A paintings restorer is an expert who deals with works of art done on canvas, wood panels and polychromatic objects. The repair of damage caused by pollution, natural ageing or other traumatic events, such as inadeguate or incompetent previous restoration work constitutes the bulk of his or her work. After consulting academie, iconographic and photographic resources, the restorer draws up a restoration plan and only then intervenes on the work of art.
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RESTORATION OF PAINTINGS – 3 hours
Introduction to the restoration of paintings.
Presentation of materials and technics.
Study of works of art in restoration.
Study of materials the painting consists of.
Places Available: Maximum of 25 per course
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RESTORATION OF PAINTINGS AND CANVASES – 5 days
Day 1 Monday – 4 hours
Analyzing the painting.
Presentation of materials and techniques.
Outlines on cleaning paintings on canvas.
Day 2 Tuesday – 4 hours
Preparation of bologna gesso and rabbit skin glue.
Stuccoing the gaps.
Day 3 Wednesday – 4 hours
Plaining the surface with bistouries.
Aspects of painting integration techniques
Day 4 & 5 Thursday/Friday – 4+4 hours
Applying painting integration (chromatic selection and mimetic integration) using various materials such as temperas and colored varnishes
Applying the final varnish.
Participants get to work on authentic 1800’s paintings. |
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AESTHETIC RESTORATION OF PAINTING – WORK PLAN (80 hour programme) s
Introduction to restoration of paintings on canvas and wood panel.
- The materials and the techniques
- Preparation of the filler primer with Bologna gesso and rabbit-skin glue.
- Laying of the fills
- Levelling of the surface with scalpels
- Outline of the in-painting techniques: imitation, chromatic selection and gold selection.
Filling of lacunae in the pictorial surface |
Pictorial restoration |
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STRUCTURAL RESTORATION OF PAINTINGS – WORK PLAN (80 hour programme) s
Introduction to paintings restoration. Treatment planning. Compatibility tests for the materials to be used.
- Facing with japanese rice-paper and others materials
- Removing painting from the stretcher
- Removal of non-original canvas from the back of paintings
- Removal of patches and old glues from the back side of paintings
- Patching technique (using old canvas similar to the original)
- Repair of cuts and rips
- Consolidation of ground and pictorial layers with the aid of synthetic and animalglues, and vacuum envelopes
- Preparation of “Florentine Glue Paste”
- Various techniques for stretching the relining canvas
- Application of new canvas backing by ironing and by vacuum sealing.
- Restretching canvas with two-way expanders
Patching technique (using old canvas) |
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STRUCTURAL RESTORATION OF PAINTINGS – WORK PLAN (320 hour programme)
Following the 80 hour introductory course, the programme continues as follows: restoration materials and techniques; analysis of the materials of the painting; importance of the paintings enviroment; observations on the construction method of the stretcher frame, the materials used, function and conservation. Xylophagous insect attacks. Inscriptions and labels.
- Detailed analysis of the characteristics of the original canvas
- Identification of textile fibre (natural and synthetic)
- Fabric structure
- Analysis of marks/stains
- Kinds of stitching (whipstitch and finstitch)
- Study of inserts, cuts, rips, tears and holes
- Patches, materials used in prevoius restorations
- Deformations: sagging, lumps, distortions, burns
- Strip lining
- Consolidation of colour while the painting is in tension
- Craquelure: description, types, causes
- Improvement of the pictorial surface with painting in traction, using manual and vacuum methods
 Consolidation of a painting through vacuum sealing |
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