art
Find below the blog posts related to art:
Beauty (and Christmas prize!)
Beauty is around us: in the writing of a manuscript, the clasps of a book, the mark of an etching or the traced lines of a drawing. In this year's Christmas there are masters' works by Albrecht Dürer, Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Sam Cobean, Bruegel, Ramon Casas, an 14th c. manuscript and an Ornithology by Aldrovandi with parchment over stiff boards.
Profession: book and paper conservator
What does a paper conservator do? Whom does she work for? What skills and knowledge does she ought to have? Preservation and conservation, a field linked to science, history and arts and crafts. A video explains what differenciates us from forgers and shows -among other- how we produce a hand-made suction table to restore paper artifacts, with loads of creativity, a feature most necessary to become book and paper conservator.
Retouching, a taboo in paper conservation?
Retouching is among the most sensitive within ethics in conservation since it means to establish the aspect a restored object is expected to have. My opinion is that the looks of an historical object is often as important as its physical-chemical condition, and not intervening provides poor results that might mislead its readability more than a proper intervention. The more we intend to make it as neutral as possible, the least arbitrary, we need to admit that retocuhing requires good taste.
Sōkō conservation for oversized sketches by Sorolla
Sorolla sketches represent the spontaneity, the genius and the creative stage for its own right. Their conservation shares with them this essentiality, the minimal intervention character. The restoration has adopted japanese tools and techniques, a paper conservation at the most eastern style. Or not that utmost, since the Karibari was replaced by a wooden board. Eastern or western, the restoration of the gouache sketches has been truly remarkable, and you'll have to read it to know why.
Course: Inpainting & Loss Compensation on Paper (1rst edition)
Can you match the colour but not the surface texture? [...]
Dürer: From old Europe to Palm Beach
Alligators, palm trees, luxury residences… [...]
The bookbinder’s secret library
Cambras, one of the most popular bookbinders from Barcelona, always welcomes me with a wide smile and a sarcastic look. Smiles turn to laughter when we get down to our issues: -But... you are not pasting the spine of my book with PVA glue, are you?! I ask him while my eye seeks for his secret library...
Posters conservation: virtual inpaint vs “virtuous” retouching
The bike riders from Sants reached my studio squeaking, rather than cycling! Tears, foxing, discolouration, brittleness, acidity... All these damages have been carefully restored in order to let the splendorous riders finish line at the Municipal Archive of Barcelona. They are almost centenarian... and yet they ride wild along the repository! I'll explain which beauty and health treatments these illustrated posters have passed through
Choirbooks, and much more, at the Spanish National Library
Led by Luis Crespo and Arsenio Sanchez, restorerss in the National Library, we visit the fascinating world of book illuminated miniatures, choir books, manuscripts ... Latest technological resources, ancient tradition, and above all their experience and knowledge, allow the recovery of these bibliographic jewels exhibited now at the National Library of Spain.
Touch and “my crumpled ADLAN tracing papers”
How we restorers motivate with crumpled tracing papers, beautiful papers... This restorer is thrilled with "crumpled ADLAN tracing papers" from CoAC archive, which went through my hands some years ago, and invites you to participate in its digitization.
The value of things
Inpainting is the main controversial in a restoration as it demands to set criteria in not at all trivial matters: Meaning, function and unique nature of artefacts.
