Fine Art Conservation - The Cleaning Process

[NurseJackie]

Baumgartner Restoration
Published on Nov 9, 2018

Julian Baumgartner of Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration in Chicago documents the process of removing a discolored natural resin varnish from a portrait of twin sisters.

While not meant as an instructional video, Julian discusses some of the approaches to cleaning paintings, why that's necessary, and how one might understand the delicacies and potential issues with such a procedure.

[marble falls]

1. Good stuff. A fairly well paying job, too. Knowing when to stop is the critical talent.

[NurseJackie]

2. I've subscribed to this Youtube channel. He has many excellent videos...

I've subscribed to this Youtube channel. He has many excellent videos that show various types and style and methods of art conservation and restoration. It's the restoration part that I find to be exceedingly fascinating. Like magic (and with lots of skill, patience and expert techniques) a torn canvas is repaired and restored almost invisibly... missing sections are recreated... crumbling canvases are re-lined and reinforced.

I've watched almost all of them. (And in doing so, Youtube is seeing what I'm interested in, and is making good suggestions for other videos that interest me as well.)

[marble falls]

3. This one has my attention, I teach oil painting (next class is in 45 mins) and I am very ...

restoration and cleaning. Good stuff and thanks for the tip and source!

[woodsprite]

4. That's the direction my daughter was going in.

She didn't want to take the additional chemistry (an additional 4 courses after already doing 4 or 5) to go into painting restoration at the Wintherthur Program. Now she's got her undergrad in Art Conservation, has a fine arts minor, and is doing graduate classes in Historic Preservation.

There are not many jobs out there other than internships many unpaid or minimum wage w/ restricted hours) for people with an Art Con undergrad degree.

[Perseus]

5. Thank you

As an artist, I enjoyed this very much. I would never try to restore a painting, but I do admire the techniques they use. I also admire the profession, it takes an enormous amount of patience to do that job well.

[NurseJackie]

6. It's fascinating to watch unfold...

... and then to see the before/after photos. This is especially true whenever I see restored/cleaned paintings from the Old Masters or from Holbein. As a child and even as an adult, I just assumed that the painting style of that age was dark and gloomy because they just didn't have access to bright pigments.

The fellow who made this video has an entire youtube channel with many more restoration videos. I've enjoyed watching them... and I'm glad you did too.