Why are paintings by Reynolds so difficult to clean? | Art Restoration | National Gallery
553,053
Published 2022-03-02
Get a closer look at the painting on our website:
www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/sir-joshua-re…
Find out more about artist Sir Joshua Reynolds:
www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/sir-joshua-reyn…
00:00-00:34 Introduction
00:35-01:36 What is the story in this painting?
01:37-02:53 Reynolds' experimental style of painting
02:54-05:45 How do we clean this difficult picture?
05:46-05:59 Outro
🎞 Subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss a video: bit.ly/1HrNTFd
Follow us on social media!
⭐️ Facebook ⭐️
en-gb.facebook.com/thenationalgallery/
⭐️ Twitter ⭐️
twitter.com/NationalGallery
⭐️ Instagram ⭐️
instagram.com/nationalgallery
⭐️ TikTok ⭐️
www.tiktok.com/@nationalgallerylondon
Help keep the museum accessible for everyone by supporting us here: www.nationalgallery.org.uk/support-us
The National Gallery houses the national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. The museum is free of charge and open 361 days per year, daily between 10.00 am - 6.00 pm and on Fridays between 10.00 am - 9.00 pm.
Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN
www.nationalgallery.org.uk/
All Comments (21)
-
So basically, conservators are chemists and historians in one. Absolutely talented
-
I'd love to see the restoration/conservation in its entirety! I enjoy Julian Baumgartner's conservation videos, and it would be interesting to see how his processes differ from yours.
-
I'm so glad we have people like Hayley. It's because of people like her the rest of us have the chance to experience and enjoy our history.
-
Very clear and informative. Forgive a military pedant, but Captain Orme was carrying a despatch about GENERAL Braddock’s defeat and death.
-
Cleaning paintings has always been a subject of interest to me because it seems so delicate and difficult to do without damaging the original artwork. I'm in awe of Hayley's expertise. Thank you for sharing this.
-
I have a copy of this portrait; Capt. Orme and I share a great-grandfather, Col. Ninian Beall, and so I felt compelled to commemorate him by adding him to my collection! It’s large, but not this large. Thanks for all you do to preserve these beautiful works of art.
-
One marvels at such knowledge, both of an acknowledged master and the methods needed to preserve his masterpieces. I am full of wonder.
-
I love her clear and calm way to deliver informations, it was very interesting and relaxing at the same time!
-
The visuals of the fluorescence are very helpful
-
One of the clearest explanations (visuals and their insertion) I have seen in a long time.
-
Thank you Hayley for taking the time to clearly explain the conservation process and challenges presented to the conservator.
-
Is there a way to determine if the varnish sandwiched between paint layers is actually between original paint layers? Could it be that the varnish boundary is the original paint layer, and the paint above it was added later to "improve" the painting by conservators? How would you make that distinction?
-
I had a similar situation with a painting where we found that a mixture of 20% acetone with 80% MEK worked quite well, without leaving any residue nor affecting the pictorial image. However, we did have to swell the top varnish layer, leave it to dry and then come back at it again just to be cautious of the resins that were found inside the paint layer. Hope it all works out with this piece!
-
I loved how the information was presented in this video, very clear and easy to understand. Great as always!
-
As someone who has a degree in painting and was considering studying art conservation before settling on fine arts, I both appreciate this explanation of the process, and the fact that whenever you're wearing the magnifying glasses and talking to the camera you lean your head back like you're just a totally chill dude-bro. Not at all the intentional vibe of the rest of the content, but aesthetically I enjoy the juxtaposition of themes.
-
What a fascinating job this must be.
-
Excited to see how this painting's restoration progresses!
-
Amazing the amount of chemistry that an art conserbator needs to know. :)
-
As ever, fascinating. Brings an over-familiar work into a new context.
-
absolutely fascinating. I had no idea of the history of varnishes and how different they were. Excellent video and very educational, thank you.
