Stručni rad
Cleaning the “Our Lady of Carmel” by Antonio Grapinelli with Pemulen TR-2-based emulsions
Lana Kekez
; Umjetnička akademija Sveučilišta u Splitu, Odsjek za konzervaciju-restauraciju, Split, Hrvatska
Zrinka Lujić
; Hrvatski restauratorski zavod, Restauratorski odjel Split, Split, Hrvatska
Sažetak
An altarpiece depicting Our Lady of Carmel is a work of Antonio Grapinelli, an 18th-century Venetian painter. It was brought to the Croatian Conservation Institute workshop after the roof had collapsed of the Parish Church of St. George in Bobovišće on the island of Brač, causing no direct damage to the painting.
On the painting, traces of two earlier treatments were present, executed at two different times and using different methods, altering its original look. In the first treatment, while cleaning the painting, the binders and the pigments were washed of the paint layer. Homogeneous lighter yellow putty was then applied to the damaged parts of the canvas and the paint layer. A considerable portion of the surface was overpainted with glaze, following the original forms and tonality of the painting, as an attempt to hide the damage done to the paint layer during the cleaning. An exception to this was the zone of the sky which was entirely overpainted in blue oil colour, thereby concealing the original circle of stars around the Virgin’s head. A new, similar ring of stars was painted in approximately the same spot, but somewhat smaller in radius than the original one. The general impression of this treatment is that it was largely executed by respecting the original look of the painting and the author’s painting technique. In the second treatment, all injuries were filled in with grainy structure, ochre-yellow putty. The putty was applied in a thick coat, often even on top of the surface of the original paint layer around the damaged areas, filling in all smaller and larger injuries of the canvas and the paint layer. The putty glued the painting to the back panel in several places. All puttied surfaces were retouched in pastose coats of oil paint, whose tone was out of tune with the original. The zone of the sky was once again overpainted, this time in a thick, pastose coat of oil paint. A thick coat of varnish was then applied over the entire surface of the painting. The general impression of this treatment is that it was executed carelessly, superficially and with little skill, lacking the understanding and the respect for the value of the artwork.
As time went by, a considerable amount of surface dirt had attached to the varnish layer. Their adhesion made it impossible to remove the dirt with the usual cleaning methods, while at the same time it prevented the possibility of removing the varnish without endangering the paint layer. This paper therefore brings an account of how the painting was cleaned from surface impurities, varnish and a part of the overpaint. It details the application of Pemulen TR-2, a material primarily designated for the use in cosmetic industry. The innovativeness in the use of this polymer emulsifier lies in the simplicity of preparation of the water gels and emulsions. As exemplified by the cleaning of the Our Lady of Carmel painting, questions are raised about the possibilities of modifying the workings of gels and emulsions by manipulating pH values, as well as adding chelates and/or tensides. The type of emulsion described here made it possible for the painting to be cleaned by synchronized workings of water, solvents, chelates, tensides and the physical strength of polymers, while at the same time keeping pH values within a range that poses no threat to the original oil painting. The text brings an overview of the cleaning trials performed using solvents, gels and emulsions, along with the instructions for preparing and applying the recipes used. The cleaning treatments using Pemulen TR-2-based emulsions enabled a simple, gradual and controlled removal of impurities and old varnish coats from the Our Lady of Carmel painting, pointing once more to the necessity of continually introducing new materials and methods into the practice of conservation and restoration.
Ključne riječi
Antonio Grapinelli; Venetian painting; 18th century; Our Lady of Carmel; Bobovišće; Brač; conservation and restoration works; Pemulen TR-2; emulsion; pH; chelates; tensides; benzyl-alcohol
Hrčak ID:
106459
URI
Datum izdavanja:
20.12.2012.
Posjeta: 1.283 *