As paintings degrade over time, it is very important to protect and safe-keep them for future generations. This is done by many ways of 'Art Restoration'. In fact, art restoration is being used everywhere including not just for saving the masterpieces but also for restoring age old paintings of families.
Unlike what most people think, art restoration is different from art conservation. While the former involves a restoration process of a damaged piece of art, the latter involves ensuring that currently intact paintings do not degrade over the time. The focus of art restoration is to bring it back to the pristine condition. The goal is to make the painting look as it looked when it was first painted. If art restoration comes together with art conservation where a few parts have to be restored and the remaining protected, it becomes all the more complicated.
The simplest type of art restoration is cleaning of art. It is used in case where the painting is not yet damaged but a lot of dirt and dust and other debris have accumulated on it. It is also used when grime accumulates on the layers of protective varnish that is put over the painting. Even the smallest of debri not only impacts how the painting looks, it also becomes a potential threat and can lead to wear and tear as the painting ages. Restoration professionals remove these debris so well that painting looks like absolutely brand new.
Extensive restoration is needed when the cruel hands of time have faded the painting to such an extent that it has lost its charm and appeal and is now a mere figment of what was a beautiful masterpiece in its heyday. Considerable analysis using scientific methods is conducted to identify what materials were used in painting the original. After the original articles become known, those articles or their closest match is procured. The restoration here involves repainting to a certain extent but the goal is not to change the art in any form. It is to restore that which has faded.
One important aspect of art restoration is 'reversibility'. This means that any change you make to the painting can be reversed, restoring the art to its original, 'damaged' form. The key here is restoring it to damaged form, not to damage it again. Art that is being restored has a historical value and sometimes the restoration might not turn out in the form it was intended to. Here, reversibility is very important. Family paintings which are being restored do not fall in this category.
Art restoration is too complicated and too expensive. Actually, a number of aspiring artists have taken up art restoration as a way to build a strong side career.
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