Art
conservation is all about preserving the cultural heritage inherent in works of
art while also adapting to the challenges posed by the environment, time and
human interaction. In essence, it involves keeping artworks intact so they can
be enjoyed by future generations. Art conservation techniques have been used
for centuries, changing through the decades, with the aim of safeguarding the
artistic treasures of the world.
Early Art Conservation
Methodologies
While art conservation began as
something of a rudimentary process, typically limited to efforts to clean and
repair work, this nonetheless laid the groundwork for future techniques. For
example, the ancient Egyptians used natural substances, such as resins and
beeswax, to protect their sculptures and murals.
Moving
ahead to the Renaissance, a more systematic approach to art conservation began
to emerge, with both collectors and artists recognising the value of preserving
art for generations to come. Retouching and varnishing gained prominence, while
artists including Michaelangelo and da Vinci were known for their interest in
experimenting with different materials to help ensure their masterpieces would
stand the test of time.
Nineteenth and Twentieth Century
Innovations
Specialised
expertise and techniques in art conservation came to the fore throughout the 19th
century, with scientific advancements playing a key part in this. For example,
the development of chemical analysis processes could now help conservators
identify the different materials and pigments used by artists.
The
20th century saw huge changes in the world of art conservation, with
technological innovations and scientific principles now becoming increasingly
integrated into the practice. Synthetic adhesives, infrared imaging and X-rays
all became available as tools, with the former providing reversible and more stable
solutions for structural repairs and the latter used to reveal hidden
alterations and layers in artworks.
What is the Difference Between Art
Conservation and Restoration?
Broadly,
restoration is about making an artwork look new again, or as close to new as
possible, while conservation is about handling art as a historical piece.
Experienced conservators like Jeremy Casson, who runs
his own practice, knows that a good conservator is able to understand the
artist’s original intention and ensure that their own restoration work isn’t
obviously visible. For more information about the work of a conservator, take a
look at the embedded PDF.
An
awareness of the need to think about artworks and their conservation on a
case-by-case basis is partly the result of theoretical studies in the field of
art conservation and is known as a casuistic approach. Subsequently, research
projects emerged with the aim of creating frameworks to be used as a basis for
analysis.
