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Art conservation and restoration
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Art conservation is a profession devoted to the preservation of cultural heritage for the future. Conservation activities include examination, documentation, treatment, and preventive care. All of this work is supported by research and education.
Defining Conservation
The traditional definition of the role of the conservator involves the examination, conservation, and preservation of cultural heritage using "any methods that prove effective in keeping that property in as close to its original condition as possible for as long as possible.” [1]
However, today the definition of the role of conservation has widened and would more accurately be described as that of ethical stewardship.
The conservator applies some simple ethical guidelines, such as:
- Minimal intervention.
- Appropriate materials and methods that aim to be reversible to reduce possible problems with future treatment, investigation, and use.
- Full documentation of all work undertaken.
The conservator aims to take into account the views of the stakeholder and to apply their professional expertise accordingly.
Conservation Ethics
The conservator's work is guided by ethical standards. These take the form of applied ethics. Ethical standards have been established across the world, and national and international ethical guidelines have been written. One such example is:
Conservation OnLine's Ethical issues in conservation provides a number of articles on ethical issues in conservation; example of codes of ethics and guidelines for professional conduct in conservation and allied fields; and charters and treaties pertaining to ethical issues involving the preservation of cultural property.
Specialization within the profession
The profession of art conservation is broad and encomposses many areas of speciality. Some specialities within art conservation would include:
Caring for Cultural Heritage
Preventive Conservation
Many cultural works are sensitive to environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and exposure to light and ultraviolet light. They must be protected in a controlled environment where such variables are maintained within a range of damage-limiting levels. Shielding from sunlight of artifacts such as watercolour paintings for example is usually necessary to prevent fading of pigments.
Preventive conservation is an important element of museum policy and collections care. It is an essential responsibility of members of the museum profession to create and maintain a protective environment for the collections in their care, whether in store, on display, or in transit. A museum should carefully monitor the condition of collections to determine when an artifact requires conservation work and the services of a qualified conservator.
Work of preventive conservation in a rock wall with prehistoric paintings at the Serra da Capivara National Park. The work consists of filling the cracks to prevent the fragmentation of the wall.
Interventive Conservation
Interventive Conservation refers to any act by a conservator that involves a direct interaction between the conservator and the cultural material. These interventive treatments could involve the cleaning, stabilizing, repair, or replacement of parts of the cultural material. It is essential that the conservator fully justify any such work, as well as fully documenting the work both before, during, and after the treatment.
The principal goal should be the stabilisation of the object or specimen. All conservation procedures should be documented and as reversible as possible, and all alterations should be clearly distinguishable from the original object or specimen.[2]
The History of Conservation
There is a long history of the development of conservation, some of the key players include:
Friedrich Rathgen
Friedrich Rathgen is significant in the early development of conservation, particularly for archaeological conservation. Firstly he is important as he was the first Chemist employed by a Museum. The Koniglichen Museen, Berlin (Royal Museums of Berlin), in 1888. A event so important that Chris Caple (2000 P.53) [3] says: "It was, perhaps, only in 1888 that conservation as a profession discipline can truly be seen to have started" Therefore establishing the birth of Conservation science.
A second important contribution Rathgen made was to publish a Handbook of Conservation. "In 1898 Rathgen published the first edition of his handbook Die Konservierung von Altertumsfunden (The Conservation of Antiquities) (Rathgen, 1898). This was the first comprehensive treatment of the subject; it drew upon his ten years of experience and practical work in the field". [4] It was translated into English in 1905 (Rathgen 1905). Prior to this there had been several short works, including works by Rathgen, published about conservation, but nothing devoted purely to the subject.
Rathgen's handbook was divided into two parts, a format which was adhered to in all subsequent editions:
- Part I was devoted entirely to the transformations which antiquities undergo before and after excavation.
- Part II discussed the actual treatment of antiquities, using as examples methods used in various European museums as well as at the Royal Museums of Berlin.
Many of the methods employed today for the treatment of archaeological materials may be found here in one form or another although Rathgen is rarely cited as a source of reference. [5]
The Conservation Laboratory
During the nineteenth century, the fields of science and art became increasingly intertwined as scientists such as Michael Faraday began to study the damaging effects of the environment to works of art. Louis Pasteur carried out scientific analysis on paint during this time period as well.[6]
Today, conservators routinely use chemistry and scientific analysis for the examination and treatment of cultural works. The modern conservation lab uses equipment such as microscopes, spectrometers, and x-ray machines to better understand and assess objects and their components.
