See also:
Conservation, Restoration

In what ways do oil paintings deteriorate?

If kept carefully oil paintings do not deteriorate quickly. Eventually the varnish will darken and the top surface will become dirty. In some cases the artist's paint and preparation layers may come loose from their canvas or panel supports. Accidents may cause tears to the canvas and paint or the paint surface. Excessive moisture, heat or light will cause particular problems of deterioration.

How should paintings be cared for?

1. Pictures should NOT be hung over radiators, fireplaces nor in direct sunlight or against damp walls.
2. Picture lights fixed above or onto the frame can produce too much heat.
3. Varnish will protect the oil paint from the atmosphere.

What is the role of the oil paintings conservator and restorer?

Most conservators' studies will have included the history of art and the technology of materials and methods used, as well as the causes and processes of deterioration. They must balance the requirements of the practical work with the scientific knowledge necessary to select the correct materials and use them appropriately. Conservators will also be able to advise on the correct conditions for storage, handling and display of a work of art and, if they can examine the conditions in which it is currently kept, to point out problems which may threaten its appearance or survival.

A painting conservator will need to examine a work of art thoroughly, sometimes using a microscope or magnifier before giving a preliminary report on the condition of the painting, including treatment it may have received in the past. It is vital that both the owner and the conservator understand what the desired outcome of the treatment is and what is possible.

Often, very little alteration to the appearance of the picture is needed. Cleaning off discoloured, old varnish and accumulated dirt and pollution will reveal an original painting which has hardly changed with the passage of time. In other cases, beneath the dirt and varnish, earlier treatment becomes apparent and requires removal.

Cleaning, gap filling and in-painting with final varnishing of several coats is required to see it as it was originally intended. Here we see an example of how Hahn cleaned and repaired a painting, bringing out its best. To see more before and after images, see Painting qualities; more information can also be found in Conservation and Glossary.