restoration

Posts tagged
with restoration

Art History

Watch as a 17th Century Portrait Emerges From 200 Years of Discolored Varnish

Art historian, dealer, and BBC television host Philip Mould recently posted a video to his Twitter that reveals a gleaming 17th century painting hiding underneath two centuries of yellowed varnish. The protective finish is applied to protect paintings from wear, but over time will begin to discolor. In the short video Mould gently paints a solvent to remove this layer from the work’s surface, slowly brushing it away in circular strokes.

The only details known about the mysterious lady in red is from an inscription on the painting that notes she was 36 when the work was completed in 1618. You can watch Mould remove the last bits of varnish from the subject’s face in the short clip below, and follow more of his painting adventures on Twitter. (via Twisted Sifter)

Photography

Timelapse Video of a Damaged Black & White Portrait Restored and Colorized by Joaquin Villaverde

From friends who are digital artists, retouchers, or illustrators, I sometimes hear stories of clients who suggest projects should go faster or simply cost less because the software “does it all for you.” While the tools are indeed more efficient and impressive with each new Photoshop or Illustrator release, the skill required to master those tools is still substantial. Case in point, this new time-lapse from Argentinian photographer and retoucher Joaquin Villaverde who demonstrates his Photoshop abilities by giving new life to a severely damaged black and white portrait of a girl. The clip shows two hours of work condensed into three minutes. (via PetaPixel)

Art History

The Meticulous 10-Month Restoration of a 355-Year-Old Painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Completed in 1660, Charles Le Brun’s painting of Everhard Jabach and His Family had seen better days. The 355-year-old family portrait was covered in a badly tinted varnish, had multiple superficial scratches and structural damage had split the painting nearly in half. This video documents the 10-month restoration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art lead by Michael Gallagher that involved retouching, structural work, re-varnishing, and numerous other conservation techniques to bring this giant painting back to life. The Met also documented the process in some 20+ blog posts over on their website. (via Sploid)