 |
Art Restoration: |
The Culture, The Business and The Scandal |
By James Beck, with Michael Daley |
| W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y., 10110, 1996, pp. 256, $14.95, paperback. |
|
| "The controversy surrounding the cleaning [of the Sistine Chapel] erupted almost from the beginning. It turns on a single, simple point: did Michelangelo modify and embellish his frescoes after the application of the buon fresco layer with traditional secco media such as size or glue-based painting, or not?" Beck's "simple" question may not seem to be composed of fighting words, but it is, in the art world, as loaded as an automatic weapon in the western US. The motivation behind, and the necessity of, certain worldwide art restoration efforts are questioned by Beck, including those targeting the Brancacci Chapel, the "Mona Lisa," and Barnes Foundation paintings. Beck makes an uncomfortable but compelling argument in his favor, and, like a kind of "conspiracy" theory, suggests that many restorers are too friendly with the chemical manufacturers whose products are used in their undertakings. Before and after black and white photos are included; the Sistine Chapel in particular, however, might have been better served using color images. While many may disagree with the author's opinions, Art Restoration's importance lies more in the questions it leads the reader to ask, such as: What might be the aesthetic cost of attempting to restore a masterpiece to its "original beauty?"
|
|
