Restoring The Faceless Painting - Part 3

Baumgartner Restoration
13 May 202422:20

Summary

TLDRThe video, sponsored by Squarespace, follows an artist's meticulous process of retouching a painting with a missing face. After months of preparation, the artist embarks on the challenging task, emphasizing the importance of setting up for success in any endeavor. Using Squarespace as an analogy, the artist highlights the platform's user-friendly features that simplify website creation and business management. The artist then shares their technique of starting with 'low hanging fruit' to build confidence and assess the painting's requirements. With the help of their assistant, Kit, they demonstrate the delicate balance between restoring the artwork and maintaining its authenticity. The process involves multiple passes, stepping back for perspective, and making adjustments over several weeks. The video concludes with the successful restoration of the painting, showcasing the artist's expertise and the value of patience and experience in achieving a harmonious result.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 The video is sponsored by Squarespace, an all-in-one platform for building websites and running businesses.
  • 🖌️ The artist discusses the challenge of retouching a painting with a missing face, emphasizing the importance of setting up for success in any creative endeavor.
  • 📈 Squarespace is praised for its user-friendly features like mobile-friendly templates, no-code setup, and easy editing, which contribute to the success of a website.
  • 📚 The artist uses the technique of addressing 'low hanging fruit' first to build confidence and momentum in the retouching process.
  • ⚖️ A balance must be struck between restoring the painting and maintaining its original feel and authenticity.
  • 👀 The artist highlights the importance of taking time away from the work to reassess and make necessary adjustments with a fresh perspective.
  • 🤝 The value of collaboration is demonstrated through the artist's assistant, Kit, who contributes her skills and learns complex techniques.
  • 🔍 The artist used reference images and inlay techniques to recreate the missing face, starting with a base that closely resembles the original painting.
  • 🔁 The retouching process involves multiple passes, stepping back for analysis, and making incremental adjustments over time.
  • 🌟 The final varnish is applied to protect the painting, provide UV protection, and unify the sheen across the artwork.
  • ⏳ The entire retouching process is described as time-consuming and meticulous, requiring patience and a deep understanding of the original artwork.

Q & A

  • What does the video sponsor, Squarespace, offer to its users?

    -Squarespace offers an all-in-one platform that provides tools and features for building and managing a professional online presence. This includes website and online store creation, marketing tools, and analytics.

  • Why does the speaker emphasize setting up for success in tasks like retouching a painting?

    -The speaker emphasizes setting up for success because proper preparation increases the likelihood of achieving desired outcomes. In the context of retouching a painting, being well-prepared helps ensure the process goes smoothly and increases the chances of a successful restoration.

  • How does the video describe the approach to tackling difficult tasks in the studio?

    -The approach involves starting with easier tasks ('low hanging fruit') to build momentum and confidence before tackling more difficult areas. This method helps in gauging the feasibility of proceeding with more complex tasks at that moment.

  • What role does Kit play in the retouching process described in the video?

    -Kit is an assistant who is involved in the retouching process as part of her learning and development as a conservator. She is depicted as having a significant role, contributing her skills in color matching and paint application.

  • Why is it challenging to recreate the missing face in the painting?

    -Recreating the missing face is challenging because it requires a precise balance between making the retouching look seamless and ensuring it does not appear too new or overly restored. The conservator must mimic the original artist's style and maintain the authenticity of the painting.

  • What technique is used to start the retouching of the face in the painting?

    -The technique involves using thinned-out paint to create a semi-transparent layer, allowing the underlying sketch (inlay) to guide the initial application while maintaining visibility of the original strokes and colors.

  • What is the significance of periodically stepping away from the retouching work?

    -Stepping away helps the conservator gain a fresh perspective and critically assess the retouching work. It allows for adjustments to be made with a clearer, more objective view, improving the accuracy and quality of the restoration.

  • Why does the conservator decide to add artificial cracks to the retouched face?

    -The conservator adds artificial cracks to make the retouched areas blend more seamlessly with the rest of the painting, enhancing the authenticity and preventing the retouched sections from standing out.

  • How does the final varnish affect the appearance of the painting?

