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Restoring a Masterwork II: Guercino's Erminia and the Shepherds
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The Restoration
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Condition Report
What's Wrong?
Treatment Steps
IR and UV Photography
Anatomy of a Painting
The Painting
General Overview
Jerusalem Delivered
The Commission
The Artist
The Engraving
Painting and Engraving
FAQ
Glossary

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of qualifications and experience do you need to become a conservator?

Do conservators know how to paint in every style?

Are you an artist? Do you need to know how to paint to be a conservator?

How do you decide what paint to remove and what to leave?

What books would you recommend on the conservation of art?

Are you working with the same materials the artist did?

Are the materials you are using better than the originals?

Will you be using a varnish on the painting once it is restored and if so, how will it differ from the varnish you removed?

Are you painting the picture?

What is inpainting?

What is the hardest type of repair to make?

Are there some things you cannot fix or will not fix?

Do you ever get scared?

How come you are allowed to touch the painting and I'm not allowed to?

Do you get bored?

How many paintings do you conserve a year?

How is working in the gallery different from your laboratory?

How often are the paintings restored?

What other works of art at the Institute have recently been restored?

How are the paintings at the Institute given priority for restoration?

Who can I contact if I have a work of art that needs to be repaired or restored?

How should I best take care of the paintings I have at home?


What types of qualifications and experience do you need to become a conservator?
There are two methods to become an art conservator. The first is an extended apprenticeship, working with an established, respected paintings conservator for a long period of time.

The second is to attend a university art conservation graduate program. There are five graduate programs in North America, and the individual programs accept 4 to 10 students per year. An interested student must have a considerable amount of undergraduate credits in chemistry and physics, art history, and studio art. The graduate programs also require that a student have 1 to 3 years of experience in an established art conservation laboratory.

Most graduate programs are three years in length - two years in school and a full year of an internship in a museum, regional laboratory, or with a conservator in private practice. After graduation, students will spend one to four years in fellowship positions, usually in large museum conservation laboratories. Jobs in art conservation are not plentiful and, considering the amount of education and skill that is required, the field is not the place to become rich.

The most important qualification in paintings conservation is experience. Essential, too, is continuing education in the field. The MACC paintings conservators attend national and international workshops, symposiums, congresses, and conferences.


Do conservators know how to paint in every style?
Most paintings conservators have worked on scores of different styles of paintings. Conserving a painting is not at all like painting a work of art; instead it is a processes of repairing and disguising losses, abrasions, and damage through careful inpainting. The surrounding original paint color and tonality is used to guide the conservator during the inpainting process.


Are you an artist? Do you need to know how to paint to be a conservator?
Many paintings conservators are artists, but it is not necessary to be an artist to be a good conservator. A paintings conservator must be able to imitate surrounding original paint layers with the minimum amount of inpaint possible. Inpainting with tiny brushes with thin layers of a synthetic medium in areas of loss is only part of the skills required of a paintings conservator. Paintings conservators must know paintings - how they are made, how they age and change with age, and recognize the cause of damage and earlier restoration. The conservator must deal with challenging structural conditions and problems such as flaking and splitting paint layers, weakened supports, curling, tears and holes in canvas, warped and split wooden panels, damage by water, dirt, neglect, or vandalism and so much more. They also must be prepared to work with paintings of all age and style - from 14th century Italian panels to modern and contemporary paintings.


How do you decide what paint to remove and what to leave?
When conserving a painting, it is very important to know the difference between an original paint layer and overpaint later added to repair or disguise damage. Very often, paintings were previously restored and overpaint using an oil-based paint. The newer oil paint may have matched the original paint layers for a period of time, but later darkens slightly with age, and soon, the restored areas can easily detected. If a painting is restored using stable, non-discoloring synthetic resin paint (like acrylics), the overpainting will not darken. In addition, synthetic paints can be safely removed from an original paint layer with solvents that will not harm the painting.

An experienced paintings conservator has tools at their disposal to detect restoration. Both oil and synthetic resin overpaint or inpainting can be visually detected using a ultraviolet light source. Infrared light sources can also helpful in identifying areas which have been inpainted. Most essential is the experienced eye of the paintings conservator.


