BLUEPRINT FOR A TEMPLE II
The Better Image ProjectTreatment completed March 2024
Photographer ········· Francesca Woodman
Title ········· Blueprint for a Temple II
Year ······ 1980
Medium ········· 24 diazotype elements and 4 gelatin silver prints
Dimensions (H x W): approx. 15’ x 10’
Owner ······· Woodman Family Foundation
Title ········· Blueprint for a Temple II
Year ······ 1980
Medium ········· 24 diazotype elements and 4 gelatin silver prints
Dimensions (H x W): approx. 15’ x 10’
Owner ······· Woodman Family Foundation
Description
Francesca
Woodman was an American photographer best known for her black and white
pictures featuring either herself or female models. She
was the daughter of two artists, Betty and George, and grew up in Boulder,
Colorado, and Tuscany. She studied art at RISD and in Rome in the late 1970s.
Many of her photographs show women, naked or clothed, blurred, or obscured.
When the artist passed away at the age of 22 in 1981, she left behind some
seven hundred photographs.The Woodman Family Foundation was later established by Francesca's parents and is dedicated to the stewardship of the artistic legacies of Betty, George, and fRancesca. The Foundation maintains the family’s substantial collection of artwork by each artist, along with preserving and cataloging their extensive archives. Last year, the Woodman Family Foundation partnered with Gagosian for the gallery to represent the work of Francesca Woodman. Many photographs by Woodman have come through the conservation studios at TBI, due to the preservation efforts by the Foundation, including Woodman’s grand Blueprint for a Temple II.
This work is a collage of diazotypes and gelatin silver elements and stands approximately fifteen feet tall and ten feet wide. The work brings together details from old New York decorative bathroom tiles and fixtures, along with Francesca and her friends posing as ancient caryatids, which echo classical Greek and Roman art and architecture. Woodman started experimenting with creating diazotypes in the late 1970s and used it widely throughout the decade. The diazotype printing process in which commercially exposed printing papers were mechanically exposed and fixed with gas, allowed Woodman to experiment with reproduction in large scale and in a range of colors.
This Temple, along with another Temple owned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, were included the exhibition Beyond Photography at the Alternative Museum in New York City in the spring of 1980. This was the year before the artist died and the only time these pieces were exhibited in her lifetime. As such, it was a very exciting time for the Woodman Family Foundation, Gagosian, and for The Better Image to work together to finally be able to show Blueprint for a Temple II for the second time. The exhibition also included many gelatin silver prints and other large diazotypes.
Much collaboration has happened between the Foundation, the Gallery, and our conservation studio to plan for treatment of individual elements, hinging of the Temple, and then finally installation.
PHASE I: TREATMENT
Below are the six diazotypes I treated at The Better Image. The first is a stand-alone lifesize Caryatid part of the exhibition at Gagosian, while the other five were part of the Blueprint for a Temple II. Other Temple elements were treated by Nancy Reinhold, Hannah Shapiro, and Elena Best.
Caryatid
1980, diazotype,
76 7/8 x 36 3/8”
Condition
This untitled unmounted diazotype comes from Francesca Woodman’s Caryatid series. As received this photograph was in generally very good condition. It appears chemically stable with
deep, rich tonalities, although the process is known to be light sensitive. Physically there are a number
of minor disruptions generally confined to the perimeter. These include surface abrasions along the
top, bottom, and lower right edges, a complex tear at the right of the top edge which also has a small
loss associated with it. Along the bottom edge, toward the left corner, there are small losses that have
exposed the underlying white paper fibers and a small tear toward the center. The bottom right edge is
slightly crushed and disrupted along six inches.Treatment Report
- Edge tears were realigned and mended with 4% Klucel G in ethanol with Japanese paper adhered to the verso for additional support. The loss at the tear on the top center edge was bridged with Japanese paper adhered to the verso with 4% Klucel G in ethanol and then filled with an insert made from an original diazotype sample provided by the Woodman Family Foundation. This was also adhered with Klucel G, with additional toning using Carbothello® pencils along the edges of the inserted fill.
- Creases and damaged areas at the lower right edge were relaxed with controlled moisture, flattened and reinforced from the verso with mends of Japanese paper adhered with 4% Klucel G.
- Areas of losses were toned using Carbothello® pencils applied directly. Our goal was to reduce the visual impact of these losses under normal viewing conditions.
