Preservation

PRESERconVersATION

How to Care for your Paintings

To understand how we should care for our family treasures, we need to know what they are made from and how they deteriorate. Paintings generally consist of a paint layer on a support such as canvas, and are usually framed.

Paint can be any pigment (a coloured powder) mixed with something called a vehicle to make it stick to the support (such as oil, glue, egg white etc).

The support can also be a variety of materials such as canvas attached to a wooden frame called a stretcher, or wooden panels, prepared cardboards, composition boards, metal sheets, bark or any other flat surface. The Library even has an oil painting on a large gum leaf!

It is the interaction of these various materials which will determine the way a painting reacts to ageing, storage and display.

Deterioration

Dirt, sticky residues, aerosols, atmospheric pollutants, light, mould and deposits from flies and other insects on the paint surface can cause chemical damage, fading, staining and other deterioration.

The most common supports, wood and canvas, contain acids which, over time, cause them to become fragile and discolour. Paint layers also change chemically as they age, becoming harder, brittle and developing networks of fine cracks. Many paintings have a glossy varnish layer over the surface which may become darker and yellow giving the painting a muddy appearance as it gets older.

A painting on canvas is more prone to damage by mishandling than one on a wooden support because it can be dented, punctured or torn very easily. High humidity can cause the fibres of canvas to swell and contract which can lift and crack the paint layer.

Paintings on wooden panels are prone to attack from woodworm and are liable to damage from mould in damp conditions.

The frame is an important part of most paintings too, providing protection as well as decoration, and is often the first point of contact when any damage occurs.

All of these inherent problems are accelerated when the painting has a hard life of poor handling, bad storage and incorrect display conditions.

Major repairs, cleaning, varnish removals and restoration should always be carried out by a professional restorer or conservator.

Care

Here are some tips to help your paintings enjoy a happier, longer life.

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