AllMovie

When the name of Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872) gets mentioned today, most individuals instinctively associate him with two inventions: Morse code, and the electromagnetic telegraph. But in truth, Morse was also extraordinarily gifted as a painter, and began his career as such. He created his most famous work, Gallery of the Louvre, between 1831 and 33, and had high hopes of selling it to James Fenimore Cooper, one of the tableau's subjects. Not only did this fail to transpire, but the painting's overall lack of popularity turned Morse away from art and toward science. Set in Paris's iconic Louvre museum, and probably inspired by G.P. Pannini, the great canvas depicts various artistic treasures from the Louvre, all remounted in the museum's "Salon Carr" gallery - which Morse re-imagined as a workshop where students of art study, copy and sketch from the inspirations lining the walls. Nearly 200 years later, the painting underwent a massive restoration by Gay Myers and Lance Mayer, who uncovered astonishing truths about the artwork - related to the experimental techniques and materials that Morse used, the damages caused to the painting by the transatlantic journeys that the artist took, and much more. This nonfiction film documents the restoration process by Mayer and Myers, and discusses much more what they learned.