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There are many reasons why paintings need to be restored. Paintings are made to last as long as they can, but if they're not preserved properly, they can easily become ruined with time.
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Some of the main culprits are humidity and temperature (either too high or too low), too much light (which will fade the paint), pollutants or chemicals that have a reaction with the paint, and accidents or pests.
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Art restoration is a slow process that must be done with extreme care. Each painting and the materials used for it are unique, so the restoration must be specific for each artwork.
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One of the most common ways a painting becomes dark, discolored and dull is from old varnish.
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Varnish is applied to a painting anytime after it was painted, and has an effect of making the painting look crisper: dark colors are darker, light colors are lighter, and everything is clearer.
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Varnish also protects the painting from any potential damage, but there is a catch: the varnish darkens over time. As you can see above, the actual color of the painting is completely different to the yellow color of the varnish.
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Another issue that paintings face is mold. If left with mold on it for too long, a painting can be ruined by the mold.
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Often, a painting will be so damaged that the art restorer won't have any idea what the painting originally looks like. But this is why not just anyone can become an art restorer: they are required to have a deep understanding of art history.
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An art restorer should have an innate understanding of the style of art that the damaged painting comes from: what colors were used, the style of painting techniques, and what the subject of the painting was painted like.
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Assessing the original painting can involve X-rays, which show the art restorer how long the painting took and whether there are any layers underneath.
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Then, infrared imaging is used to assess the loss of paint and the layers on top of the painting.
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After the art restorer has an idea of what the painting should look like, they start removing the layers of discolored varnish with an appropriate solvent mixture. Then, any parts that were damaged are re-painted.
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Sometimes, as in the painting above, an original painting has a second layer painted on top of it. This painting 'Christ' by Jan Van Hemessen (16th century) was too provocative for the audiences of the time, and a layer of clothing was painted above it. After being restored, we are able to see the original painting again.
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There is a science behind art restoration, and it takes a huge amount of patience and skill. Let's not forget all the awesome art restorers that don't botch paintings!
14 Photos of Restored Paintings that Weren't Botched
We've all seen photos of restored paintings that got botched, giving art restorers around the world a bad name. But we should remember that most of the time, art restoration doesn't end up grossly disfiguring the artwork it once was. And to remind you of that, here are 14 photos of paintings before and after restoration - that actually look better after being restored. It's really not that much to ask. Is it?
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