Revealing the Process: An Infrared Photographic Analysis of the Work of Paul Kane

Abstract

The ability to examine a painter’s working methods is not only valuable to art historians and conservators
 but, in the case of the early Canadian painter, Paul Kane (1810-1871), provides crucial information as to the accuracy and historical value of many of the scenes he painted. Paul Kane’s approximately 130 works in oil, painted in his Toronto studio from sketches made during his two voyages through the Canadian northwest during the 1840s, have told us much about the culture and lifestyle of the Métis, Sioux and other native Canadian peoples before the advent of photography. The historical accuracy of these paintings has now been called into question by the use of low-cost infrared photography. By utilizing infrared photography in the 700-1100nm range, we are now able to see what lies beneath the surface layers of oil paint and see the many changes Kane made between his observations in the field and his final product in the studio. Changes range from the slight adjustment of a headdress to the creation of entirely fictional features in the landscape. In some cases changes were made to conform to the expectations of his patrons. Although infrared photography has already been used in the world of art history for some time, recent advances in modifying consumer-level DSLR cameras, the development of advanced quartz-fluoride optics, and novel imaging processing techniques have transformed Infrared photography into an affordable and efficient way to study Paul Kane’s artistic process.