    -The final varnish is used to unify the sheen of the painting, providing a consistent finish across all areas. It also adds a layer of UV protection to preserve the painting's colors and details.

  • What was the role of the Hermitage in the retouching project?

    -The Hermitage provided photographs of the original version of the painting from their collection, which helped in accurately recreating the missing face and ensured that the retouched version remained faithful to the original artwork.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Setting Up for Success with Squarespace and Art Restoration

The video introduces the partnership with Squarespace, an all-in-one platform for building online presence. It emphasizes the platform's ease of use, with mobile-friendly templates and no need for coding. The narrator discusses preparing for the challenging task of retouching a painting with a missing face, highlighting the importance of setting up for success in any endeavor. The video also touches on the process of art restoration, using the painting as a metaphor for tackling difficult projects and the satisfaction of achieving success step by step.

05:00

🖌️ The Art of Retouching: A Step-by-Step Journey

The narrator delves into the retouching process, starting with the less challenging areas to build confidence and assess the painting's original techniques. The importance of finding the right balance between preserving the painting's aged appearance and repairing damage is stressed. The video also showcases the role of an assistant, Kit, in learning and executing complex conservation techniques. Kit's skill in color matching and paint application is highlighted, and the video ends with a teaser about the upcoming challenges in the retouching process.

12:00

🔍 The Nuances of Restoring a Masterpiece

The video details the meticulous process of retouching a damaged painting, emphasizing the need for multiple passes and periods of reflection between work sessions. The goal is to achieve a balance between capturing the original painting's details and overall feel. The narrator discusses the limitations of working from images rather than the original piece and the challenge of making the retouching feel like a natural part of the painting. The video also hints at the use of inlay as a technique to assist in the retouching process.

17:00

🎭 The Reveal: From Torn Canvas to Restored Glory

The culmination of the retouching process is showcased, with the painting's transformation from a torn canvas to a restored work of art. The video describes the final steps, including the application of a protective varnish to unify the sheen and protect the painting. The client's reaction to the restored painting is one of astonishment and gratitude, emphasizing the value of preserving art. The video concludes with a discussion about the ethical considerations and techniques used to recreate the painting's missing face using a reference from the Hermitage in Russia.

22:01

🏆 Achievement Unlocked: The Completed Restoration

The video concludes with the client's satisfaction and approval of the restored painting. The narrator reflects on the successful outcome and the joy of giving the artwork a second chance. The importance of sharing art and the fulfillment derived from restoring it for future generations to enjoy is emphasized. The video ends on a note of accomplishment and the shared appreciation for the restored painting's new lease on life.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Squarespace

Squarespace is an all-in-one platform for building websites, online stores, and providing marketing tools and analytics. It is mentioned in the video as a tool that simplifies the process of creating an online presence and running a business. The platform offers a variety of beautifully designed templates, eliminates the need for coding knowledge, and provides easy-to-use editing features. It is related to the theme of the video as it represents a tool for success in the digital age.

💡Retouching

Retouching refers to the process of restoring or modifying a damaged or incomplete artwork, such as a painting. In the video, the artist discusses the meticulous work of retouching a painting with a missing face, which involves color matching, adding details, and ensuring the retouching blends seamlessly with the original artwork. This process is central to the video's narrative, illustrating the dedication and skill required to conserve and restore art.

💡Conservation

Conservation is the process of preserving and protecting cultural artifacts, such as paintings, to prevent their decay and ensure their longevity. The video features an art conservator who is working to restore a painting that has been damaged and is missing a face. Conservation is a key theme in the video, highlighting the importance of preserving art for future generations and the technical and artistic challenges involved in the process.

💡Color Matching

Color matching is the process of identifying and replicating the colors used in an artwork to restore or retouch it. In the context of the video, the artist carefully selects colors to match the original painting's palette, which is crucial for making the retouching look authentic and harmonious with the rest of the artwork. This concept is integral to the video's message about achieving a successful restoration.

