Does Your Painting Look Dull?
Have you ever wondered if a painting in your collection is less vibrant than it should be? Does the entire surface appear yellow? You may be viewing your painting through a discolored layer of dirt, grime, or old varnish on the surface of the painting. There’s a chance what you are looking at is obscured by this discoloration and the painting is more beautiful than you ever imagined.
As a rule, natural resin varnishes used until the 1950s have a tendency to yellow over time. Synthetic varnishes can also discolor depending on how it was applied or negative impacts due to environmental conditions.
Depending on how a painting was cared for throughout its lifetime, dirt and grime can accumulate on its surface. A painting hung over a well-used fireplace for many years may darken excessively. An unvarnished contemporary painting can be at an even greater risk for permanent damage because there is no protective layer over the surface.
“We have seen many paintings where the sky appears more green than blue due to a yellowed varnish,” explains Lowy’s chief conservator.
In obvious cases, a painting may be so dark that the subject is barely discernible and a cleaning is clearly needed. In other instances, the discoloration may be less apparent, but still obscure the true colors originally painted by the artist.
Can My Painting Be Cleaned?
An experienced art conservator will run tests to determine whether your painting can be safely cleaned and you may be in for a very pleasant surprise.
If a painting has been in your collection for many years and not examined by an art conservator or if, based on your knowledge of the work of a particular artist, the colors appear dull or discolored, Lowy recommends having your painting evaluated by a professional art conservator.
Not All Paintings Can Be Cleaned
Unfortunately not all paintings can be cleaned. Depending on the techniques and mediums used, the grime could be embedded in the paint or the varnish could be crosslinked with the original paint layer. Glazes on the surface of a painting can be integral to an artist’s technique and if these glazes discolor over time, then removing them may change the intended appearance of the painting, which is inadvisable. For this reason, careful solvent and detergent tests should be conducted before any cleaning is done.
Contemporary paintings pose a whole new range of cleaning issues due to the unconventional materials used in them. Lowy recommends consulting with a professional art conservator experienced in cleaning the type of painting or, even better, in cleaning actual works by the artist who painted the piece that needs to be cleaned.
NEVER conduct tests on a painting yourself. Solvents can damage a sensitive medium if not handled properly and even detergents can discolor or cause varnish blanching.