Label
2024, “Endangered Art: Reclaiming a Legacy”
George Gardner Symons was a noted American plein-air (outdoor) painter. After training at the Art Institute of Chicago, he studied throughout Europe. In England, he joined an artist colony at St. Ives and developed his plein-air painting practice.
Evening Light and Winding River was heated, suctioned, and then cooled under pressure to fuse cracks, correct distortions, and relax tenting paint. It was stabilized and cleaned before conservators filled in losses and coated it with a new barrier varnish. Missing and damaged areas of the frame were filled in, and gilt varnish and cream were applied.