Follow along as Julian Baumgartner of Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration in Chicago works through the process of retouching catastrophic damage affecting the face of a mid-19th century portrait. Using archival and reversible materials the face is meticulously reconstructed and the portrait made whole.
The portrait is introduced as it was received in the studio- covered in grime, old varnish and discolored retouching. We then see the painting with the grime and varnish removed and the extent of the old retouching is clear; excessive and discolored.
With the old retouching removed we then see the extent of the damage from the tear. At this point the new retouching can begin. The materials used include: Maimeri Restuaro, B72, Dowanol, Xylene and ArtCare B72 Retouching Gels.
This sped-up video covers approximately one hour of real-time retouching and is not meant to be instructional.