Yellowing again hides the richness of colour in this still life by Ladell. The translucency of the grapes with their contrasting tones and highlights is gone, as is the roundness of the pear, and the variety of colour in the shading is no longer visible. The fly itself loses form and could almost be a hole in the pear. Click here to bring the painting back to life.

A lack of richness of colour can have a nearly disastrous effect on a painting that uses subtle changes of tones, as in this painting by Edwards. The fine modelling, especially on the clothes and the woman's face becomes flat, ungraduated colour, while the darks in the piano and the background that bring out the figures no longer have that effect. The original warmth of the shadow around the woman's forearm becomes muddy and practically indistinguishable from the forearm itself. Click here to see the richness lying behind the varnish.

S.R. Percy uses sharp contrast of light and dark to give this landscape a dramatic lighting effect, but the old varnish makes the deep darks a dirty gray, and rolling clouds seem more like an overcast sky. To turn the overcast sky into the lull before the storm, click here

Paintings can be an investment and they have a monetary value, and this is one reason that the proper care should be taken in conserving them in the best possible condition. They also have visual richness and beauty which is ultimately the reason for their existence and for hanging them on a wall. They can enliven a space and give the viewer much enjoyment, if seen in the best possible light. However, without the right attention, as seen in the examples above, the richness is lost, as is the effect on the viewer and the space in which it is hung.

If you have an questions as to conserving or restoring your paintings, please contact us, and we will be happy to assist you in any way we can.

2 of 2 BACK
See also: Caring for paintings, Conservation

Paintings courtesy: European Art Gallery and Hahn