Old oil paintings are suffering from chemical “acne”
Science & technology | Blemish treatmentOld oil paintings are suffering from chemical “acne” Conservators are scrambling to rescue them Desperate for a spa dayPhotograph: Børre Høstland/The National Museum May 28th 2025WHEN AN OIL painting is dried and finished, it is supposed to stay that way. Yet when Ida Bronken, an art conservator, began to prepare Jean-Paul Riopelle’s “Composition 1952” for display in 2006, she noticed drops of wet paint were trickling down the canvas from deep within the masterpiece’s layers. Equally odd were the tiny, hard, white lumps poking through the painting’s surface, as if it had a case of adolescent acne. Other sections seemed soft and moist; some paint layers were coming apart “like two pieces of buttered bread”, Ms Bronken says.Explore moreScience & technologyThis article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Spot treatment”From the May 31st 2025 editionDiscover stories from this section and more in the list of contents⇒Explore the editionReuse this content
#old #oil #paintings #are #suffering
Old oil paintings are suffering from chemical “acne”
Science & technology | Blemish treatmentOld oil paintings are suffering from chemical “acne” Conservators are scrambling to rescue them Desperate for a spa dayPhotograph: Børre Høstland/The National Museum May 28th 2025WHEN AN OIL painting is dried and finished, it is supposed to stay that way. Yet when Ida Bronken, an art conservator, began to prepare Jean-Paul Riopelle’s “Composition 1952” for display in 2006, she noticed drops of wet paint were trickling down the canvas from deep within the masterpiece’s layers. Equally odd were the tiny, hard, white lumps poking through the painting’s surface, as if it had a case of adolescent acne. Other sections seemed soft and moist; some paint layers were coming apart “like two pieces of buttered bread”, Ms Bronken says.Explore moreScience & technologyThis article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Spot treatment”From the May 31st 2025 editionDiscover stories from this section and more in the list of contents⇒Explore the editionReuse this content
#old #oil #paintings #are #suffering