Mural Fading Information and
Sun Abatement Proposal
It has been clear to every conservation professional that has inspected these murals over the years that certain colors used for the painting of the murals are sensitive to light and will fade, some quickly, when exposed to sunlight. Since many sections of murals are exposed to direct sunlight, the situation is very alarming. Protecting the murals from direct sunlight and reducing the overall light levels as much as possible should be considered the highest priority as part of the mural’s preservation plan. Indeed, it would be irresponsible to uncover the murals only to let the sun fade them away.
Outdoor murals are always the art world’s most difficult child to take care of. The world has no outdoor murals older than this century that are in good condition. In some cases we admire only scant remnants and ghost images of original masterpieces from past centuries.
Traction – the uneven color in the background is the difference between an area of original paint that has been
exposed to light for some time (unknown how long) and an area that has been covered with overpaint until now.
Concerning the Fair Park murals, fading has been and presently is an issue. We have been able to compare areas of faded original paint next to unexposed original paint (where flaking has occurred). The differences are alarming. In some areas where the overpaint flaked off long ago and the original paint has been subjected to maybe decades of direct sunlight, the original colors have faded completed away. To help prove the point, take note that the mural, Future Transportation, may have faded significantly since the completion of it’s conservation treatments in 1996.
Future of Transportation – splotchy-ness and uneveness (very visible in green area) may be due to faded
original paint that used to match the inpainting. This photo shows the mural being hit by direct sunlight
In many cases, not only is the original color effected, but since the colors of some sections or details of the murals were obtained by layering several different pigments over one another, when the top color fades, it reveals the underlying color thereby changing the color and the composition.
The report by Perry Huston and Associates states,
“Fading from prolonged exposure to intense sunlight, damaging ultra-violet light and heat was present on all the murals where original paint was exposed. Where the vibrant colors of the original paint have been unprotected by overpaint, the colors are now powdery, dull and faded. This has produced the serious visual imbalance dramatically illustrated in “Traction”.
An example of previously flaked paint (bright red) which has
faded and changed next to newly exposed paint (darker red/purple)
The murals at Fair Park have a better chance of survival than most because:
They are protected under porches
They have been covered over for decades so that fading has somewhat been limited.
We have the awareness and materials to combat deteriorating influences.
Sophisticated monitoring devices and techniques are not required in order to know that these murals should not be exposed to the direct Dallas sunlight and that damage from exposure is severe. While monitoring may produce interesting data, it is highly recommended to act now to protect the paint layers.
No proposal will completely protect the murals without changing the architecture and enclosing the murals (ambient controls would also be required). Therefore, assuming that altering the historic design of the buildings is not an option then we must also accept that the murals will continue to be subjected to the flexuations of outdoor conditions. We can, however, eliminate the direct sunlight that falls on the murals. This in turn will reduce the heat exposure. By eliminating direct sunlight, general light levels will also be greatly reduced and this would contribute greatly to reducing fading. The influence of driving rain and wind will also be reduced significantly.
A simple shielding of the murals (on going and continuous) will contribute g