Why are paintings by Reynolds so difficult to clean? | Art Restoration | National Gallery

Conservator Hayley Tomlinson tackles cleaning a Joshua Reynolds painting, 'Captain Robert Orme'.
Get a closer look at the painting on our website:
www.nationalgallery.org.uk/pa...
Find out more about artist Sir Joshua Reynolds:
www.nationalgallery.org.uk/ar...
00:00-00:34 Introduction
00:35-01:36 What is the story in this painting?
01:37-02:53 Reynolds' experimental style of painting
02:54-05:45 How do we clean this difficult picture?
05:46-05:59 Outro
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The National Gallery houses the national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. The museum is free of charge and open 361 days per year, daily between 10.00 am - 6.00 pm and on Fridays between 10.00 am - 9.00 pm.
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[@msb5775]

So basically, conservators are chemists and historians in one. Absolutely talented

[@dawnmichelle4403]

I'd love to see the restoration/conservation in its entirety! I enjoy Julian Baumgartner's conservation videos, and it would be interesting to see how his processes differ from yours.

[@nationalgallery]

Hi Dawn, the conservation process for this painting is still happening but we wanted to show the early stages here! But we do have a whole playlist showing how our Conservation team work here: kzbin.info/aero/PLvb2y26xK6Y4i1rQVRppfR3mBHcwybGA0

[@dawnmichelle4403]

@@nationalgallery thank you!

[@humdinger5701]

I'm so glad we have people like Hayley. It's because of people like her the rest of us have the chance to experience and enjoy our history.

[@johncooper6413]

Very clear and informative. Forgive a military pedant, but Captain Orme was carrying a despatch about GENERAL Braddock’s defeat and death.

[@pamelahofman1785]

Cleaning paintings has always been a subject of interest to me because it seems so delicate and difficult to do without damaging the original artwork. I'm in awe of Hayley's expertise. Thank you for sharing this.

[@njlillycline]

I have a copy of this portrait; Capt. Orme and I share a great-grandfather, Col. Ninian Beall, and so I felt compelled to commemorate him by adding him to my collection! It’s large, but not this large. Thanks for all you do to preserve these beautiful works of art.

[@Pollyalba]

I love her clear and calm way to deliver informations, it was very interesting and relaxing at the same time!

[@coreygrua3271]

One marvels at such knowledge, both of an acknowledged master and the methods needed to preserve his masterpieces. I am full of wonder.

[@JJONNYREPP]

Why are paintings by Reynolds so difficult to clean? | Art Restoration | National Gallery 2.3.22 1648pm peace in our time, or so they said....

[@Siansonea]

Is there a way to determine if the varnish sandwiched between paint layers is actually between original paint layers? Could it be that the varnish boundary is the original paint layer, and the paint above it was added later to "improve" the painting by conservators? How would you make that distinction?

[@nationalgallery]

Hi there, great question. It’s true that a varnish layer between paint layers could be a 'boundary' between the original paint and not original layers added at some point in the 'life of the painting'. So, we analyse the various layers checking the pigments and binding media, as often the materials used in later restorations are different from those used by the artist. Sometimes we’re even able to date a retouching layer based on the presence of pigments we know were introduced at a specific time in history!

[@ssutherland2526]

Thank you Hayley for taking the time to clearly explain the conservation process and challenges presented to the conservator.

[@peterolsen6454]

One of the clearest explanations (visuals and their insertion) I have seen in a long time.

[@stvp68]

The visuals of the fluorescence are very helpful

[@RamadaArtist]

As someone who has a degree in painting and was considering studying art conservation before settling on fine arts, I both appreciate this explanation of the process, and the fact that whenever you're wearing the magnifying glasses and talking to the camera you lean your head back like you're just a totally chill dude-bro. Not at all the intentional vibe of the rest of the content, but aesthetically I enjoy the juxtaposition of themes.

[@mariacolon107]

I had a similar situation with a painting where we found that a mixture of 20% acetone with 80% MEK worked quite well, without leaving any residue nor affecting the pictorial image. However, we did have to swell the top varnish layer, leave it to dry and then come back at it again just to be cautious of the resins that were found inside the paint layer. Hope it all works out with this piece!

[@imaginaryguide1895]

Excited to see how this painting's restoration progresses!

[@pairoleggs]

i love how baumgartner fans have been summoned to this video

[@cstz]

I loved how the information was presented in this video, very clear and easy to understand. Great as always!

