In 1907, Maroger met Louis Anquetin and worked with him until Anquetin's death in 1932. For Maroger, this teacher provided guidance in the study of anatomy and painting techniques of the Old Masters. In 1931, the National Academy of Design in New York reported Maroger's discovery, which brought together and applied to modern day painting brightness, transparency, and permanence.
From 1930 to 1939, Maroger was associated with the Louvre Museum in Paris, serving as a professor at the Louvre School, a Member of the Conservation Committee, Technical Director of the Louvre Laboratory, General Secretary of the International Experts, and President of the Restorers of France. In 1937, he received the Legion of Honor.
He emigrated to America in 1939 and became a Professor at the Parsons School of Design in New York. His students, Reginald Marsh, John Koch, and Frank Mason, adopted his Old Masters painting technique and in turn, taught it to their students at the Art Students League of New York. In 1942, Maroger became a Professor at the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore and established a school of Old-Master technique painting that continues to the present time. At the institute he led a school that came to be known as the “Baltimore Realist”, including the outstanding painter Earl Hofmann, and other members such as Joseph Shepard and Melvin Miller. He also painted in Mystic, Connecticut and was a member of the Mystic Art Association.
Maroger published the book, "The Secret Formulas and Techniques of the Old Masters," in 1948, and after his death in Baltimore in 1962, his widow, Olga, has continued to maintain his studio and laboratory.
Maroger’s formula and techniques have been studied by many modern painters who wish to obtain the paint quality achieve by the Master painters. The “secret formula” that Maroger work on over his lifetime included the main ingredient chemical white lead. White lead when cooked into linseed oil acts as a drying agent and preservative of the oil paint color layers. If one examines the 17th century master works closely you will find the paintings that are in good to excellent condition, after 500 years, contain the critical chemical lead. Lead in the Maroger medium acts much in the same way that lead paint holds up when used outdoors. It stands up to dirt, weather, fading, humidity and other damaging conditions. A tour of any major museum to look at what paintings are in good condition and which are not can be directly related to how much lead was used in the paint medium.
Unjustifiably, Maroger has often been criticized by modern day manuscripts on painting because of his bold claims to having found the secret formulas of the Masters. But modern day treatises on painting do not recommended better replacement recipes for paint mediums that exhibit the same paint qualities, brush handling and versatility that Maroger’s medium provides. Although Maroger’s paintings have only been around for 50 years, so far they look as fresh as painted yesterday, and they closely resemble the techniques and look of the Masters. Far better than some paintings a year old that were painted with commonly used art supplies.
SIX FORMULAS OF MAROGER TAKEN FROM HIS [BOOK] ON PAINTING FORMULAS
Already prepared medium can be found at:
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