💡Inlay

An inlay is a technique where a piece of material, such as canvas or wood, is inserted into a void or gap in an artwork to provide a base for retouching. In the video, the artist uses an inlay made from a printed image of the original painting from the Hermitage in Russia. This technique is used to recreate the missing face of the painting, providing a foundation for the artist to build upon and is a significant part of the restoration process depicted in the video.

💡Reversible Paints

Reversible paints are those that can be removed or altered without causing damage to the original artwork. They are used by the artist in the video when retouching the painting to ensure that future conservators can modify or remove the retouching if necessary. This concept is important as it relates to ethical conservation practices that respect the integrity of the original artwork.

💡Glazing

Glazing is a painting technique where a thin, transparent layer of paint is applied over a dried layer to modify its color or tone. In the video, the artist discusses the temptation to use glazing to restore the entire face of the painting but opts for a more conservative approach to maintain the painting's authenticity. Glazing is a technique that is considered in the context of the restoration process.

💡Varnish

Varnish is a protective coating applied to a painting to protect it from environmental damage and to enhance its appearance by controlling the sheen. In the video, the artist applies a final varnish to the painting to unify the sheen and provide an ultraviolet layer of protection. The application of varnish is a crucial final step in the restoration process, ensuring the painting's preservation and visual appeal.

💡Archival Ink

Archival ink is a type of ink that is lightfast and resistant to fading, making it suitable for use in art conservation and restoration. The artist in the video uses archival ink to print the image of the original painting onto canvas, which is then inlaid into the painting. This choice of ink ensures the longevity of the inlay, aligning with the conservation goal of preserving the artwork.

💡Authenticity

Authenticity in the context of art refers to the quality of being genuine and true to the original state of the artwork. The video emphasizes the importance of maintaining the painting's authenticity during the restoration process. The artist aims to restore the painting in a way that respects its original appearance and artistic intent, avoiding any actions that would make it appear overly new or altered.

💡Hermitage

The Hermitage is a museum in Russia that houses a vast collection of art. In the video, the Hermitage is mentioned as the location of the original painting from which the artist obtained medium-resolution photographs to aid in the restoration process. The collaboration with the Hermitage is significant as it provides the artist with a reference point to ensure the restored painting is a faithful homage to the original.

Highlights

The video is sponsored by Squarespace, an all-in-one platform for building online presence and businesses.

The artist discusses the meticulous process of retouching a painting with a missing face.

Success in retouching is compared to setting up for success in other areas of life, emphasizing preparation.

Squarespace is praised for its user-friendly templates and features that eliminate the need for coding knowledge.

The artist uses the technique of addressing 'low hanging fruit' first to build momentum in the retouching process.

The importance of feeling good about initial progress before moving on to more difficult areas is highlighted.

The artist emphasizes the no pain no gain motto does not apply in art conservation.

The process of retouching involves understanding the artist's original palette and paint application techniques.

The assistant, Kit, is commended for her rapid learning and application of complex conservation techniques.

The artist discusses the challenge of adding reversibility to the retouching process to maintain the painting's authenticity.

The use of inlay and the first pass of paint is described as a method to get a head start on retouching.

The artist describes the iterative process of retouching, involving multiple passes and periods of reflection.

The balance between capturing the original painting's details and overall feel is discussed as a significant challenge.

The artist reflects on the importance of the retouching blending with the original painting to create a unified piece.

The artist's experience and intuition play a critical role in determining the 'feel' of the retouching.

The final steps of the retouching process, including the addition of cracks to blend damage, are detailed.

The application of a final varnish to protect the painting and unify the sheen is explained.

The client's satisfaction with the completed retouching and the painting's transformation is expressed.

The artist shares the story behind the painting's acquisition and the motivation to restore it.

The collaboration with the Hermitage in Russia to obtain reference images for the missing face is mentioned.

The final result is described as a faithful homage to the original painting housed in the Hermitage.