[@dumoulin11]

What a fascinating job this must be.

[@MaxTSanches]

Amazing the amount of chemistry that an art conserbator needs to know. :)

[@Missmethinksalot1]

Hayley Tomlinson spoke so so well. Instantly subscribed!

[@Danny........]

I started watching Baumgartner restoration a while back. Love his videos. I'm so glad to have found yours. These videos are so interesting. Thank you for sharing this.

[@MicaRayan]

What a painstaking process there is. Thankfully, with much skills and experiences it eventually giving ultimate justice to the painting at last.

[@vintagelvr4381]

absolutely fascinating. I had no idea of the history of varnishes and how different they were. Excellent video and very educational, thank you.

[@MatteBlacke]

I find this to be extremely interesting. I had never considered the complexities of art conservation. Fascinating.

[@rembvanrijn]

As ever, fascinating. Brings an over-familiar work into a new context.

[@LumenPsycho]

The patience this kind of job requires is tremendous.

[@GaitaPonto]

pause @ 5:41 and see the "X" structure that holds the painting matching the lines of the image almost perfectly.

[@mynameistaken99]

I could listen to her talk all day!

[@DipityS]

Fascinating! To have to remove four layers must mean this will be a long task - I'd be very interested to see the end and what could and couldn't be removed of the old varnish.

[@Thirdeyeddeer]

Arh this is my biggest dream to become a conservator, and I absolutely adore this video! So admireable to hear her knowledge about the art and all the methods! This inspire me even more to finish my education. amazing video :-)

[@what2watchyt]

So natural and smooth the way she works.

[@cree8vision]

This is so interesting. I've studied old master techniques and materials for many years in order to replicate the Styles. This shows an analysis of how layers were completed.

[@Raeptree]

I’m related to Sir Joshua Reynolds, loved seeing this on my suggested vids on KZbin

[@hshwhitten]

Absolutely astonishing.

[@celynnec]

i thought this was about ryan reynolds, was not disappointed by the restoration.

[@SimonGardiner-bj3pq]

I cleaned what was probably a preparatory sketch for a major Reynolds portrait? Tomlinson has very accurately described the problems with Reynolds. He loved to saturate each layer of paint he applied, with a varnish. This results in several layers of paint - separated by a much more soluble - or fugitive - varnish. Thus a number of his works have been easily 'overcleaned' in previous centuries. (This does not seem to be the situation with the better quality paintings in the NG! )To add insult to injury, layers of later overpaint were applied in order to 'replace what had been lost in the cleaning! I had to distinguish between the overpaint and Reynold's paint - without dissolving away the varnish between the Reynold's paint layers. Tomlinson's technique is therefore very sound, and requires great skill.

[@susanhepburn6040]

Fascinating as always! Thank you very much.

[@nationalgallery]

Our pleasure, Susan!

[@leoren2685]

Great presentation and the graphics really helped to understand the issues. Bravo!

[@DrewWasMe]

Fascinating work.

[@amymcnamara8467]

Fascinating!!

[@Am3lia77]

I've been studying these restoration techniques at uni so this is very interesting to see 😯

[@jailyneespana3582]

i was very privileged to take a class as an undergrad at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and see first hand some of the behind the scenes of conservatorship. So fascinating!

[@virginiaensinck5828]

What an awesome and complicated work!! 😯👏👏

[@jenniferholden9397]

You are doing a great job Hayley, I just wish it was me, but I chose nursing instead until I wrecked my back, badly. The knowledge and expertise you have is phenomenal. Well done. Oh and another reason I live in north Lancashire 12 miles away from Cumbria and 10 miles from Yorkshire so it would have taken a lot to leave my family and my home. 🌹

[@saf1819]

Beautiful work.

[@JJONNYREPP]

Why are paintings by Reynolds so difficult to clean? | Art Restoration | National Gallery 1652PM 2.3.22 no idea why i imagined klimt to be looking at pain under a microscope to garner ideas for his style of oeuvre...

[@jourdainjardin846]

I wish these videos could be longer. And more of them. I’m sure you would get a lot of views and earn ad revenue. Best wishes

[@nationalgallery]

Hi Jourdain, you're in luck - we have a whole playlist from our Conservation studios! kzbin.info/aero/PLvb2y26xK6Y4i1rQVRppfR3mBHcwybGA0

[@Ben-eo5vd]

Fantastic overview & explanation!

