Oil Painting Restoration and Conservation

The restoration of paintings is generally a serious business, more paintings get ruined by
enthusiastic, careless restoration, than by fire. Restoration refers to the removal of surface dirt
and discoloured varnish layers, the treatment of the support (canvas/wood/paper), the
replacement of missing portions imitating the original by the sympathetic use of similar
pigments, or building up fragments of sculpted or moulded areas of an artwork.

Treatment techniques and Steps of restoration oil painting

Oil painting, as we now know it, was fully developed by the 15th century, arguably defined by
the work of Jan Van Eyck. Painting conservation treatment first undergoes a condition
assessment to chart their state of conservation. Analytical tools such as ultraviolet and infrared
photography, x-radiography, and multi-spectral imaging are routinely utilized.

 Deframing
 Cleaning
 Removing Foxing
 Light Cleaning
 Medium Cleaning
 Removing the Varnish
 Flaking
 Tears & Holes
 Transfer to New Canvas or Board
 Revarnishing

Painting Conservation, Step by Step

Some people call conservators the "magicians" of the art world

Oftentimes, the colors of older paintings have a brown and yellow tint caused by an organic
varnish that has yellowed with the passage of time. Such tints can become so opaque that no
true color or depth of background is visible, making the actual painting seem to have almost
disappeared. When this happens to a painting, a restoration, conducted by a trained
conservator, should be considered.

Many people think conservators are the “"magicians" of the art world. They are actually trained
art historians, chemists and materials scientists, and they combine these areas of knowledge
with the manual dexterity and color sense of a skilled artist. A good painting restorer or
conservator must be as talented as the original artist if his or her handiwork isn't to leap out at
the viewer as a clumsy repainting of the original art.
To follow is a description of the painting restoration process that highlights the details a
conservator must examine and the types of information he or she should be knowledgeable
of when restoring a work of art.

The Restoration Process

Upon receiving a work that needs restoring, a conservator should examine the work, making
note of the signature to identify the artist. Trained as an art historian, a conservator should be
aware of the style of that period, the painting technique, and the materials available to an artist
of that time. This knowledge will help the conservator identify the pigments and fabrics that
were popular and available to the artist and help him or her determine the best approach for
the restoration.

Conservators will often remove the frame and look under the “tacking” edge (a thin area hidden
beneath the edge of the frame) to uncover pigments that are light and clear. This helps a
conservator see the true color scheme.

A conservator will often continue examining a painting with the aid of an ultraviolet light, noting
a greenish or blueish fluorescence on the surface of the painting. Trained in chemistry, the
professional conservator knows that resinous, organic varnish, like Damar or Shellac, creates
such colored luminosity when subjected to incident light or other electromagnetic radiations of
shorter wavelength, especially violet and ultraviolet light.

If a layer of varnish is discovered, a conservator will perform a small cleaning test to remove
it. Using a solvent on a cotton swab, a conservator gently rubs open a window, displaying the
true color beneath. This will help the color palette used by the artist become apparent. The
whites are white, the blues are blue. And so it continues as each pigment reacts to the
solvents—— different solvents in different strengths with different rates of evaporation.

A conservator continues this complicated process, examining with a magnifying glass and a
microscope, using different lights, making notes and taking photographs at each stage to
carefully document every part of the restoration.

An oil painting is composed of multiple layers of pigments suspended in medium (oil and
turpentine). Regardless of its subject, a painting is simply a created illusion, striving to depict
three-dimensional reality on a two-dimensional surface. All of pictorial art history is simply a
studied investigation of ways to create depth, air and space. And, as with any illusion, these
methods are extraordinarily fragile and subtle. It is with these that the artist claims virtuoso
skill.

Wearing a jeweler’s head-mounted visor, a conservator carefully removes each layer of

varnish and then washes the area with a "retarding" solvent to remove any residual solvent
and reveal the underlying image. No pigment is removed or abraded. This delicate work
progresses slowly and incrementally, stroke by stroke, each viewed under a magnifying lens.
As the old layers of varnish and dirt are removed, the painting slowly begins to appear.

This is not magic but a meticulous chemical process performed by a trained and steady hand
accompanied by a highly educated and experienced eye. A conservator's training and care
insure that the solvent does not go too far, either removing the original pigment or chemically
burning the surface. There is no margin for error since any loss of pigment is irrevocable.

Slowly, the work continues until all the varnish is removed. The three-dimensional illusion not
only remains intact but comes alive.

A conservator, trained in material science, also can address a painting’s structural problems.
Conservators will often remove the painting from its stretcher and cover the front with a
protective “facing” composed of wet paper and emulsion. This protects the surface while he
or she uses a surgeon’s scalpel to carefully remove years of dirt and grime from the back of
the canvas.

..........

Any material used to repair or strengthen the canvas must be both chemically compatible and
reversible: that is, any material used on a work of art must be able to be removed without
harming or discoloring the original paint.
Finally, a conservator will remove residual adhesive and restretch the painting onto a new
museum-quality stretcher. Once this is complete, the conservator is ready to repaint.

The conservator, with the hand of a trained artist, brushes a synthetic, nonyellowing,
removable varnish over the face of the painting. This is called an “isolating varnish,” because
it separates the original painting from any paint that will be added to reconstruct the design.
Dry pigments are used in synthetic, nonyellowing medium, and paint is used in areas of color
loss, using exactly the same colors, texture and surface sheen of the surrounding areas. The
principle here is that the conservator’s paint should only touch areas of actual paint loss and
should never overlap undamaged original paint.

This demanding work is done under the jeweler’s visor using a pointillist technique and tiny
sable 00 or 000 brushes. Once this "in painting" is finished, a conservator will brush on one
final coat of protective varnish.

When these steps are complete, the painting has been restored. It is no longer fragile. The
colors are vivid and alive, revealing the artist’s original vision. All materials used in the
restoration are noninvasive and can easily be removed without endangering paint layers or
affecting the work in any way. The painting can be enjoyed for years to come.

Art Care Tips

As an advocate for preservation, a conservator should inform clients of techniques for

preventing damage to their art. Here are a few basic guidelines:

1. Paintings should be framed with new and secure hardware and hanging materials.
2. A nonacidic backing board should be attached to the reverse of the stretcher to protect
the painting against puncture.
3. A painting should be hung on an appropriate wall in a stable environment—never over
a fireplace or air duct, and not on an exterior wall or in direct sunlight.
4. A painting should be examined periodically by a professional to ensure its continued
beauty and its preservation against the ravages of time.