What books are available on the conservation of art?
Carr, Damson W. and Leonard, Mark, Looking at Paintings: a Guide to Technical Terms, Malibu, CA: The John Paul Get Museum, 1992.
Gets, Rutherford J. and Stout, George L., Paintings Materials, New York, NY: Dover Publications, 1966.
Gottsegen, Mark David, The Painter's Handbook, New York, NY: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1993.
Keck, Caroline K., A Handbook on the Care of Paintings, The American Association for State and Local History, 1965.
Keck, Caroline K., How to Take Care of Your Pictures, The Museum of Modern Art and The Brooklyn Museum, 1954.
Nicolaus, Knut, The Restoration of Paintings, Cologne, Konemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 1998.
Stout, George L., The Care of Pictures, New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1948.
Thomson, Garry, The Museum Environment, 2nd edition, Boston, MA: Butterworths, 1986.


Are you working with the same materials the artist did?
In art conservation, we use established principles as a general guideline for materials. We most frequently utilize materials - varnish, inpaint, adhesives - that are durable and have good aging qualities; that can be later detected by another conservator; and that can be reversed or removed from the painting without harming the object. Many of the original materials used by artists do not fall into these categories.


Are the materials you are using better than the originals?
All art materials have pros and cons. Oil paint is a beautiful medium, allowing the painter to create effects such as glazing or working wet-into-wet. Oil paint, however, is not appropriate for inpainting as it darkens with age and becomes difficult to remove from an original oil paint layer. We are using dry pigments ground in a stable synthetic medium for inpainting. The synthetic medium does not darken or discolor with age, but it demands a good deal of skill to make a synthetic look like a beautiful, aged oil paint. Most important, the synthetic medium paint can be very safely removed from the painting.


Will you be using a varnish on the painting once it is restored and if so, how will it differ from the varnish you removed?
The synthetic resin we removed had attracted considerable dirt and grime. The varnish had not completely saturated the paint layer. The new varnish will be superior to the last in that it will be a synthetic resin with proven physical properties. It will saturate the paint layer much more completely than the one we removed. The new varnish also will not yellow or discolor and will could be later removed with solvents safe tothe paint layer.


Are you painting the picture?
This is a question we often hear from casual viewers who happen upon a conservation project. When people view a paintings conservator treating a mural or picture, they often mistaken the activity for creating or painting the work of art.

The process of conserving a work of art is very different since it always starts with a previously completed work of art. The only painting which takes place during the conservation process is called inpainting and is done only to restore areas of the painting which have been damaged or deteriorated.


What is inpainting?
The type of painting which is done in the conservation process is called inpainting. During the inpainting process, losses in the paint and ground layer are filled, leveled, and textured to match surrounding, original layers. Inpaint is applied on the losses, areas of abrasion, and to diminish stains and old restorations (if they are not removed). Inpainting is done only after the original painting has been varnished. This varnish is used to saturate the paint layer and to provide an even gloss surface quality as well as to physically separate the original painting from the inpainting. When done properly, the varnish and the inpainting can be removed during future conservation processes with little or no effect to the remaining original paint layers.


What is the hardest type of repair to make?
Tears in a canvas are extremely difficult to repair. Once ripped, torn, or punctured, a canvas curls and distorts. Tears are mended using one of a variety of techniques, but it is not easy to predict how a particular canvas support will react to treatment. Once repaired, a tear is filled and textured to imitate the original canvas or paint texture. Tears often extend through numerous design elements and colors in a painting, so the process of inpainting can be quite challenging.


Are there some things you cannot fix or will not fix?
At times, we encounter works of art that are terribly damaged and cannot be conserved. The hardest news to give a client is that little can be done to bring a painting closer to its original condition and appearance. We will never alter a painting to make it something it is not.


Do you ever get scared?
A good paintings conservator should handle and treat a $40 painting with the same level of respect and care as the $40 million dollar masterwork. This democratic approach eliminates the fear of the object and the possibility of making careless choices and mistakes.

Although we thoroughly examine each painting before treatment, we periodically encounter condition problems that do not surface until we are well into a treatment. That's kind of scary.


How come you are allowed to touch the painting and I'm not allowed to?
Art Conservators are the only people with license to touch the art! Untrained fingers can easily damage the paint layers or the canvas of a painting. Even hands that appear to be clean may carry a tiny amount of acidic perspiration or may have oils or microscopic dirt particles on them. Over time, these tiny amounts will build up and eventually damage the painting.

Imagine, if you will, that tens of thousands of people came through your home and each was allowed to handle your favorite, special possessions. Within a few months, your possessions would be ruined. A museum is no different except the objects within are of enormous artistic, historic, or cultural value. With your cooperation, we can preserve these works of art that belong to all of us.


