Theoretic research on the complementary applicable chromatic integration techniques in the imagery restoration of icons. Case study: wooden panel painted 16th century icon of Saint George from Voroneț Monastery, Bukovina county, Romania
Conservation of Cultural Heritage Athens 25-29 May 2015
Rodica Pavel - restorer (
[email protected])
project coordinated by PhD. Dana Postolache and PhD. Oliviu Boldura - University of Fine Arts, Faculty of Art History and Theory, Department of Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Bucharest
Since the late 19th century, the issue of the aesthetic presentation of a work of art after its restoration was (and still is!) strongly debated. This paper addresses the subject comprising a few of the main themes debated in the history of restoration, having as a case study the 16th century feast Icon of Saint George, from the Voroneț Monastery in Bukovina. The original painted image of Saint George suffered many over-paintings, their removal being the main objective of the restoration process. After completation of the interventions of restoration needed for the conservation of the icon and after the removal of the surface layer consisting in oil colors added in the repainted work completed in 1842, the original appearance of the icon from the 16th century was successfully recovered. Because the aesthetic perception of the image was hampered by numerous lacunas, it required a complex chromatic integration process aiming at partial recovery of the potential integrity of the art work.This stage is crucial in terms of the genuineness of resulting image towards the original art work and therefore it always has generated controversy regarding the philosophy, the practical means of application and even regarding its own necessity (or raison d’être). I have addressed this issue in this paper, seeking to highlight the possibilities offered by the complementary application of several methods of chromatic integration (tratteggio, ritocco, but also chromatic abstraction) within the same work of art, managing the lacunas differently depending on their topography and importance in the composition, on the graphical and chromatic clues, present or not in their immediate area, the possibility of establishing some analogies, etc. The results of this study is consistent with different kinds of approaches of the chromatic integration of the original image, which have proved to work together, offering a correct and adequate final. Analyses and investigations
Conservation status
1. 16th century painting visible in the lacunas of the 19th century painting; 2. Stratigraphic test; 3,4 Saint George portret - initial stage and during removal overpainting from 19th century
1,2 Overview of the icon before and after removal process
Tratteggio and ritocco technique
1,2. Microscopic image of the sample 40x; 3,4. Stratigraphic cross section of the paintings 40x; 5. XRF spectrum of the repainting ground (red); 6. X-ray image
Chromatic abstraction technique
Combined methods
1,2. Reconstructable surfaces integrated in tratteggio tehnique; Areas where it was used two tehniques: tratteggio and chromatic abstraction; 3,4. St. George throne - before and after:; 5. Scabbard ; 6. The saint before the emperor ; 7. St George in lime pit 8. Throne area For several gaps placed at the boundary between two different areas emerged the solution to integrate application of both types on the same shortcoming. This solution avoids unnecessary fragmentation of the image where there still are elements that allow a reconstruction drawing of the gap, and the other part does not have these items.
The icon St.George after restoration
1,2.Marginal scenes - St.George giving alms ; 3.4. The Saint portrait; 5,6. Lower area detail; 7,8. Marginal scenes - St George resurrectig a dead person We considered unreconstituted gaps those where it was obvious that it could not be accurately inferred the trajectory of the original design, the potential unit in these fragments can only be suspected, and that is not enough to proceed further ahead reconstitution. This category received abstraction type chromatic treatment that brings in the same plane with the other tratteggio-integrated gaps, so that it would not have its own identity in the field of the original image. Participation in this conference is sponsored by S.C. Art Glas S.A.