Transcripts

00:00

this video is brought to you by

00:01

Squarespace from websites and online

00:03

stores to marketing tools and analytics

00:06

Squarespace is the all-in-one platform

00:08

to build a beautiful online presence and

00:10

run your

00:12

business after weeks and weeks in fact

00:15

months of work I'm now finally ready to

00:18

tackle a thing that has been racing

00:20

through my mind in my dreams haunting me

00:23

around every corner of the studio the

00:25

retouching of this painting and the

00:27

missing face and because success is no

00:30

foregone conclusion I've tried as best

00:32

as possible to set myself up for it and

00:34

though you may not be retouching a

00:36

missing face there are places where

00:38

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00:40

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understand or write code and developing

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a platform that's as simple to edit as

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off your first purchase of a website or

01:28

domain now because I do have to retouch

01:30

a missing face I'm going to start by

01:32

picking some loow hanging fruit this is

01:35

a technique that I've used throughout my

01:37

conservation work and throughout my life

01:39

and it's one that allows me to notch an

01:42

easy Victory because even though it's

01:45

easy it's still success and it begets

01:48

more success so if I'm able to retouch

01:51

the face here well and feel that it's

01:54

going well and that my color matching is

01:56

on point and that I like how I'm working

01:59

well then I can feel good about this

02:01

painting and I can start to move on to

02:02

more difficult areas if this isn't going

02:05

well then I know that it's not the right

02:06

time to do retouching I'll step away and

02:08

find something else to do in the studio

02:10

I won't try to force my way through it

02:12

the no pain no gain motto doesn't work

02:15

here or in life anybody who tells you

02:17

that is just misleading

02:19

you so by working on this painting and

02:22

just tackling some of these little

02:23

losses I can start to feel my way

02:26

through this retouching and start to get

02:28

a sense of the pallet that the artist

02:29

used how they applied paint and what the

02:32

painting is supposed to look like

02:33

because remember I'm going to have to

02:35

make a lot of decisions about how much

02:37

to retouch I don't want to go too far

02:40

and retouch every little Mark on this

02:42

painting and make it look flat and new

02:44

but I don't want to leave a significant

02:47

amount of marks and make it look damaged

02:49

there's a fine balance between leaving

02:52

some things like abrasions and cracks

02:55

and covering them all up and so working

02:57

on an area like this allows me to test

03:01

different approaches and figure out the

03:02

one that I think is going to work

03:04

throughout the entire painting and then

03:06

I can move on to the rest of the

03:10

painting while kit joked that I had

03:12

volunteered to do all of the retouching

03:14

on this painting she's not totally

03:17

incorrect I have included her in just

03:19

about every step of the process it's

03:21

part of her learning some of these more

03:23

complicated techniques and becoming a

03:25

better conservator and also me of not

03:28

doing some of the stuff I don't want to

03:30

do having an assistant is great because

03:32

you get to teach them learn from them

03:34

and give them some of the dirty

03:36

work over the many years that kit has

03:38

worked here she has proven to be an

03:40

invaluable resource in just about every

03:42

aspect of conservation and retouching is

03:45

no exception she has an incredible sense

03:47

of color and a depth laying down of

03:50

paint and you can see here how she's

03:52

maneuvering through this skinned area

03:54

with real Grace and sensitivity not

03:57

glazing in the whole area but working

04:00

through just to break up the losses so

04:02

that it still feels old and authentic

04:06

without feeling damaged and

04:09

broken and this is something that comes

04:12

with years of experience at least it

04:14

took me years of experience kit has

04:16

responded to this incredibly fast so

04:19

fast that I'm shocked in fact but it's a

04:23

testament to her skill the way she

04:25

learns and maybe maybe maybe how I've

04:30

instructed her no I think it's all

04:33

her anyhow she's working through just to

04:36

break up all of this damage in an area

04:38

like this where the entire face has lost

04:41

its glazes it's really tempting to want

04:43

to repaint it and while reglazing is not

04:46

a verboten technique in some instances

04:49

like this one we could very easily argue

04:52

that because all of the glazes have been

04:54

lost and because we're using reversible

04:56

paints it makes sense that we would Reg

05:00

this painting but if we can avoid that

