At this point during the conservation process we've come to a major transition.
We've removed and reversed the affects of age and environment, undone the previous work
and taken steps to stabilize the painting for the future.
Yet now we can turn our attention to the image and begin working to ensure that it presents
as well as possible.
Before any more work will be executed an isolation varnish will be applied to the painting.
This conservation varnish will provide a physical barrier between the original painting and
any fill-in and retouching that may be applied.
Even though all of the materials used during this whole process are reversible, the use
of an isolation varnish makes sure that removal process is as easy as can be and that he new
materials never come into contact with the original.
This isolation layer is thinly brushed on and allowed to dry over several days.
This painting was fortunate that it didn't suffer any major trauma and the paint layer
is almost completely present.
Nonetheless there are some small areas of paint loss at the edges.
And while this may not seem like a major issue, particularly as the frame rabbet will likely
cover up to one quarter of an inch of the edge of the painting, discussions with my
client and an understanding of this paintings value both economic and cultural led to the
decision to address any and all losses no mater how small or where they were located.
Some clients and paintings require a minimal approach, others maximal and it's up to the
conservator to align the work performed with the desires of the client.
Using a low-shrinkage gap-filling putty areas of paint loss will be replaced and if necessary
textured to match the surrounding impasto.
Once the putty has dried the overfill or excess will be removed.
Using small cotton swabs and distilled water the medium can be softened and lifted off
the surface.
It's imperative that only the areas of loss are filled, as anything more would be unnecessary
and inappropriate.
This process can require multiple passes as poor preparation at this stage will only yield
poor results during the retouching.
Again, in the case of this painting the fill-in is minimal and as such there isn't much excess
that needs to be removed.
The retouching of paintings is one of the most exciting and frustrating aspects of conservation.
It is at this stage that the conservator will be required, through the application of new
materials in varying methods of employ, to determine how to make the image whole.
There are many differing approaches to retouching with each having benefits and drawbacks.
There are approaches that seek to fully eliminate any evidence of damage, others that seek to
preserve all of the damage and those in the middle that try to achieve a balance of sorts.
Ultimately it's my opinion that there's no perfect method of retouching.
Each painting is unique, each conservator is unique and each client is, well, unique.
Two clients may see the same painting and demand radically different results.
Likewise two conservators may have very firm opinions on the so-called correct approach.
In my experience the only way to resolve these potential issues is by discussing them with
the client and trying to understand their wants and needs and using that as a guiding
principal.
And ultimately as the pigments are archival and reversible if another owner or conservator
wished to take a different approach, my work can be easily removed.
I'm using restuaro paints from the Maimeri company of Italy that contain no oil.
As such they will never oxidize, change color or become permanent.
And while these paints don't act like oil paints, can't be applied with the same ease
of blending and dry very rapidly the process of color mixing is much the same.
There's no secret to matching colors, just years of experience and practice.
Eventually with enough time at the easel one can understand how to mix just about any color
with the available palette.
And just like the fill-in medium it's imperative that only the areas of loss are retouched.
No pigment shall be applied to the original paint layer; only where the paint is missing.
And while much of the work completed thus far was very effective at mitigating the appearance
of the cracks the most prominent and visually distracting ones will be retouched.
With the retouching completed the final varnish can now be applied.
This layer of varnish will allow me to adjust the sheen and appearance of the painting.
Some paintings require more gloss, some require none, and at this stage by controlling the
flow, atomization and distance from the painting varying effects can be achieved.
And because I don't want to disturb the isolation layer or retouching this final varnish will
be applied with an HVLP spray system.
A final check for dust and contamination ensures that the surface is just so.