The Hudson River Museum was recently awarded a competitive Conservation Treatment Grant from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network, made possible by public funds from the New York State Council for the Arts. Geared towards cultural and historical organizations, this grant program provides vital funds to treat, conserve, and stabilize collections. With this grant, the HRM was thrilled to be able to conserve and reframe the oil painting Vesuviana, 1955, by Dorothy Block (American, 1904–1984).

Over time, oil paintings are susceptible to changes in condition due to environmental factors, as well as issues stemming from the very structure of the canvas and frame themselves. That was the case for Vesuviana, which required conservation to remove yellowed varnish, stabilize cracking, and replace an existing frame that had become unstable. Without immediate treatment, worsening conditions would have prevented its public display. The painting was conserved and framed by Christina Zuccari of Moro Studio, Inc., and it will play a critical role in regular rotations of the Museum’s permanent collection galleries.

Block was a pioneering New York–based artist whose career reflects the struggles and achievements of women artists in the early- to mid-twentieth-century, a time when their contributions were often marginalized. Born in Brooklyn and influenced by her uncle, sculptor Louis Keila, she studied and later taught at the Art Students League of New York—one of the few institutions accessible to women in the 1920s. Block later participated in the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project during the Great Depression, contributing to a defining moment in New York’s cultural history.

Vesuviana is one of the most notable paintings from Block’s career and likely named after the town of Somma Vesuviana, located north of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in Southern Italy. An active volcano, Mount Vesuvius has erupted more than 50 times in documented history. Though vibrant with its bright color palette, the work suggests a somberness directly relating to the feelings and memories of a town afflicted by continuous volcanic eruptions. The painting was first exhibited in 1955 at the Third Biennial of American Painting in Bordighera, Italy, and then later at RoKo Gallery, which was part of the mid-century New York City art scene.

Alyssa Habig
Registrar and Collection Manager

The conservation of Vesuviana was supported through the NYSCA/GHHN Conservation Treatment Grant Program administered by Greater Hudson Heritage Network. This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Image: Before and after conservation. Caption: Dorothy Block (American, 1904–1984). Vesuviana, ca. 1955. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Hudson River Museum. Gift of Robert Dublirer, 1985 (85.19.2).