05:03

then we will now if ultimately we do

05:05

have to do some glazing we can add it

05:07

later but for now kit is doing such a

05:10

good job of breaking up this damage that

05:12

I don't think we're going to need to in

05:14

fact maybe kit should just do the whole

05:17

painting how about

05:21

that and while I'd like to have Kit just

05:23

do all of the retouching and I can sit

05:25

back with my feet up scrolling on the

05:27

internet that's not how it works

05:30

but I'm also really excited to challenge

05:32

myself with this to see how the inlay

05:35

worked to see if it's a viable solution

05:38

I think it's going to work but I'm not

05:40

sure and we're going to find out as I

05:42

start this retouching now ultimately the

05:45

inlay and the image is really only good

05:48

for the first pass of paint I'm using

05:50

paint that's a little bit thinned out so

05:52

it's a little bit transparent so that I

05:53

can see through it but you can see that

05:56

once paint goes down the under image or

05:59

under painting as it were disappears and

06:02

then it's up to me so this technique

06:05

isn't a Panacea it's not going to do all

06:08

of the retouching for me it's just going

06:10

to get me onto let's say second base

06:13

give me a head start so that I don't

06:15

have to start from scratch and really

06:17

it's the the form and the shape and the

06:21

volume that I'm looking to capture here

06:23

I have some images of this painting set

06:24

up on either side of the easel and I'm

06:27

looking at those while I'm doing the

06:29

touching to see how the highlights go to

06:32

see where the Shadows are just to have

06:34

another reference you can see that this

06:36

image is also a little pixelated it's

06:37

not as high resolution as I would have

06:39

preferred so I'm working with a couple

06:41

of other images that are smaller so they

06:44

appear higher resolution they're not as

06:47

you know broken up and

06:49

blurry then you can see that I'm kind of

06:51

inching my way towards the complicated

06:54

part starting off with the neck and then

06:56

the ear and then the cheek I'm really

06:58

kind of avoiding the Eyes Nose in mouth

07:00

because they're going to be really hard

07:02

and I want to again pick the low hanging

07:05

fruit try to give myself the best

07:06

Advantage now this is going to take

07:09

several passes and over the course of

07:11

this retouching I'll work a little bit

07:14

then I'll step away then I'll come back

07:15

and do a little bit more then I'll leave

07:17

it for a day or two and the retouching

07:19

of this face took a couple of weeks not

07:22

because I wasn't moving through it with

07:24

speed but because I needed time I needed

07:27

time away to take a more analytical

07:30

brutal look at the retouching that I had

07:32

laid down the day or week before to look

07:35

at it without rose-colored glasses and

07:38

to say well that didn't work so well so

07:40

let's come back and change that chin or

07:43

add a highlight here and it's slowo

07:45

goinging there's no easy way about it

07:48

you work a little bit you step back you

07:50

come back you reassess you work a little

07:51

bit more step back come back reassess so

07:55

on and so forth and what I'm trying to

07:57

do is get the forest and the trees

08:00

correct and by that I mean I'm trying to

08:03

get all of the little details but I'm

08:05

also trying to get the overall feel and

08:08

that's a real hard balance because I

08:10

don't have the original painting I have

08:12

images but I can't see the

08:15

original and trying to capture a feeling

08:18

I mean that's like trying to capture

08:21

lightning in a bottle it's almost

08:23

impossible so I'm doing the best I can

08:26

to work on making this face come

08:28

together but also to make it fit with

08:31

this painting because copying the

08:34

original might not be the right answer

08:37

it might fall flat so there's a delicate

08:40

balance between simply replacing what

08:42

was lost and making it feel unified and

08:46

again this is one of those things that

08:48

comes with tons of

08:50

experience the first time I did

08:52

retouching of this caliber I thought it

08:54

was great it looked great but my father

08:57

told me it didn't feel right I didn't

08:59

really understand what he meant until

09:01

many years later that something can be

09:04

color matched correctly it can blend in

09:07

but it can not be in accord with the

09:11

overall feel of the painting and it's

09:13

really hard to describe feeling but you

09:16

know it when you see it something just

09:18

matches it fits you don't see it as an

09:21

addition you go right past the damage

09:24

and everything comes together not only

09:27

does it get rid of the damage but it

09:28

complement the painting and so that's

09:31

kind of what I'm going for but like I

09:34

said it's a long road and it takes a ton

09:37

of time

09:39

[Music]

