NARRATOR: In 2018, the Museum removed this Rembrandt self-portrait from view while the gallery in which it normally hangs was renovated. It turned into an opportunity for Dorothy Mahon, who jumped at the chance to conserve it. She’s been a conservator at The Met for more than thirty years.

DOROTHY MAHON: This portrait, that is so important to our collection, and so popular, it just wasn’t looking as grand as it should. It just is very difficult to get a painting off the wall, especially one that people want to have up all the time.

NARRATOR: For the first step of the conservation process, Mahon removed layers of a synthetic varnish that had been applied in the 1950s. Originally intended to protect the painting, it had not aged well—it dulled and obscured the painting’s surface. As the layers came off, the subtlety of Rembrandt’s colors and technique reappeared.

DOROTHY MAHON: He’s essentially painted this picture with white and black, some earth colors, red and browns, some yellow ochre. That’s it. The other thing that’s really important to see as a characteristic aspect of Rembrandt is the actual texture of the brushstrokes. The individual brushstrokes are set one next to the other. In the cool bluish tints you see the translucency of the flesh. And the way he describes the fall of light.

NARRATOR: Rembrandt also left behind clues to his working process. Look just above his hat, on the left, to see how he re-shaped its contours repeatedly. You can also see how he used the end of the paintbrush to etch out the mass of curls tucked under his hat.

Mahon insists conserving a Rembrandt is not terrifying…at all. She relies on her extensive training and decades of experience, yet always comes away with a deeper understanding of the artist, even one as legendary as Rembrandt.

DOROTHY MAHON: He’s almost a cliché, but there’s a reason sometimes why artists become a cliché. He knows exactly what he wants to achieve. He was very ambitious, he had the natural talent. And when you get close to a Rembrandt, as my privilege is to do, one can see the way he handles the paint and the way he does his depictions. He absolutely ranks among the greatest painters who ever lived.