Before Treatment Photography
Before Treatment Images by Hannah Shapiro, Conservation AssistantDuring Treatment Photography
After Treatment Photography
Before Treatment Photography
After Treatment Photography
BP.012 (A) #25 and #26
1980, diazotypes
#25: approx. 10 ½ x 10 inches
#26: approx. 13 x 36 inches
Condition
These diazotypes exhibit an overall inward curl, minor to moderate creases and folds, small pinholes with minor losses, while the largest of the diazotypes exhibits a significant amount of skinning and edge tears.#25: Scattered handling creases, surface abrasion, and overall inward curl of print due to rolling. Fragment at corner at risk of detaching. Six horizontal creases in center and another moderate crease at edge of print. Seven pinholes with minor associated skinning and image loss.
#26: Significant skinning on recto of print along with scattered handling creases, fine abrasions, torn and uneven edges. Pinholes in center of print and edges. Overall inward curl due to rolled storage. Blue pencil mark on print, uneven image fading. Tape adhered on the corner of the verso of print with remnants of skinned print adhered. The tape creates a hard distortion in the area and is unable to lay flat.
Treatment Report
#25: Consolidated and mended edge tears using wheat starch paste and Japanese paper mends applied to verso.#26: Consolidated and mended edge tears using wheat starch paste and Japanese paper mends applied to verso. Locally humidified and flattened creases.
BP.012 (A) #27 and #28
1980, diazotypes
Condition
These two diazotype elements (#27 and #28) come from the bottom left corner of the Temple. They both exhibit an overall inward curl, minor to moderate creases and folds, small pinholes with minor losses, while the largest of the diazotypes exhibits a significant amount of skinning and edge tears.Treatment Report
- Tears were realigned and mended with 4% Klucel G in ethanol with Japanese paper adhered
to the verso for additional support.
- The losses on Element #28 on the top left corner and bottom right corner were bridged with
Japanese paper adhered to the verso with 4% Klucel G in ethanol and then filled with an
insert made from an original diazotype sample provided by the Woodman Family
Foundation. This was also adhered with Klucel G. Additional toning used Carbothello®
pencils along the edges of the inserted fill.
- Scattered areas of dye losses, abrasions, and tears were toned using Carbothello® pencils applied directly. Our goal was to reduce the visual impact of these losses under normal viewing conditions.
Before Treatment Photography
After Treatment Photography
Treatment Photography
BP.049 (B)
1980, diazotype
24 x 18 inches (sheet); 19 x 17 inches (print)
Condition
Folds along the bottom edge of the sheet, handling creases throughout, and overall distortions from being rolled. Sharp creases, two horizontal and one vertical spanning the width/height of the print, minor tears at edges of these creases, and small hole in center. Overall yellowing of the paper support and surface dust and grime. Minor tear center right edge and pinhole at top center edge. On verso, fingerprints at center, stain at center right, and surface grime overall.Treatment Report
- Mended edge tears using wheat starch paste and Japanese paper mends applied to verso.
- Locally humidified and flattened creases.
PHASE II: MOUNTING
After The Better Image treated the individual diazotype elements, next was to figure out how to put them all together. In figuring out our approach to assembly there were three sometimes intersecting, other times converging, goals to keep in mind. First was the gallery installation at Gagosian, which is a commercial gallery with the end of goal of selling the Temple. For installation, some short-term solutions like using magnets, tapes, pins may be ok, but would fail some of our other criteria. Second was thinking about transportation since they are very large elements, how to divide and break down the elements safely to fit size restriction while also working intuitively to not make installation too confusing. Rolling would also be a great short-term solution bout would not be great for our third consideration, long-term storage. Since this piece is for sale, Gagosian would like it attractive and easy maintenance for potential buyers, likely a museum that acquires the work, but we don’t know what environment the piece will go in. So with this we are looking to use materials that have known long-term stability.
The overall goal then was to assemble the diazotypes in a way that was approachable with materials that will have long-term stability in order to also deliver a secure final project to the eventual new owner. In order to achieve this we:
- Grouped elements into five sections of varying number of diazo elements.
- Created Mylar overlays for each of the five panels. These noted the positions of each element and new hinges, all marked and color-coded.
- Hinged these works together using Japanese paper hinges and 8% Klucel G in ethanol.
- Affixed each group to a flexible polyester fabric support, Dacron, using pass-through Japanese paper hinges. These hinges were adhered to the print verso surfaces with 8% Klucel G in ethanol and to the lining fabric with Buffer-mount® heat-set tissue
adhesive, or rarely, a pressure-sensitive double-sided tape.
