In the background of the mythical meeting of generals in the "Four Seasons of the Confederacy," several people have slowly appeared.
A soldier drinking from a canteen, men leaning on their rifles, a distant flagbearer - the weary troops approach the crest of a hill in the triumphal "Summer" mural, where they are visible for the first time in years thanks to a long-overdue cleaning of the famed Charles Hoffbauer paintings at the Virginia Historical Society.
Since the project began last summer, Richmond Conservation Studio experts have used small cotton swabs to clean a layer of varnish and layers of imbedded dirt from eight panels that are 14 feet tall and as much as 36 feet wide. On difficult days, they might manage to go over a 6-inch-by-6-inch square. On good days, they might clean 2 square feet.
Each round produces visible results, grid by grid, as the sky turns from a mottled gray to a clear blue in "Summer." Two more years are likely before they finish cleaning, spray the surface with a protective varnish, fill in areas where the paint has flaked off, and finally repaint missing details.
It's by far the biggest project that head conservator Cleo Mullins has undertaken. She estimates the size is equivalent to about 700 portraits, the artwork she more commonly conserves.
More @ Richmond Times Dispatch
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