11:59

l

12:02

[Music]

12:29

I

12:31

[Music]

13:22

after a lot of passes on the face more

13:24

than I documented on video and more than

13:27

I've included here what we've seen is

13:29

just the first few passes it would have

13:31

been too much to capture all of it

13:33

really who wants to see weeks of

13:35

retouching I I know all of you but I

13:37

don't so this is what we got something

13:41

stood out to me when I looked at the

13:42

retouching it felt flat and I realized

13:45

that the cracks were missing so I had to

13:48

paint them in and I know it seems crazy

13:50

almost sacrilegious to un butiful clean

13:53

retouching paint damage but our job as

13:57

conservators is to make the damage

13:59

disappear to blend in and so in this

14:02

case adding these cracks painting them

14:04

in instantaneously takes an area that

14:06

your eye would jump right to because it

14:09

didn't fit to one that you go right

14:12

past now doing it on the body was pretty

14:15

simple doing it on the face well that

14:17

was a whole another level of

14:18

nerve-wracking because of course if I

14:20

mess up here I'm going to have to do a

14:22

ton of work to correct that mistake but

14:25

as I started to add these cracks the

14:27

face started to settle in it started to

14:30

feel natural it started to belong to

14:33

this painting and the retouching didn't

14:35

seem so pronounced now I have a few more

14:38

tricks up my sleeve with this face but

14:41

you're going to have to wait until the

14:42

end to see

14:44

it and after several weeks of retouching

14:48

this painting is complete and it's ready

14:50

for its final varnish and in this case

14:53

the final varnish is really mostly being

14:56

used to protect the painting give it an

14:58

Ultra Violet layer of protection and

15:01

also to control the sheen the retouching

15:04

and the first coat of resin I laid down

15:07

are a little uneven some spots are

15:09

glossier than others and some spots are

15:11

matte and that's not what we want we

15:12

want a unified sheen on the entire

15:14

painting and so I've mixed up a varnish

15:16

according to what I think is best George

15:19

trusts me implicitly and said just make

15:22

it look

15:23

great and now I'm applying it with my

15:25

spray gun and I've chosen to apply it

15:27

with the spray gun because it's a big

15:29

painting and I want a very thin very

15:32

even coat and I can get this with the

15:34

spray gun maybe a little bit better than

15:36

I can with the brush it's also just

15:38

simpler and I can move faster without

15:41

worrying about the varnish drying in

15:44

addition there are a couple of tricks I

15:45

have up my sleeve when I'm using the

15:46

spray gun that can modulate the sheen if

15:49

I find that it's too shiny like spraying

15:51

from higher up and letting some of the

15:53

resin dry as it settles on the surface

15:56

but in this case everything went very

15:59

very well and the application of the

16:01

final varnish was pretty simple so now I

16:05

can let it dry and return it to

16:13

George remind me George when you brought

16:15

this painting in I think it was August

16:16

of last year yeah right so a fall we're

16:19

approaching a year almost um we had some

16:21

delays and setbacks but suffice to say

16:24

this was quite a project to undertake

16:27

and I remember asking you in the

16:28

beginning what prompted you what you

16:30

know streak of insanity drove you to buy

16:32

a painting in this condition without the

16:34

face and I think you had said something

16:36

about what did you say that there was

16:39

something in it that needed to be

16:40

released there's something that needs to

16:41

be released that that needs to be um let

16:44

go there's a lot of story in it there's

16:48

a lot of history in it and it's just

16:49

it's really cool I wanted to figure out

16:51

why she was being taken out of the cave

16:54

or where she was at

16:56

and which direction she was looking at

16:58

and I figured be the person to do

17:00

it well yeah so it was I mean it was a

17:05

ton of work but you knew that we knew

17:07

that we had a couple of assists along

17:09

the way and I'll tell you about those in

17:11

a minute but uh I'm presuming you want

17:13

to see the painting oh God yes and not

17:15

the piece of canvas anymore huh not

17:17

anymore no all right I've been looking

17:18

forward to this for a while well let's

17:20

see

17:27

it wow

17:32

little bit of a change yeah just a

17:35

little it's

