The Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s infamous interior paintings of the Old Testament across large vaulted ceilings, strikes its magnificence to all who walk in. However, the admiration it receives from visitors brings its natural enemies: dirt. In efforts to combat the filth, the Vatican Museum schedules “restorations” to uncover the artistry Michelangelo wanted to achieve. Similar to the Sistine Chapel, all art pieces have their fair share of damage such as tears, chipped off paint, or broken frames. In hours of observing conservation artists dealing with a variety of crippled paintings, it was apparent that conservation is more of a science rather than an art.
The intention of art conservation is to preserve most of the original content while improving the condition of the piece through these long, extensive processes which involve examination, treatment and restoration, and preventive conservation. The examination is an assessment on the condition of the artwork which will aid in identifying specific materials needed to be used during the conservation process. The artist needs to make decisions based on the chemical properties of the paint material or the type of fabric used for the canvas. The artist also needs to be aware of any uneven cleaning, varnishes, repairs, and retouches.
The treatment can be credited as the “magic” in the art conservation realm. During this stage, the grime once ingrained onto the surfaces is lifted off and the brightness and saturation returns to the piece. Patches of paint that have disappeared are also replaced but never overpainted in order to allow the integrity of the painting shine. Lastly, the preventive conservation part involves reducing the deterioration for art objects, collections, and structures.
These artists need to constantly battle with their own artistic competence and recognize that they have a responsibility to limit inpassing the intent of the original painting. They need to provide accurate judgement onto the painting for prolonged periods of time to ensure that nothing will go wrong. It’s unique in that its job requires no personal creativity but more analytical observations.
If you have the fortunate chance of basking in the morning sun coming from the arched windows while looking up at the Creation of Adam at the Sistine Chapel, make sure to send a quick thanks to those who made the piece alive and well.