Mid-Career
Workshop:
Italian Approaches to the Structural Conservation of
Paintings:
Past, Present and Future
September
25 - 28, 2003, Skaneateles, NY
West
Lake Conservators, PO Box 45, Skaneateles, NY 13152. Contact: Susan
Blakney, Tel. 315 685 8534
Participants:
Celina Berenfeld, Susan Blakney, Anne-Marie Chludzinski, Diane Falvey, Paul Gratz, Paul Haner, Hitoshi Kimura, Chiara Kuhns, Christina Labrie, Regina Lewis-Middleton, Janice Passifiume, Janice Selfridge, Nora Jean Smith, Rick Strilky, Nathan Sutton, Margaret Sutton, John Sutton, Deborah Uhl, Serena Urry, Alexandra Von Hawk, Anne Zanikos, Joyce Zucker, & Matteo Rossi Doria.
Course Review:
On September 24, 2003 twenty-one conservators gathered in Skaneateles, NY for a four-day workshop taught by Matteo Rossi Doria, Senior Conservator of Centro Restauro Barbabianca in Rome, Italy, on Italian Approaches to the Structural Conservation of Paintings. Participants came from the United States and Canada and represented a mix of conservators in private practice and museum professionals. The workshop was hosted by West Lake Conservators, in Skaneateles, near Syracuse, NY.
Mr. Rossi Doria started with a brief explanation of the complicated history and politics of conservation in Italy and then spent the first day demonstrating the preparation of traditional Italian lining, facing, and consolidation adhesives including Colletta, Colla di Pasta, and their variations between Rome and Florence schools. A wide range of modern materials were also prepared for use in the coming days of demonstrations and discussions including Plexisol P550, Beva 371, Klucel G, Tylose, Methocel A4M, Funori, Acryloid B72, hide, and fish glues.
Different materials were demonstrated for lining fabrics, and various facing papers were discussed. Methods of vapor treating and flattening were demonstrated along with discussions on controlling the amount of adhesive penetration to the original fabric. Various methods of removal of collapasta linings were demonstrated including trials on older "unknown" glue lining adhesives that were brought in by participants for testing.
Case studies of treatments of oversized works were described in lectures and slide shows and Mr. Rossi Doria explained his reasoning and innovative techniques used to treat these problem paintings. Others at the seminar brought problems of vapor treatments, burned paintings, impenetrable ground layers, risk of shrinking of canvas, problems with heat when used in conjunction with collapasta linings, localized tear repairs and various methods of local tear repair.
One of the highlights of the seminar was the aluminum working stretchers brought to the course and demonstrated by the instructor. They allowed for rapid Dutch stretching of lining fabrics and held the collapasta linings under tension while drying. These will hopefully be available commercially in North America sometime in the near future.
Throughout the seminar Mr. Rossi Doria stressed the fact that all of these different materials are available today, however, none should be ruled out or favored as a general rule as each painting presents a unique conservation problem and history, and the conservator needs to tailor each material and adhesive to the appropriate problem. He also stressed the necessity of varying the amount of adhesive depending on the characteristics of the painting.
This exchange of ideas and materials was greatly appreciated by all who attended and Mr. Rossi Doria graciously invited the participants to visit him in Rome.
West Lake Conservators may repeat this workshop in the future. Please contact Susan Blakney, Fellow, AIC, IIC at westlakers@compuserve.com for more information.