Ask A Scientist Chemistry Archive

name         Nicole J.
status       student
age          16

Question -   I am currently doing a project on the relationship between the art restoration and chemistry, but I don't understand how you know what type of painting it is and what kind of chemicals you need to use for the restoration.  Is there a way that you can explain this maybe using an example if possible?  And can I find those chemicals needed to use and where can I find them?
Thanks for your time and efforts
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Nicole,

From the content of the latter part of your inquiry, it appears that you may wish to do a little 
art restoration on your own. If that is your objective, I suggest you reconsider. There are 
basically three kinds of artist paints -- oil based, watercolors, and the more modern acrylics. 
Their chemistry and properties very different from each other and each takes a special 
restoration approach.

Besides repairing physical damage to a painting, restoration often involves cleaning the 
painting's surface in a way that does not damage or alter the original artwork. There is a 
good deal more to this than simply washing the dirt off. I suggest you contact someone at a 
museum and ask them your questions. These experts can tell you what you seek.

Regards,
ProfHoff 654
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Art restoration is a very sophisticated and complex area of chemistry. The type of paint, its 
age, the pigments, the type of  degradation, and many other factors go into what chemicals and 
procedures are applied to reclaim the art work. Frequently, various non-destructive analytical 
methods are used to do the job. You might find some leads by doing a search on the subject on 
the Internet -- say using a search engine like www.google.com. This chemical application is as 
fascinating as a detective novel, and just as challenging as any Sherlock Holmes story.

Vince Calder
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