Rescuing a Faceless Painting: A Restoration Journey

💪Restoring a faceless painting requires extensive work to address various issues, such as tears, paint loss, and retouching.

🔎Researching similar paintings helps conservators recreate a missing face in a way that fits the painting's style and narrative.

🧩Removing the deteriorated lining is a delicate process that requires patience and precision to avoid damaging the fragile canvas.

💦We use fish gelatin adhesive to bond Japanese paper to the painting's surface, protecting and stabilizing the paint layer during treatments.

🔪Manual removal of adhesive is necessary when solvents are ineffective, ensuring a clean canvas for future restoration steps.

Why did you decide to restore a faceless painting?

—The painting holds significant historical and artistic value, and restoring it allows us to bring its story back to life.

What challenges do you face when restoring a faceless painting?

—Addressing various issues like tears, paint loss, and reconstructing a missing face require expertise, research, and artistic interpretation.

How do you recreate a missing face in a painting?

—By researching similar paintings from the same time period and using them as a reference, we can recreate a face that fits the painting's style and narrative.

What techniques do you use to protect and stabilize the paint layer?

—We use fish gelatin adhesive and Japanese paper to create a protective layer that prevents further deterioration during treatments.

What is the process of manual adhesive removal like?

—It requires patience and precision, using scalpels and other tools to carefully scrape off the adhesive, ensuring a clean canvas for restoration.

00:00Introduction to the faceless painting and the challenges it poses.

03:05Discussion on the need for a facelift and the importance of getting the expression right.

06:39Explanation of the process of facing the painting to protect and stabilize it during restoration.

09:30Removal of the deteriorated lining, emphasizing the cautious approach to prevent damage to the fragile canvas.

11:00Manual removal of adhesive using scalpels and other tools, ensuring a clean canvas for future restoration.