| Different Variations of Art Restoration |
| There are many different variations of Art Restoration. They range from the careful and painstaking recreation of a Masterpiece to the fixing of a torn family oil painting.Art restoration differs to some degree from art conservation although they are very much alike in their appreciation of art and their desire that it be enjoyed. The different variations of art restoration are more concerned in restoring art to what is called a pristine condition, but really refers to making it appear as it did when it was first completed. When art restoration is done as part of art conservation, it would be a much more difficult process involving the matching of the original pigments and binders to the most similar substances still available today.
Another type of art restoration involves simply cleaning of art. Many works of art have not been damaged per se, but have an accumulation of debris and grime often imbedded in the protective varnish layers over the art. This debris seriously impairs the viewability of the work, but if done carefully and professionally can be removed. A cleaned painting, for example, would very much resemble the original condition. So, the cleaning process is a definite type of restoration. More complete restoration is required when the ravages of time have caused fading to a degree that the work of art has lost all of its visual appeal and now exists only as a historic artifact. This is the most detailed and painstaking type of art restoration. It involves the use of scientific methods to determine the materials and techniques used in the originals. When this is determined, the work can be restored using material giving as close a match as possible. It is the intent of the classic art restoration to bring it back to how it was and not to make any attempts to alter or improve it. The idea of reversibility is very important in fine art restoration. It means that the procedures used in the restoration process do not permanently alter the work or destroy its historical value. All art does not have such historic value as to render it in need of complete reversibility. This type of art restoration is more concerned with the appearance of art today and reversibility is not an important consideration. This would involve the repair of torn or damaged paintings that have value mostly for their visual appeal and not their historic value. Art restoration is not limited to only paintings on canvass. Sculptor and even certain variations of jewelry are considered to be art as well and require the same type of restoration concepts as paintings. Cleaning, repairing, and protecting are the three trademarks of art restoration. It can be done very painstakingly to preserve a treasure or with remarkable skill to make the painting in the living room more enjoyable today. It is all under the heading of art restoration. |
