In Part 2, I move on to several important stages in the conservation of this 150-year-old painting, which had suffered extensive water damage.
This part focuses on removing the old varnish, preparing the material for a new protective coating, and finally applying the new varnish to the painting.
Removing aged varnish is one of the most revealing stages of painting restoration. Over time, varnish can become yellow, dark, cloudy, or uneven, changing the appearance of the original colors and hiding details beneath its surface. Carefully removing it allows the original paint layer to become visible again.
After cleaning, the painting is prepared for a new protective layer. The varnish application helps protect the original paint and prepares the surface for the next stages of conservation and restoration.
This painting has already revealed traces of its difficult past, including damage caused by water and prolonged exposure to moisture. But the restoration is far from finished.
In the next stages, more of the painting's original appearance will gradually emerge.
Watch Part 1 to see how the restoration began, and subscribe to follow the next chapter of this painting's journey.
Hi everyone! Today I'm finally going to show you the second part of the restoration video
of a painting featuring a little boy. As I mentioned in the previous video the painting
came to me in a very poor condition and we left off at the point where I was removing
the temporary protective facing so I could move on to the next stage of the treatment.
The protective facing did a good job of stabilizing the paint layer keeping it from
moving and securing it to the canvas. Now we can move on to cleaning the painting.
Make sure to subscribe if you'd like to discover more interesting details about art restoration
and much more. The painting is cleaned using a specially selected cleaning solution that
doesn't harm the paint or damage the oil painting while effectively removing the yellow wet varnish.
Let me give you a little spoiler. New problems come to light during the restoration
which I'll probably tell you about in the next video and it took me quite a lot of time to come
up with a solution for them. But that's not what this video is about. Now comes the long and
meditative process of cleaning the painting and removing the old dirty varnish.
And while my hands are busy my mind has room for all kinds of interesting thoughts and
observations. I'd like to share one with you that I came to many years ago. Unfortunately
like so many good insights I don't put it into practice nearly as often as I should.
Here what I've noticed. It's already the end of August and it feels as though summer never really
happened. It just flew by in a single day. I can't think of enough events that would make the summer
feel substantial, full and memorable. I remember realizing many years ago that if you want a day
to stay in your memory, if you want a certain period of time without anything at all to leave
a lasting impression you simply need to become a very attentive person. You need to become like a
child. Because for children they seem to last forever. Why? Because they are constantly in the
process of discovering the world. They pay attention to absolutely everything they do
and everything they encounter. And that is exactly what helped them
fill their days and make them seem endlessly alone. Instead of simply walking past a tree
in the garden you can stop and look closely at every leaf, the way it grows, the veins running
through it. You can stop and look carefully at the clouds, give them shapes, watch them for a while
and let yourself be amazed. Actually, amazement is a wonderful thing. I think it's precisely
what has the power to stop time. To be amazed by dry grass, by a sound coming from the street
next door, by a smell drifting from a neighboring house. Amazement is a kind of key to the present
moment. To that moment when the present truly acquires weight. Because the present eventually
becomes the past and the attention we give it turns into beautiful pleasant memories.
So, in short, be amazed, be curious and remember each of your days.
you
