Being Green.

Lisa is on vacation this week, so I’ll be updating the blog in her absence. We apologize to everyone who came out to see our talk on Saturday. Due to the rain showers, we had to cancel, but we hope to reschedule soon. On Sunday and Monday, the UPH Projects team applied the final green acrylic paint layers, and Lady Liberty looks fantastic! As Lisa mentioned in an earlier blog, the color was chosen based on the color of Lady Liberty on Bedloe’s Island. Some of you may wonder why she looks different from her big sister. The Bedloe’s Island Liberty is made from copper alloy sheeting, which has developed the green patina over time through a chemical reaction of the metal with the atmosphere. It is actually a stable green colored corrosion layer that has formed on her surface, and there is some natural mottling in color. The Brooklyn Museum Liberty is made from zinc and galvanized steel sheeting that was then painted to achieve the desired color imitating the lady in the harbor. As the paint surface weathers, it will also become more mottled. We’ll be putting the finished touches on during the next few days so check back soon for some final pictures.

Tina March
Assistant Conservator of Objects
Brooklyn Museum

The primer is complete. If you would like to see a short video clip of the painting in progress, please go to this link:

http://blip.tv/file/37698

The painting continues. The sculpture has approximately 250 square feet of surface to paint. The progress is good. The winds are less strong today and the team from UHP Projects, Inc is able to apply the primer with a spray gun. The spay gun should help them achieve a smooth and even base layer for the final paint color.

Painting is also continuing on the interior. Because metal absorbs heat from the sun, the temperature on the outside surface of the metal skin is hot, whereas the temperature on the inside, although hot, is less than the outside surface. This contributes to condensation of water vapor on the inside, making the application of a paint layer on the inside a very difficult and slow process.
This is a photograph showing the cross sections of the original paint layers, before removal with the water blasting. As can be seen in the lower paint layers, the statue was various shades of brown for many years. For a few years, the statue was metallic silver (layers 13 and 15). However, in the most recent years (layers 16 and 17), the statue was green.



The images below are from the National Park Service website, showing the actual Statue of Liberty made by Bartholdi. Brooklyn Museum Designer, Lance Singletary and I made a visit to Liberty Island to closely look at the surface of the torch to choose a closely matching paint color. With the help of the Rangers and specifically George Tselos and Diana Pardue for arranging the visit, we were able to find a paint color that closely matches the existing corrosion on the original Statue of Liberty. Please stop by as the painting progresses.

Lisa Bruno, Conservator of Objects