"Every Good Painting Cracks"
Art and climate in Southeast Asia
Art lovers know the old saying: every good painting cracks. They accept the fine cracks on the surface as a natural part of the painting. However, when a painting is exposed to extreme temperature changes, damage occurs which goes beyond the inevitable cracking of age.
In Southeast Asia the climate exerts an especially large strain on works of art. The warm damp weather ages the paintings quicker than in more moderate climates. Canvasses become brittle, bindings corrode and acrylic paint dries out. Once the painting is damaged, fungi and micro-organisms have a field day. A rapid decline follows. At the Renate Kant studio for conservation and restoration we have developed a special Art Care Program which enables friends of art in Southeast Asia, despite the unfavorable climatic conditions, to care for their paintings, maintain them and protect them from harm.
Restoration as reflected by time
The history of restoration is as old as that of art itself. Even in the Renaissance, painters and sculptors endeavored to restore damaged works of art. For them, restoration was a creative act. They had nothing against embellishing paintings and sculptures according to contemporary tastes and in covering old layers of paint with new coloring, a practice which horrified art historians in the 19th century. They removed everything which appeared not to be genuine in style, and restored buildings, sculptures and paintings in what they thought was the sense of the original.
Today, such changes and additions are seen as unacceptable, for at the end of such interventions is an imitation, the original work is lost. Our highest goal is to maintain the original. Through careful measures we bring out the beauty and artistic content of a painting again without wiping away the traces of history.
Conservation: the future is ours to decide
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s conviction that "it is better to let there be some uncleanness than to come too near to the paintings with caustic substances“, still holds true, for we know today that the cause of many cases of damage is early restoration mistakes.
At the Renate Kant studio for conservation and restoration we proceed as carefully as possible. With utmost precaution paintings are consolidated only if they are physically unstable, cleaned, and missing areas are infilled and retouched with reversible media. For us, interventive conservation is not a beautification. To conserve a painting means to protect and stabilize the original with the absolute minimum of intrusion. Our client receives, upon completion, a detailed text and photo documentation of the measures undertaken.
Major factors that cause damage to paintings
Preventive conservation can reduce the impact of the following common damages to paintings:
• fading and mould which disfigure
• cracks, tears, flaking paint and distortions which deform and
weaken
• light damage which changes the surface
• insects and rodents which soil
• pollution which soils surfaces
• varnish which yellows with age
• ignorance and human neglect
• unprofessional conservation or handling which can have severe and
often irreversible
• stress impacts
Natural sciences and new technology
Love of detail, a sure hand and endless patience are a must for our work. Good conservators are not just masters of their craft; they also know the scientific background of their profession.
When we conserve a work of art we proceed like a doctor treating a patient. First we make a precise examination. The damage is researched and documented. Then we analyze which materials the artist used, so that we can match our curative measures precisely to them. Efficient specialized microscopes are an important help in this process.
There are cases which require more throughout examination: analysis of binding agents and pigment, or x-rays and computer tomography. Our long-standing contacts with European research laboratories guarantee that such tasks are expertly and precisely executed.
Increase in value through conservation and care
Ever since there have been paintings people have enjoyed them. But Goethe already described how dirt and external damage can spoil the beauty of a painting: "for, of course, as soon as a painting has suffered in this way, our enjoyment is immediately spoiled".
Not only is the idealistic and historic value of the painting reduced, but the material loss is also considerable. Well conserved and professionally restored paintings gain much higher prices on the market than damaged canvasses.
This is one reason why more and more art dealers and collectors seek our advice: they have realized that proper treatment of paintings also pays financially.
Unprofessional intervention to secure damages of canvas
Removal of acidic backing
Severe fungus infestation, partially treated
Chinese Artist unsigned: Title: Lady With Pipe, oil on canvas
UV-light examination of overpainted sections
Artist: Katz Title: Miss Mary, 1954, Museum Emden Germany, oil on canvas after conservation and restoration
