Fall 2016 Intern
This past summer, I spent a week
cleaning my bedroom in preparation for graduation (and therefore, moving out),
and I was dismayed to find that many of my old graphite sketches had faded and
smudged over the years. In retrospect, I should have used a fixative spray or
stored them in a safer place. Luckily, there are art conservationists dedicated
to protecting the world’s more well-known art, or we wouldn’t have treasures
like the Mona Lisa and the Sistine
Chapel.
Contemporary art and its contemporary
materials are posing
challenges for today’s artists and art conservationists. While some modern
artists embrace the idea of non-enduring art and create masterpieces out of ephemeral
materials like chocolate or vegetables, others are using new synthetic
materials, like acrylic paint and polyester resins, which have yet to be tested
for long-term survival. Because these materials haven’t been in the art world
for very long, it’s hard to tell if they will be able to last for centuries
with proper conservation, like oil and tempera paintings of the past have been
able to.
Even modern art pieces that seem
like they should endure are posing conservation problems. Take, for instance, GRP
sculptures. GRP, or glass-reinforced plastic, is a composite of alternating
fiberglass and polyester resin layers. GRP artworks, especially those displayed
outdoors, need careful conservation handling. Conservation techniques include
regular cleanings (with the appropriate materials, of course), applying
protective coatings, physical repairs and paint touch-ups.
The wave of modern art materials
has also created new challenges for art collecting. Modern art enthusiasts may
soon have to be as innovative as the artists when it comes to storing their
prized purchases. Art collecting comes with the responsibility of protecting
art from natural elements, such as humidity and human errors—like accidentally
dropping a piece of art or spilling something on it. Add in the unique
considerations that have to be taken for modern art materials, and it looks
like collectors could have a real conundrum on their hands.
Some of modern art’s more
avant-garde materials include straw and shards of broken dinner plates. How
would someone go about fixing a broken dinner plate that has been broken
already? That’s what modern art conservationists still need to figure out. It’ll
be up to the most creative and resourceful art conservationists to see that
modern materials survive for future generations.
Did You Know?
For a thousand years, Great Britain
has printed its legislative records on vellum, a writing surface made from the
skin of a goat or a calf. Vellum can last for 5,000 years—talk about enduring
materials! In early 2016, Britain announced that it would no
longer be using vellum and would use archival paper (which lasts a measly
200 years) instead . . . the decision was reversed a week later.
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