56-2930AMC Theory of Conservation: Study in Florence, Italy

This course will discuss the techniques used in paintings on panel and on canvas, fresco, and polychrome wooden sculpture in order for the student to become acquainted with the actual historical materials and the conservation methods used on each of these. Practical demonstrations using real materials (pigments, glue, resin, plaster, canvas) will also help illustrate theoretical dimensions of this topic. Classes will also consider the ethics and issues encountered throughout the field of restoration and its history. These concepts will also be discussed during museum visits in Florence and will be used in class for discussion. Examination and discussion of a work of art are important elements before, during, and after every intervention. Lectures will examine various fresco techniques found throughout art history and specific examples of fresco restoration applied to these works. We will visit Santa Croce and the Brancacci Chapel to illustrate the technique and the restoration used on specific works. The restoration of paintings, both on panel and canvas, will be discussed using visual images and, most importantly, museum visits, for a better understanding of techniques. For example a visit to the Bargello will highlight the collection of polychrome wooden sculpture and the various restoration techniques found on this medium. The course will conclude with the students’ own opinions on restoration as a profession and will examine the various responsibilities that an art conservator encounters when working with art history’s most precious documentation. This course is part of the Junior Year Abroad for Art and Materials Conservation majors study at Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute in Florence, Italy.

3 Credits
Requirements Department Permission