Summer Courses
Introduction to Art Conservation
Credit hours: 3--Contact hours: 45
Dept: Art and Design
Course Description:
The field of art conservation/restoration will be examined from a European
and American point of view. We discuss the basic principles and theories
of heritage conservation, including the recent restoration of the Sistine
Chapel. Each class session is fully illustrated with wonderful visual
examples of heritage conservation projects, such as the restoration of
DaVinci’s Last Supper, the Primavera by Botticelli and Brancacci Chapel
frescoes. The concept of patina in a work of art and the hand of time versus
the hand of man in preserving the art work.
The agents of deterioration, including biological, chemical and physical
are explained within the context of material culture, that is what objects
of art
are made of: organic and inorganic materials. Other topics include care of
cultural property and requirements for admission to graduate school
in the USA and Europe.
We delve into the history of the field and its rapid evolution as a result
of the great flood of Florence on November 4, 1966.
In addition the
student will
learn how to examine art and take measures to help preserve it and keep it
in good condition and protect it from environmental damage. Site
visits to the Uffizi
Museum, Pitti Museum and other locations of recent restoration in and around
Florence. Lastly we discuss future trends in the field of heritage conservation,
including employment opportunities.
Students work assignments include the
readings, writing a paper on the topic, site visits, and producing
a watercolor study
of an artwork. Producing a detailed watercolor study of an art
work helps train
the eye and gives them practical experience in looking at details in a
work of art.
Two site visits per week are planned to local museums, parks,
galleries in Florence and surrounding region. Textbook:“The Theory
of Restoration” by
the famed Italian art restorer Caesar Brandi.
Instructor:
Tony Rajer, professional art conservator, museum specialist. Graduate
of UW-Milwaukee (BA-Art history and Chemistry), Harvard University (Conservation
certificate) and ICCROM- Rome (Mural Conservation). Author of the several
books on art and heritage conservation, including “Museums of Wisconsin”, “Paris
in Panama”, “Public Sculpture in Wisconsin”. Former State
Capitol art conservator and Fulbright scholar. He is based in Madison,
Wisconsin.
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