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 Art Restoration 

Definition
Restoration Art is the act of re-establishing pieces that have been damaged accidentally, willfully, or inevitably through time. The act of restoration is done by a conservator, who repairs paintings that have suffered paint loss, weakened canvas, tears, water damage, fire damage, and insect damage. Training is essential in becoming a conservator, for they have to attempt to restore pieces back to its original state.

Art conservation refers to the various procedures and techniques utilized in the treatment and examination of objects of material culture. It aims to improve the appearance of damaged or deteriorating artifacts by stabilizing their physical condition. At times, a conservation treatment also involves restoration. This procedure is typically performed to restore an art object to its original appearance. Professional art conservators are experts in the preservation of various art objects and structures. This discipline involves identifying and preventing damage to the objects and ensuring that they are kept in pristine condition.

History
With art restoration, people are able to conserve art that is years old which is saving cultural heritage for future generations. Restoration art donates the repair or renovation of works that have already been in a process of decomposition. This is captivating because it is different from repairing or restoring art in terms of technique. People who restore art are called conservator-restorers. Their profession requires a lot of analysis in trying to keep the original artwork as much as possible. It’s what made the paintings you see in museums still look new to the public. The evolution of Art Restoration began in the early 19th century when the original technique to restore paintings was to cover the entire paintings in wood-ash then wipe it off with water. However, doing this formed an extreme alkaline substance which is essentially harmful to paintings. The period between 1925 and 1975 was particularly important in expanding the field of art conservation: museums established dedicated departments and analytical laboratories and art technical journals were created.

Techniques
A digital twin can be used to create a virtual depiction of what physical object or process is being made. Digital twin was created by Michael Grieves, who inspired NASA to create these pieces to upgrade physical model simulation of spacecraft in 2010. The use of geometrical characteristics and an analysis of the model is what reconstructs historical art pieces. This poses a safeguard to the cultural heritage of historical art pieces which deal with damage due to the process of decay through time. As a result, HDT’s obtain the preservation of pieces who are dealing with the process of wear and tear through techniques and procedures which integrate the use of technology to preserve these pieces.

The Process of Restoring a Painting
There is no “one size fits all” approach to painting restoration, as each work has to be carefully examined to determine which process and techniques will be best suited for the piece. Trained art historians, chemists, and materials scientists combine extensive areas of knowledge to assess original areas of a work and determine the least invasive solution for repairing loss.

Initial Analysis
First, the painting undergoes initial assessment. Conservation associates should be well educated on the style and period of the work they’re evaluating, as this knowledge will help determine painting techniques, materials available to artists during the time, and pigments and fabrics that were commonly used. X-rays also reveal how the work was composed, which allows the conservator to formulate an outline of the painting or work based on differing absorption of paint.

Assessing Loss of Paint
Next, infrared imaging is used to view the original drawings and losses of paint underneath the surface of a painting. Recently, technological advancements in art restoration have included cameras with fixed wavelengths. Because different pigments and materials reflect or absorb various wavelengths differently, these devices can help distinguish them. They allow conservators to pinpoint carbon-based drawings, for example, using distinctive wavelengths at about 1,700 nanometers. This is part of a larger movement aimed to eliminate previously destructive techniques and help identify varnish layers.

Removing Discolored Varnish
Once an accurate picture of the original painting is in place, the next step is to find the appropriate solvent mixture to remove discolored varnish layers, if applicable. The development of spectroscopy—a technique used to observe vibrational, rotational, and other low-frequency modes in a system—has since made it easier to determine the exact composition and characterization of varnishes.

Repairing the Painting
After the identity of the varnish is determined and outer layers are removed, it can be repaired. An example of one way this may be done in modern practice is as follows: An intermediate coat of varnish is applied to the original painting to physically separate the new paint from the old, and ensure that any future restorations can be done without affecting the work’s original layers. This allows for stylistic fluctuations, which are common in art conservation. The conservator will carefully inpaint damaged areas using dry pigment mixed with synthetic non-yellowing solvents to ensure that a professionally restored work will rarely need further conservation.