Do you ever get bored?
We rarely get bored! There are many, many procedures in paintings conservation that are tedious and repetitive. In the laboratory at the Midwest Art Conservation Center, we usually have several projects under way - when one procedure becomes too trying, we can move on to another. Sometimes, however, a project demands days or weeks of extremely repetitive work. During those times, a lively conversation with a colleague or some good tunes can ease the tedium of the job. Conservators are often thought to be a very patient lot. More accurately, we have a high tolerance for tedious work because we know that every step, no matter how demanding, contributes to the quality of the overall treatment.


How many paintings do you conserve a year?
At the Midwest Art Conservation Center "MACC", housed in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the two paintings conservators treat over 100 paintings each year. Some of these treatments are long and complex, and others are simpler, less time-consuming projects.
See the Conservation and the Museum part of this site for more information.


How is working in the gallery different from your laboratory?
In the Midwest Art Conservation Center paintings lab, we don't have as many visitors. The lab is fitted with much more equipment including an x-ray unit, a large hot table, easels, analytical equipment such as a polarizing microscope, and ultraviolet lights. We also have an office and a library devoted to paintings and conservation.


How often are paintings restored?
Paintings require conservation when damage occurs - accidents, vandalism, disasters. In a museum collection, paintings are monitored and surveyed, and a painting can receive varying degrees of preventative care on a fairly regular basis.

A painting can go unrestored for 100 years or warrant treatment within years of being painted depending upon quality and use of the original materials as well as the way in which the painting was treated over time. In paintings conservation, the individual object dictates the level and extent of intervention.


What other works of art at the Institute have recently been restored?
Joan Gorman and David Marquis have cared for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts' paintings collection for many years. In 1998 alone, they treated over 40 paintings for the MIA's major reinstallation grand opening.

Some of the paintings treated at the Midwest Art Conservation Center:

Six Tuscan Poets by Vasari Chestnut Trees by Paul Cezanne
Japanese Bridge, St. Address, and Still Life with Pheasants by Claude Monet
Boy with Butterfly Net by Henri Matisse
Portrait of Paul Valpincon and Portrait of Mlle. Hortense Valpincon by Edgar Degas
Olive Trees by Vincent Van Gogh
The Fanatics of Tangier by Eugene Delacroix
Young Greeks in a Mosque by Jean-Leon Gerome
Smoke Over Roofs by Fernand Leger
Grand Canal of Venice by Giovanni Canaletto
The Bagpiper and St. Paul's from the Thames by Andre Derain
Deer in the Forest by Gustave Courbet


How are the paintings at the Institute given priority for restoration?
The Institute's painting collection is surveyed for condition on a regular schedule. The decision to treat paintings is made by the curator, Patrick Noon, based on his curatorial priority guided by the information provided by the conservators.


Who can I contact if I have a work of art that needs to be repaired or restored?
The Midwest Art Conservation Center, 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: 612-870-3120, Fax: 612-870-3118
More information on MACC can be found on its website at http://www.preserveart.org.


How should I best take care of the paintings I have at home?
Here are some recommendations that the Midwest Art Conservation Center distributes to people with this concern:

CARE OF OIL PAINTINGS

These notes apply to routine home care of paintings in good condition.

Paintings usually deteriorate slowly. It is normal for a painting to become brittle and crack with age, but home remedies such as "feeding" with oil are futile and often injurious. If there is any doubt about the condition of a painting, or if it has been damaged accidentally, it should be left untouched until it can be examined by a professional conservator. Neglect is less dangerous than inexpert treatment.

Paintings are adversely affected by extremes of humidity. A uniform relative humidity of 50% is recommended. Paintings should be hung away from windows, radiators, and fireplaces. When stored, paintings should have access to some light and air; the use of light dust covers is also advisable.

Caution must always be taken before dusting a painting. Before touching the paint surface, examine it for lifting and insecure paint. If the paint is not firmly attached to the canvas, the mechanical action of dusting may further damage the paint.

Loose dust and dirt can be removed from oil paintings with a soft ox or sable hair brush; a soft lint-free cloth may also be used. Avoid rubbing or placing pressure on the painting when dusting.

No other treatment should be tried at home. Paintings should not be treated, on either the front or back, with any kind of oil, solvents (such as alcohol), soap, water, bread crumbs, raw potatoes or household cleaners. Some of these products may improve the painting's appearance temporarily but can be harmful in inexperienced hands.

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