Johanna Lamp
Taking part in the project «Great Love / Beautiful Rotting» – even as a mere observer, as anything else would not be possible considering the circumstances – puts the conservator in an unusual and somewhat awkward position. Unable to interfere to stop the inevitable decay that is about to take place before our eyes. The only thing left to do is just idly sit and witness what is happening. Even the conservator's knowledge and suggestions on conservation practices are uncalled-for as it happens in this project. At the same time, everything that is about to happen is utterly interesting, a rare occasion to witness the durability of a painting on canvas under conditions that I as a conservator would call extreme.
Not interfering with the conditions of an artwork is a very common choice in the practice of a painting conservator. This choice is made if the conditions cannot be improved without damaging the painting itself, or if a largely overpainted artwork should be literally repainted after cleaning it due to the fragmentation of the original. However, it would not be right to call it zero intervention, as a stable environment which is essential for the best preservation of the work is always ensured.
However, for the current project, the painting will be put in completely different conditions from the usual museum environment. We allow it to accommodate everything that we as conservators have been trained to avoid. The painting will be confronted with everything that accelerates the aging of the material – direct sunlight, humidity and temperature fluctuations, vibration amplified by the windy location close to the sea. In addition, we leave the painting at the mercy of air pollution and all kinds of biological pests.
I imagine witnessing this to be somewhat similar to the situation of a doctor whose patient has signed a living will. The routine procedures for preserving life must be ceased, all that remains is to witness the fading away of life, knowing it would be possible to prolong it, to postpone the inevitable end. What makes the situation painful is the fact that the «patient» of our project is still very young and in good health. The conservator’s blues are alleviated by the fact that for the artwork it is, if not a dignified then at least a memorable way to leave, which will also be documented in various ways. It is heartening to think that at the end of its life «Great Love» is once again available and visible to the audience, as – being visible – is the primary need of art.
Let's now take a look at what could happen to an oil painting on canvas under the conditions we are placing it. We know that the most suitable temperatures for the long-term preservation of a painting on canvas are between 19 and 21 degrees. The temperatures in August, the opening month of the project, vary between +5 and +28 degrees and in November -5 and +14 (according to last year’s statistics). Experience shows that paintings on canvas can handle lower temperatures for longer periods without much problems (e.g. paintings in churches and country houses without heating), but what poses a threat is a constant and sudden change in temperature. Likewise, freezing periods during winter are also detrimental, in which case the freezing of the water in the microcracks of the material causes mechanical damage because of the greater volume of ice.
Temperature is related to relative humidity (RH). The RH range that is considered to be the most suitable for paintings on canvas is around 50%, in Tallinn the average RH outdoors in autumn and winter months ranges from 80 to 90%. As in the case of temperature, large fluctuations in humidity levels are more influential than the percentage of humidity itself. This kind of instability causes mechanical stress in the various layers of the painting. The canvas starts to intermittently loosen and tighten, until it becomes saggy.
Light radiation, especially ultraviolet radiation, also has a strong detrimental effect. While it is generally recommended to keep the light intensity within 150 lux when exposing paintings, then in direct sunlight the light intensity can reach up to 100,000 lux. Light radiation also warms the material, reducing its humidity levels. Thus, light radiation also plays a role in the fluctuations of both humidity and temperature levels. The resulting intermittent contraction and dilation of the materials breaks up the layers of paint from the ground, as well as from the support, causing paint to fall off.
All organic materials are suitable food for moulds, but air always contains mould spores. Consequently, the rise of relative humidity to a suitable level (over 60%) is enough to make the mould grow. The stools of birds and insects also have a detrimental effect because they have an acidic reaction and corrode the surface of the painting. The detrimental effects of vibration are particularly prominent in the case of large-scale paintings. A canvas that is constantly fluttering in the wind begins to deform until it is finally defeated by a stronger storm tearing it apart.
The oil painting consists of different layers – canvas, size, ground, paint, often varnish – where all of these layers have their own function, which in good conditions contributes to the long-term preservation of the painting. In poor conditions, however, these strengths turn into weaknesses. The different layers react differently to the above-mentioned influencers and start to have a negative effect on each other. The whole structure endures the small-scale changes quite well, as it is elastic to a certain extent, but over time the elasticity decreases (in poor conditions, of course, faster than usual).
The decay over time of a work of art, like everything else, is inevitable. In light of this, the conservator's work may seem like tilting at windmills, but this is not exactly the case. We are not trying to stop the decay, but to prevent it and slow it down to the extent possible, so that future generations would also have the opportunity to enjoy the work of artists of the past. Painting on canvas is a gratifying medium considering that its long-term preservation is much easier than in the case of many other materials used in contemporary art. The lifespan of a well-preserved painting on canvas may be measured in centuries. The material preservation of painting as medium is also justified and facilitated by the fact that in the case of paintings, the meaning of a work of art is usually related to the original material, which is its carrier and mediator, unlike in the case of contemporary conceptual art where the meaning of the artwork can be acknowledged separately from the material.
At the same time, our goal is not to eliminate the natural signs of aging. The general approach is to do as little as possible to hand over the artwork in the most stable conditions achievable to future generations, whose knowledge and resources might be much more advanced than ours. Sometimes, however, a more decisive intervention is also needed for aesthetic reasons. If the painting has lost its illusion of perspective or colour balance due to a heavily darkened and yellowing varnish or a layer of dirt, or if the original is covered by extensive incompetent overpainting, then these processes can be reversed, and this is also usually opted for.
At the same time, we are aware of the subjectivity of our decisions and we do not try to hide it. Conservation is comparable to triage, not only in terms of which works we choose to take on and which to set aside, but also in deciding what we choose to remove or highlight in case of a particular work. Through his doings or non-doings, the conservator changes the story of the work visible to the eye, making his choices from various possible narratives.
It is important to remember that it is dangerous to make irreversible decisions based on our own aesthetic preferences and those of contemporary audiences, considering that we cannot currently know what people will appreciate and want to see in an artwork in the future. In recent decades, changes have already taken place both inside and outside the profession. The expectations for artworks have changed for conservators, owners of artworks and exhibition audiences. People have become more accepting of the signs of the past. If in the past the audience wanted to see on display only a smooth and flawless painting on canvas, then now our tolerance in that matter has greatly increased. While the conservators have moved towards a more minimal intervention, contemporary audiences have also become much more accepting of the natural signs of aging. The same applies to the additions made during later periods – they are all part of the history of the work.
As long as the work belongs to the author, he or she has free will over it. In the case of «Great Love», the artist's intention has changed and matured over time. An expression of love has been turned into a demonstration and detailed documentation of the decomposition of matter.
Despite desires stemming from professional ethics and the internal compulsion to slow down the decay, the conservator must respect the will of the artist. However, one might call it professional cretinism or a fetish of preservation (I guess all museum workers have it to a greater or lesser extent), but for me, in addition to great curiosity and deep interest in the project, there is also worry, and I cannot forget that the life expectancy of this artwork is arbitrarily shortened. An oil painting on canvas is not meant for the outdoors, its natural environment is not a stormy autumnal forest. As a conservator, who is trying to interfere as little as possible in the life of an artwork, seeking to avoid all sorts of irreversible procedures, I cannot refrain myself from wondering if simply depriving an artwork of a stable environment would not already be a radical interference in itself?
These are the questions of a conservator, but what is important is the artist's intention and the message that the project underlines.