A Country by Country Look
The United States of America
Heritage Preservation, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a U.S. federal agency, produced The Heritage Health Index. The results of this work was the report A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America’s Collections, which was published in December 2005 and concluded that immediate action is needed to prevent the loss of 190 million artifacts that are in need of conservation treatment. The report made four recommendations:
- Institutions must give priority to providing safe conditions for the collections they hold in trust.
- Every collecting institution must develop an emergency plan to protect its collections and train staff to carry it out.
- Every institution must assign responsibility for caring for collections to members of its staff.
- Individuals at all levels of government and in the private sector must assume responsibility for providing the support that will allow these collections to survive [7]
Training
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Training in conservation for many years took the form of an apprenticeship, whereby an apprentice slowly developed the necessary skills to undertake their job. For some specializations within conservation this is still the case. However, it is more common in the field of conservation today that the training required to become a practicing conservator comes from a recognized university course in conservation. [8]
The University can rarely provide all the necessary training in first hand experience that an apprenticeship can, and therefore in addition to graduate level training the profession also tends towards encouraging conservation students to spend time as an intern.
Conservation is an Interdisciplinary field as conservators have backgrounds in the fine arts, sciences (including chemistry, biology, and materials science), and closely related disciplines, such as art history, archaeology, studio art, and anthropology. They also have design, fabrication,artistic, and other special skills necessary for the practical application of that knowledge.
Within the various schools that teach conservation, the approach differs according the educational and vocational system within the country, and the focus of the school itself. This is acknowledged by the American Institute for Conservation who advise "Specific admission requirements differ and potential candidates are encouraged to contact the programs directly for details on prerequisites, application procedures, and program curriculum". [9]
Conservation Associations and Professional Organizations
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Societies devoted to the care of cultural heritage have been in existence around the world for many years. One early example is the founding in 1877 of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in Britain to protect the built heritage, this society continues to be active today. [10]
The built heritage was also at the forefront of the growth of member based organizations in the United States for example, founded in 1889, the Richmond, Virginia-based Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities was the United States' first statewide historic preservation group. In 2003 it changed its name to reflect its wider focus in statewide preservation issues. [11]
Today, professional conservators join and take part in the activities of numerous conservation associations and professional organizations with the wider conservation field, and within their area of specialization.
These organizations exist to "support the conservation professionals who preserve our cultural heritage".[12]
This involves upholding professional standards, promoting research and publications, providing educational opportunities, and fostering the exchange of knowledge among conservators, allied professionals, and the public.
References
- ^ Walston, S. 1978. p.9 The Preservation and Conservation of Aboriginal and Pacfic Cultural Material in Australian Museums. ICCM Bulletin Vol 4 no. 1. December 1978. Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (Inc).
- ^ ICOM-CC International Council of Museums Committee for Conservation]
- ^ Caple, Chris. 2000. Conservation Skills: Judgement, Method and Decision Making. Routledge. London.
- ^ Gilberg, Mark. (1987) Friedrich Rathgen: The Father of Modern Archaeological Conservation. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Autumn, 1987), pp. 105-120 http://aic.stanford.edu/jaic/articles/jaic26-02-004_2
- ^ ibid
- ^ Stoner, Joyce Hill. 2005. p. 41. “Changing Approaches in Art Conservation: 1925 to the present” in (Sackler NAS Colloquium) Scientific Examination of Art: Modern Techniques in Conservation and Analysis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11413&page=41
- ^ http://www.heritagepreservation.org/HHI/
- ^ http://aic.stanford.edu/education/becoming/contrain.pdf
- ^ http://aic.stanford.edu/education/becoming/ugrad
- ^ http://www.spab.org.uk/html/what-is-spab/history-of-the-spab/
- ^ http://www.apva.org/
- ^ http://aic.stanford.edu/about/overview/index
External Links
General Conservation Resources
Scholarly Journals
Conservation and the Public
Specific Conservation Resources
- Animation Art Conservation discusses the preservation of animation art and has many interviews with animation artists that detail their original intent and frequently how they made their art.
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