ART RESTORATION

Cleaning

Cleaning includes surface dirt removal, varnish removal, and overpaint removal. Cleaning is an attempt to restore the painting to its intended appearance. Solvent mixtures and sometimes mechanical means are used to clean paintings.

Surface dirt is anything that accumulates on the surface of the painting such as: air pollution, cigarette smoke, grease particles, pollen, insect deposits, mold growth, dust etc... Over time these accumulated deposits darken and interfere with the viewing of the painting. Surface dirt that has accumulated directly on the paint layers of an unvarnished painting can be difficult to impossible to remove. It is important to try and protect paintings from these accumulations by hanging and storing paintings in a climate controlled environment. A proper varnish will further protect the painting from surface dirt. Not all paintings were meant to be varnished however. As a consequence, it is even more critical to maintain clean environmental conditions. 

Varnish is a coating intentionally applied to protect the painting and to saturate the colors for viewing. Over time varnish can yellow, become brittle, become dull, flake etc.. These conditions arguably disturb the viewing of the painting. Removal or reduction of the old varnish and reapplication of a fresh varnish can greatly improve appearance.

Overpaint is paint that has been applied to cover damage in a previous restoration campaign. It usually is oil paint and it usually has been applied over damaged and undamaged areas. Oil paint is not a good paint to use for restoration purposes because it is not easily reversible. Removal can present all kinds of problems.

Warning! Cleaning is a very specialized task and should only be done by someone with experience.

---

 

SURFACE DIRT

Cleaning surface dirt from a varnished painting.
Below are a few examples
   

---

Cleaning an unvarnished painting

In this example a water based solution was used to safely remove the surface dirt. The first picture shows the painting before treatment. The lighter strip along the left and top sides was protected from surface deposits by the frame. Picture #2 shows the result of a cleaning trial. This final picture shows the painting after a large area was cleaned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

FLY SPECKS

Fly specks are insect excrement. They can be difficult to remove. Fortunately, in the example below, the varnish layer prevented the specks from permanently damaging the painting and they were cleaned away along with the varnish. Sometimes a scalpel can be used to removed them and if not, they can be touched out with a small brush.

           

---

MOLD AND DUST Etc..
Mold spots

 

 

---

VARNISH REMOVAL
There are many types of varnish from natural resin to modern acrylic. Along with providing a layer of protection against atmospheric dirt and grime, varnish saturates the colors enhancing the subtle nuances of the painting.  This is especially so in darker paintings. Modern varnishes have the characteristics of being non-yellowing and easily removable in mild solvents. Some varnishes even have ultra violet light inhibitors. Varnish can be adjusted to be glossy, matte, or any where in between in order to suit any painting. Some paintings were never intended to be varnished. Unvarnished paintings can be vulnerable to damage from dirt and need to be regularly inspected for trouble.

Below are a few photos depicting the cleaning process.

---

 

 
Varnish removal.

 
Surface dirt, old varnish and overpaint are removed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here stubborn varnish can be seen in the deepest crevices of the painting. This varnish was left from a previous cleaning campaign. Here it is safely being removed at The Oil Painting Conservation Studio.

---

 

OVERPAINT REMOVAL

In many cases, paintings that have been inexpertly restored have thick overpaint covering areas of undamaged paint. In this example the varnish and overpaint are being removed to reveal the undamaged paint.

The original undamaged paint appears white in the first image. The remaining yellowish paint is the overpaint. It appears yellow because the overpaint was matched to the discolored varnish and not to the color of the original paint. After the overpaint and filler are safely removed the actual area of damage is revealed.

 

 

 

 

 

---

UV LIGHT EXAMINATION

With the aid of a black light the varnish layers and previous restoration can be seen.

---

CLEANING WALKTHROUGH

Here is a picture of the painting before the removal of the overpaint and during a small trial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           
Stages of the removal of the overpaint.

---

SIGNATURE / Detail recovery through cleaning

coming soon

---

OLDER RESTORATIONS : Over-cleaning and troubled fills.

   
This painting was damaged by harsh cleaning (skinning). Further, a white spackle was applied over areas of original paint.
 

---

 

Example of 'high-spot-abrasion"

   
Here we can see the result of an previously restored painting with a troubled cleaning, damaged paint layers and crude fills that are now falling apart. Dirt and old varnish remain in the deeper crevices of the painting .