- Packed the five lined panels into individual 1/2 inch Fomecor portfolios, each lined and covered with glassine by the team from Art Crating and transported to Gagosian. These folders measured up to 70 x 105 inches.
Hinging Diazotype Elements
The first goal was to determine the best method and materials to hinge the individual diazotypes together and then to the lining material. While Conservator Nancy Reinhold carried out most of the material and method testing for consistency, it was a great opportunity for all at The Better Image to discuss options and learn new methods. Overall, we were most concerned about the moisture sensitivity of the diazotype material along with the strength needed to secure the large collage elements. We brainstormed adhesives that could be heat set (BEVA, Lascaux), used with solvents (Klucel), or drying out paste before use and using desiccated blotters. Hinging Diazotype Elements
In the end Nancy Reinhold determined that 8% Klucel G in ethanol caused the least amount of distortion, was safe to use on the work, and was strong enough. Wheat starch paste caused too much cockling, while we were also unsure about using BEVA due to its waxy components and Lascaux as it does not pass PAT.
Following these protocols developed by Nancy, we worked to assemble the Temple. The overall Temple arrangement of diazotypes was split into 5 sections. Each section was arranged flat on a work table and outlined on Mylar sheets. These sheets would later help us reassemble the piece and note areas of attachments and pull through hinges.Then long hinges were attached to the works using 8% klucel in ethanol and pulled through a large sheet of Dacron and attached to the Dacron lining with heat seat dry mount tissue.
Hinging Elements #27 and #28
After treating Elements #27 and #28 (see above), and following protocols determine with Nancy Reinhold, I set out to hinge these works to the larger Temple.
Mounting Silver Gelatin Prints
Along the right edge of the Temple there are 3 matted silver gelatin prints and 1 unmatted diazotype. There is also an additional unmatted diazotype below the Temple. We needed to find a way to safely and easily secure these prints to the wall. The diazotypes also needed some added support since they were unmounted, but visually needed to keep the overall original appearance of the work being stapled flat to the wall. For the diazotypes I attached thick japanese paper wrap around hinges to the verso of the work using 8% klucel g in ethanol and secured to a 4-ply mat board with double sided tape. With another sheet of 4-ply mat board, I cut out circles to fit rare earth magnets along the top and bottom edges. These magnets were housed between a sheet of tyvek and secured with Lineco tyvek tape to the mat board. The two 4-ply mat boards were then secured together with double sided tape.
Final Touch Ups
Before packing the work up for the move to Gagosian, while still in the labs, Nancy Reinhold, Hannah Shapiro, and I double checked element placements, checked that hinges were secured, and selectively toned exposed areas. PHASE III: INSTALLATION
On March 9th, Peter Mustardo, Nancy Reinhold, and I assisted in the gallery installation along with Gagosian exhibition staff members, team members from Art Crating, and staff from the Woodman Family Foundation. Installation went as follows:
-
Metallic panels (twenty-nine) in various dimensions were affixed to the wall in positions to allow for the use of both magnet and for staples (through the polyester backing material to the wall).
- Mylar templates covered these metallic panels and helped to guide the placement of the 5 panel. These were also aligned using a laser device to ensure the horizontal axis.
- Panels were lifted into position using a scissor lift.
- Panels were secured to the wall with small square pouches containing strong neodymium magnets. These magnets were secured over the Dacron lining and were placed in areas over overlaps and folds so that they would not be seen while on view. Additional staples into the Dacron were also employed for additional support.
- Additional hinges of Japanese paper applied to lifting areas using 8% Klucel G in ethanol.
During Installation Photography
Images by Peter Mustardo and Ashley StanfordTime-lapse Installation Video︎︎︎
Installation Photography
Installation views, Francesca Woodman, Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York, March 13–April 27, 2024. Artwork © Woodman Family Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Owen Conway
Press
Grant, Daniel. 2024. “Francesca Woodman’s posthumous path to A-lister.” The Art Newspaper. March 13, 2024. https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/03/13/francesca-woodmans-posthumous-path-to-a-listerLubow, Arthur. 2024. “Francesca Woodman’s Crowning Achievement, and Mystery.” The New York Times. Published March 21, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/21/arts/design/francesca-woodman-photographs-gagosian.html
White, Katie. 2024. “Francesca Woodman Was a Photographic Oracle of an Ancient World.” Artnet. Published April 4, 2024. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/francesca-woodman-photograph-gagosian-2462513