applied to works of art, and the implications for art history. Scientists, conservators, and art historians document the success of this project and highlight state-of-the-art work occurring at the National Gallery of Art and other institutions around the world using imaging methods based on reflectance spectroscopy in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Melanie Gifford, research conservator, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, discusses what new information obtained from chemical imaging tells us about the working methods of Rembrandt in some of his later works, such as Apostle Paul at the Gallery and Saul and David at the Mauritshuis. Gifford spoke at a one-day symposium held at the National Gallery of Art on September 21, 2015, which was supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This symposium, the culmination of a five-year grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, covers the technological development and implementation of imaging instrumentation, key findings obtained when applied to works of art, and the implications for art history. Scientists, conservators, and art historians document the success of this project and highlight state-of-the-art work occurring at the National Gallery of Art and other institutions around the world using imaging methods based on reflectance spectroscopy in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Michelle Facini, paper conservator, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, speaks about what new information obtained from chemical imaging tells us about the working methods of Degas in creating his pastel Ballet Scene (c. 1907). Facini spoke at a one-day symposium held at the National Gallery of Art on September 21, 2015, which was supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This symposium, the culmination of a five-year grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, covers the technological development and implementation of imaging instrumentation, key findings obtained when applied to works of art, and the implications for art history. Scientists, conservators, and art historians document the success of this project and highlight state-of-the-art work occurring at the National Gallery of Art and other institutions around the world using imaging methods based on reflectance spectroscopy in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Kathryn Dooley, research scientist, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, presents several case studies exemplifying the use of reflectance imaging spectroscopy and imaging x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to the study of paintings and works on paper. Dooley spoke at a one-day symposium held at the National Gallery of Art on September 21, 2015, which was supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This symposium, the culmination of a five-year grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, covers the technological development and implementation of imaging instrumentation, key findings obtained when applied to works of art, and the implications for art history. Scientists, conservators, and art historians document the success of this project and highlight state-of-the-art work occurring at the National Gallery of Art and other institutions around the world using imaging methods based on reflectance spectroscopy in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. John Delaney, senior imaging scientist, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, explains what reflectance imaging spectroscopy is, the types of information that can be gleaned from it, and the ideal cameras for studying works of art. Delaney spoke at a one-day symposium held at the National Gallery of Art on September 21, 2015, which was supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This symposium, the culmination of a five-year grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, covers the technological development and implementation of imaging instrumentation, key findings obtained when applied to works of art, and the implications for art history. Scientists, conservators, and art historians document the success of this project and highlight state-of-the-art work occurring at the National Gallery of Art and other institutions around the world using imaging methods based on reflectance spectroscopy in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Damon Conover, engineer, department of electrical and computer engineering, George Washington University, addresses how the information from two or complementary imaging modalities can be mathematically combined to create new information and insights. Conover spoke at a one-day symposium held at the National Gallery of Art on September 21, 2015, which was supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This symposium, the culmination of a five-year grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, covers the technological development and implementation of imaging instrumentation, key findings obtained when applied to works of art, and the implications for art history. Scientists, conservators, and art historians document the success of this project and highlight state-of-the-art work occurring at the National Gallery of Art and other institutions around the world using imaging methods based on reflectance spectroscopy in the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. James Coddington, The Agnes Gund Chief Conservator, MoMA, New York, speaks about what new information obtained from chemical imaging tells us about the working methods of the artist Jackson Pollock, noted for his abstract drip paintings. Coddington spoke at a one-day symposium held at the National Gallery of Art on September 21, 2015, which was supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

David Bindman, emeritus professor of the history of art, University College London. Antonio Canova’s (1757-1822) sculptures, as they have come down to us, are notable for their pure use of marble. However, the sculptor was the subject of controversy in his own time because he often toned down the whiteness of the marble and in some cases tinted the stone in flesh colors. Why did this cause such an adverse reaction, and in which quarters? In this 19th annual Sydney J. Freedberg Lecture on Italian Art recorded on November 8, 2015, at the National Gallery of Art, David Bindman discusses the heart of the immense prestige of marble sculpture over every other kind of art in the 19th century and the attitudes we have toward it now.

David C. Driskell, artist, curator, and Distinguished University Professor of Art, Emeritus, University of Maryland at College Park; Ellington Robinson, artist, professorial lecturer of painting at American University, and professorial lecturer of drawing at Montgomery College, Takoma Park. David C. Driskell is the only speaker in National Gallery of Art history to participate in programming as an artist, collector, and scholar. In this conversation recorded on November 1, 2015, Driskell returns to discuss the role of the mentor with artist Ellington Robinson. Both artists present the genesis and evolution of their work, sharing their experience with important mentors and their training together at the University of Maryland, College Park. This program is held in collaboration with the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland, College Park. The discussion coincides with New Arrivals 2015: Collecting Contemporary Art at the University of Maryland, an exhibition featuring Robinson’s work that was on view at the Stamp Gallery from September 21 through December 18, 2015.

In this lecture, presented on October 21, 2015, speaker Kirk Savage of the University of Pittsburgh discusses the massive physical displacement of bodies during the Civil War, the scale of which was unprecedented in U.S. history. Equally if not more troubling, the war caused a shocking metaphysical displacement of bodies from their names, creating legions of the “unknown” (bodies without names) and the “missing” (names without bodies). This lecture examines how art was invoked and deployed to come to terms with what Savage calls the "metadata crisis" of the war dead. At once material and immaterial, the art of the name provides a lens through which to plumb the transformations in personal and national identity wrought by the catastrophe of mass warfare.