Art Restoration Fail - Epilogue

This epilogue video has been made public thanks to my Patreon subscribers who not only enjoy ad and sponsor free videos a day early, but the ability to ask questions and have them answered in epilogue videos. It's one of the really cool things that's come about from making these videos and I've learned a ton from answering questions and having to audit my own thinking. Fascinating dialogues and conversations have broken out amongst them and it's pretty amazing to watch!
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00:56 - Did the owner know just how bad the old work was?
03:09 - Would x-ray or infrared imaging been useful to see through the overpaint to the original paint layer?
05:20 - Did the paintings not have a varnish layer, and isolation layer or anything separating the original work from the new work?
07:05 - What was the discoloration on the reverse of the painting around the face?
08:12 - Why couldn’t an eraser have been used to remove the adhesive?
10:08 - Talk about solvent exposure and how it’s not great for you.
11:21 - What would you have done if you couldn’t remove the signature form the back of the canvas?
13:05 - Talk about the decision to blur out the name of the previous conservator.
14:24 - Two questions: did the owner have to pay for the old work? And, did you reach out to the previous practitioner?
17:07 - On to the front: how did it get like that, how did I know it could be fixed and a few musings on challenges and creativity.
19:48 - WHY no x-ray and what was it like revealing the painting from under all that overpaint?
21:32 - Have you ever found a piece so damaged that recreating parts of the image were necessary?
23:16 - Talk about that twist at the end with a second portrait.
24:01 - Any advice on how to find a good conservator so to avoid disasters?
26:46 - Bye!!
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[BaumgartnerRestoration]

Hey friends, thanks for catching the error I made in not blurring out the name for this epilogue video. I've since corrected it and I really hope that everyone will be kind and let sleeping dogs lie. No reason to get into the mud.

[lionvader]

Julian is so far ahead in this profession with his skills, my dude is already living in 2028

[andrewwatson_]

Julian's Patreon subscribers are definitely Tacks not Staples...

[skippymagrue]

A lady came into the quilt shop where I worked and had two poorly made Tshirt quilts she had paid $3, 000 for. She was sick and couldn't do anything about with the maker because they were family. They hadn't quilted them, which is what she paid for, and it was my privilege to finished them for her and put a memorial patch on them over the maker's signature for the ladies brother who had died and who's shirts they were. They turned out beautifully and we charged her the minimum. She was so happy!

[tenneluna]

I'm spanish. I remember the whole Ecce Homo fiasco, which happened due to a lack of funds and a small church entursting this artwork to whoever offered themselves to "restore it" for cheap or for free. After it went horribly wrong, the old lady that restored it was publicly mocked for her efforts and had panic attacks for weeks.

I believe in not shaming the author of the restoration, if he signed it too he truly believed he did good work. We don't know if it was narcissism or just ignorance; people found he was an artist after all, not a restorer, and things that are commonpractice with artists (signing work) they may not know it's a big no in restoration.

In Spain no one blames the old lady for Ecce Homo. We constantly suffer from terribly botched restorations and it's because most of our city halls find no value in culture and preservation, so there is no budget for such things and a lot of ignorance and wanting something cheap over something legitimate. It is the owner of the piece who has the responsability to preserve it well by entrusting it to a professional RESTORER, not an artist, not a grandma; it doesn't matter if those people thought they were up to the task. Yes, the artist should have declined, but people who don't do a certain work often think it is easy and they could do it as well due to ignorance.

I studied an art degree and restoration was an entirely different degree even if imparted in the same building. Artists who have 0 knowledge of restoration should not overstep their boundaries and take in this kind of work nor should they be commissioned ever with restoration tasks to begin with, no matter if they work well in their own paintings.

People going out of their way to doxx the guy like he did something evil are doing too much and reminding me of that poor old lady who didn't know any better and just did her best.

[JustAnInconspicuoussCat]

Thank you Patreon subscribers and Julian! You are all washi kozo, the exceptionally strong and reliable people that help hold this channel together when the hard work needs to be done!

[nerdgarage]

Your comments regarding how you handled the signature and about the client having to pay for the original, uh, disaster are exactly why many of us love watching you. It's not just the work, which is awsome to watch, and to hear the explanations, but it's also the man behind that work, and his principles.

[violetsnotroses]

This reminds me of the time I had the privilege of seeing Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Slaying Holofernes (1612). The museum docent giving the tour said that scans showed some pretty significant overpainting on the subjects’ faces that couldn’t be removed because it was so old, and that the overpainter had likely softened the women’s features so they looked less harsh or angry. It still bothers me that we’ll never really see what Gentileschi herself intended.

[noatomics]

6:49 can you see the botched over paint on his shirt, his shoulder lost nearly all of the intricate decorations

[favouritemoon]

Many thanks to Julian's Patreon subscribers [and Julian, of course!].

[mettemettrixx]

Patreons; I cannot support BR financially right now, but as so many other people in here, I am very greatful that you help Julian to keep filming. We are so very many people that appreciate both his work ethics, results and general philosophy. Thanks again and have a really brilliant autumn from Mette in Norway:)

[unavailable]

I admit when I saw the painting in the video it did not look like a restauration at all, to me it just looked like a rather bad painting (and given that everything was overpainted I was not really wrong). It was all the more gratifying to see that there was beauty underneath.

[gregmunro]

I am so happy that we were allowed to hear the epilogue. It answered many questions . For the ‘artist’ that did the ‘conservation ‘- could they be sued for damages? ( especially if they aren’t qualified) ?

[richglenn]

So many times I’ve looked at a painting you were about to restore and thought to myself that there was no possible way…. Yet you always come through like the pro you are.

[tinyrobot]

Those paintings were so badly restored that even me, someone that doesn't resonate with painted art at all, could immediately tell that something was off. Really strong video.

[SuzanneBaruch]

Shana tova, Julian! I think you did the right thing by blocking the "conservator's" signature on the back, and your logic about not wanting to "get into the mud" is solid. A private, brief phone call though may have helped if this person was still in business, as it may have prevented this from happening again. If they refused to listen, at least you tried. But I respect your tact.

[kalinkapavlova]

2:40 almost jumped out of my skin wondering if my maths was bungled as that's the year my daughter was born... and she's 10 (as of writing this) lol.

Maths confusion aside, I'm just glad, as you and your client were, that you were able to rescue this painting!

[julianulseth]

The two paintings are such a pair that without seeing both one doesn’t really see the whole work. They look so fantastic together!

[margaretpeggymitchell]

Thank you Julian, that's a huge improvement, and your 'epilogue' is much appreciated. Oh, and solvents may impact on the human organism in various ways, and may be damaging both in the immediate and through accumulation. You are very wise to be careful and avoid such contact as much as possible, as you well know.

[darilynkrupp]

Julian, I think there's a great idea for new videos at 21:24. You say you don't make videos where everything goes well/perfect because they're boring. But you do things in a methodical way and that can be very comforting and calming to watch. I can see a fast-forward video with limited voiceover or informative subtitles delineating what the process is that you're engaged in. Video begins by showing the original, point out the damage (to painting & frame). Then do what you do so well, taking off of stretcher, whatever treatments needed, cleaning, hot table, repairing, scraping, relining, edging, isolation layer, retacking, retouching and finally a top down shot of old fading to the now restored work. [I have watched lawn care, cleaning or snow shoveling videos for their repetitive specific practices and have rewatched some of your videos on fast-forward for the same reason. I will still watch, enjoy and learn from your regular videos at regular speed. The speedier versions would be a way to enjoy watching even more beautifully restored works of art with no boredom involved.]