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Conservation and installation of cosmological painting

View the conservation and installation of a large cosmological painting in the Asian Art Museum's collection. Learn more about art conservation at the Asian Art Museum's Conservation Center. Created by Asian Art Museum.

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  • piceratops ultimate style avatar for user Ari Mendelson
    The speaker has an extremely strong accent. She is very difficult to understand for a native American English speaker. I tried the captions, but the captions don't seem to match what she's saying.
    (5 votes)
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    • orange juice squid orange style avatar for user Victoria Chen
      Here's most of the video in captions. I tried the best I could. I hope this deepens your understanding.
      The size of this painting is very large as a result there is so many types of damage mostly from handling or dis-proper storage. Right half of the paintings...
      ...The pigment is severely frayed. So we need to stabilize the pigment from further loss.
      So we are applying "don't know what this word is"..which adheres pigments..made up of gelatin...gelatin solution is very powerful...it is very watery, so we add seaweed extract to make it slightly more viscous, so it will stay...applied onto the surface...water goes through too fast...the table keeps the air downwards..water liquid damage...conservation treatment will create a new type of damage...suction tables works great...side of painting is a little over 90 square inches, so it is too big for the suction tables, which is only a 40 by 60. So we joined the tables together...completely. We work in small sections...once conservation is finished we will load up on the tube and start working on the center...we will...which will visually improve the painting... you will see more image...we will then secure the edges, which are now quite frayed and unstable...painting is secured, will be installed in the gallery...rolled down...
      Vote up if you found that helpful and thank you.
      (7 votes)
  • old spice man green style avatar for user Petrie (Peter S. Asiain III)
    What course in college would you have to take if you're interested in art preservation and restoration?
    (3 votes)
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    • piceratops ultimate style avatar for user Gaugoli
      Art history, practical art and chemistry are all essential preparation subjects for Art Conservation. In the UK you'd then be expected to do an undergraduate or MA degree in conservation of a particular material, for example art on paper, easel or wall paintings, textile, stone or metal etc. This would usually be followed by voluntary work and/or a couple of internships in conservation departments before you could get a job as an assistant conservator. In the rest of Europe I think a five year university course is more usual, but which would include placements and/or internships.
      Hopefully someone else can supply information for elsewhere in the world, including the US.
      (4 votes)
  • old spice man green style avatar for user Petrie (Peter S. Asiain III)
    Does anyone know what this painting is called and who is its artist?
    (2 votes)
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  • leafers ultimate style avatar for user Dawnell Wiebe
    Why is that one guy not wearing gloves?
    (1 vote)
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    • aqualine seed style avatar for user fading.glass.rose
      Purely at a guess, I would say it's because he's being very careful not to actually touch the painting itself, but he does need to keep his hands at their most dexterous and efficient while he's working with all the various equipment surrounding the painting, a task for which latex gloves would be (an admittedly very mild) hindrance.
      (1 vote)
  • old spice man green style avatar for user Petrie (Peter S. Asiain III)
    How does suction tables work exactly?
    (1 vote)
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Video transcript

the size of these paintings is very large as a result there are so many type of damage mostly from hundred or display purpose from the display purpose or storage the biggest problem of these paintings is afflict pigmented surface so right half of the paintings or towards the bottom pigments a severe afraid so we need to stabilize try to secure the pigment from the father lost so we are applying consultant which other Hills those loose pigment onto the primary the cotton support of the painting consultant we use is prepared from a mixture of gelatine and Warsaw seaweed extract generating solution is very powerful consultant it gives the great adhesion of the flaked pigment but it's very watery so we added she read a construct to make the solutions remo viscous so it will stay between a faith pigment when it's applied onto the surface instead of like water water dedicate going through too fast through the rear we are applying consultant unto the painted surface through the suction table which the table are keeps the air peeing downwards so when we apply the water-based consultant it doesn't pour on the surface of the painting if what I was revved wrong enough on the surface it may create headlines or water liquid damage and the consolidation treatment will create another type of damage instead of securing the freaking pigment so suction table works great to keep that air downwards so it prevents to cause such damage the size of the painting is a little over 90 square inches so it's too big for the suction table which is only like a 40 by 60 so we join the table together so that allow us to open the paintings completely while we are working on this each smaller sections for the consolidation the painting doesn't need to have stress from the Lord roll onto tube once the consolidation is finished from section to section we will load up on the tube and then start working on towards the center so once pigment is consolidated we will move on to more treatment to visually improve the appearance of the paintings such as temporarily feeding the roses so which they instead of you notice the rows immediately you will see more image towards you and also we will secure the edges which are quite now played and unstable so those will be physically secure so top 10 pitch already painting is secure will be installed in the gallery and then loading down paintings to open completely your leg you you