17:37

it's the face pops out a lot more than I

17:40

thought I have to say out of all the

17:42

ones that you have done this

17:45

is most impressive thank you this is

17:48

astounding for what you had to work with

17:52

because it was just in such a bad shape

17:54

I'm usually not one for no words but I

17:58

this this is

18:00

just I'm astounded on how well it turned

18:02

out no face to no words huh pretty much

18:05

it's just it's just I mean the

18:07

expression is perfect yeah you can see

18:10

the anguish and the agony in her face

18:12

and and the and the faces here on the

18:14

left where they're trying to struggle to

18:16

K her her from him like honestly I know

18:19

there was a lot to do I just cannot

18:20

remember how bad I I would love to look

18:23

at the photo and compare it to that cuz

18:25

it's just holy cow

18:29

right well

18:30

so that's what we started with

18:34

yeah yeah there's that big terar there I

18:36

remember when across the whole en the

18:37

whole painting was torn in half this

18:39

went all the way through it was really

18:41

in four or five pieces all of this was

18:44

disintegrated I mean it was just my God

18:48

I every bit of it was honestly I don't

18:50

know what possessed us to say yes to

18:53

this I just knew it had to

18:56

be given another chance it was just it

18:58

wasn't worth someone just disposing of

19:00

and it had to be saved you had you had a

19:03

feeling I thought you were kind of crazy

19:06

I I've been crazy but um on some of my

19:09

purchases but yeah this one definitely

19:11

not this was

19:14

something how did you figure out what to

19:17

do with her missing face yeah well I

19:20

mean I think back when we first saw it

19:21

we talked about all of the problems that

19:23

it had and how those were kind of those

19:26

were challenges but kind of wrote for us

19:28

we've done that many times before for

19:30

you too but the the elephant in the room

19:33

was the missing face and I think I

19:35

teased that I had a couple of ideas yes

19:37

you did yeah we were able to reach out

19:39

to the Hermitage in Russia who has the

19:41

original and um they pulled it from

19:43

Storage cuz it's not on display for me

19:45

and they took some photographs of the

19:47

piece some medium resolution photographs

19:50

and they they sent them to me which was

19:52

really really kind of awesome that they

19:54

were were willing to do that um and then

19:58

we took that and we printed it onto a

20:00

piece of canvas in archival ink and then

20:03

inlaid that canvas into the void and it

20:06

took a lot of manipulation on the

20:08

computer to get the color to get the

20:10

shape um because it didn't fit perfectly

20:12

it wasn't like a matching puzzle piece

20:14

but we wanted to use the original as the

20:17

basis for starting so that we I wouldn't

20:20

be led astray so that I had something to

20:23

work from so in comparison this to the

20:25

original that's in the

20:27

Hermitage it's true the form it is this

20:30

is a copy of the one that's original so

20:32

the artist took Liberties uh and you

20:34

know I I overlaid the original on top of

20:36

this one and you know slight things are

20:38

in different perspective you know the

20:40

faces are a little different but you

20:42

know this as it is now is a faithful

20:45

homage to the to the original that's in

20:47

the Hermitage perfect that was the goal

20:49

is get back to way it was supposed to be

20:51

right from its original creation right

20:54

to be enjoyed for many many more years

20:56

to come

21:00

well not here I want you to get this

21:01

thing out yes very much sick of looking

21:03

at

21:03

[Music]

21:16

it it was amazing it was something that

21:19

we've been looking forward to for a very

21:20

long time and when the curtain was kind

21:24

of dropped it yeah it was worth the wait

21:27

definitely worth the wait very

21:29

[Music]

21:31

impressed hopefully that after I'm gone

21:34

many more people can enjoy

21:36

it that was the whole whole point behind

21:39

art is meant to be shared and seen by

21:42

others when I'm looking for art to

21:45

either save or collect and add to the

21:48

collection that little voice in my head

21:50

always says is this something that

21:51

Julian can fix face or no face or

21:54

missing half the canvas this is

21:56

definitely something jul confin

22:01

what do you think I did

22:06

good I think she agrees

22:09

[Music]

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