[@redparrot9489]

Love the picture timeline graphics.

[@Nichomachean5]

That... was... fascinating.

[@chrishoo2]

What a job & a half! Total nightmare- I’m in awe of you & your work.

[@victorg2217]

Super fascinating video. Thank you so much for this great channel.

[@elmohm]

this was so much fun thank you

[@georgegasmatron1]

Fascinating knowledge.

[@hay_bail1]

What an informative video! Great quality!

[@laurinbartel640]

Fascinating

[@TrevorTrottier]

This lady could have a weekly show.

[@maxdon2001]

Great video!

[@LesediLoFi]

I never knew this existed. Just wow, excellent

[@kmaguire7161]

This was so interesting. I love Reynolds. Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse is my favorite painting.

[@moritzbruckner837]

that was super interesting and I heard about stuff I never even knew. thanks! great job!

[@juleswins3]

Wow that’s a huge painting to have to clean a half inch at a time! Patience of Job.

[@chrisarchibald7580]

Omg thank you,been having this problem!

[@neureeves]

AWESOME ! :)

[@artecarlaprates]

Excelente trabalho, parabéns!

[@joecool7035]

interesting insight Thanks a lot

[@SirWussiePants]

I believe Maxfield Parrish intentionally varnished between each paint layer to get that glow that he is so known for. I assume conserving his paintings would also be an ordeal?

[@kevinnapier8996]

#Excellent #Art #Conservation #Education!! #WellDone #Media #Team!!

[@ruthjames9278]

amazing as always i would love your job

[@zoefoster1873]

Me too! I suspect you have to be good at chemistry to do it, though, which would rule me out!

[@ladyliddie7721]

As a kid wanting to go into the art field, I thought "ew conservatorship?" But now I'm like "wow, conservatorship!" Still not sure I could do it, but it's absolutely amazing

[@germanoscheller5095]

very cool

[@curtisgoldthorpe6656]

my brain just glitched and started repeating. " ryan reynolds paints?" over and over

[@paulcook7986]

Such patience.

[@purplecleo]

Love this person's knowledge for her craft, REALLY neat!

[@The_Butler_Did_It]

Robert Orme "Look, I've got this really important message to deliver, are you going to be long with the painting?" Reynolds "Just a few more days until I've done the preparatory sketches. Now please stand still" Robert Orme "I wish they'd hurry up and invent photography"

[@59jaguar]

Would like to know what a good varnish medium is to put over recently finished oil painting on canvas or linen? Do they all darken or yellow with age?

[@karldelavigne8134]

The real nightmare with Reynolds is when he mixed wax or bitumen into the paint. We had one which had cracked and blackened beyond redemption. It was said that his sitters often aged better than their portraits.

[@balmaaaaa]

Now im interested about this area, you made feel curius for the restauration and all the surrounds. Congratulations, VERY interesting video ✨

[@nationalgallery]

We're so glad you enjoyed it, Anita! We have a whole playlist about our Conservation team if you'd like to learn more: kzbin.info/aero/PLvb2y26xK6Y4i1rQVRppfR3mBHcwybGA0

[@balmaaaaa]

@@nationalgallery I allready watch everything ♥️ thanks a lot for your work and for share this kind of information. I just bought a plane ticket to London so I can see in first person all what I learnd with your videos. See you soon!! 😁

[@nemumami]

Darn you Reynolds!!

[@jamie110896]

Captain Orme … I rarely ever hear of anyone that shares my name. Our family don’t know our background. Makes me wonder …

[@connorsawyer2418]

Maybe this is a dumb question but could you not polish the varnish to clear up the fogginess instead of using solvents that could potentially dissolve the paint?

[@debrascott8775]

I'd love more of the actual cleaning to go with the talk.

[@nationalgallery]

Hi Debra, the cleaning is still underway but we wanted to show you some of the earlier processes that take place during the conservation of our paintings. If you'd like to see more from our Conservation team, you can have a watch of our playlist here: kzbin.info/aero/PLvb2y26xK6Y4i1rQVRppfR3mBHcwybGA0

[@TheQueen-ie5nv]

An interesting fact about the context behind this painting: the battle in which Braddock fell and Orme was involved in was also participated by a young George Washington!

[@MrTsiolkovsky]

"The River Ohio" that's quite funny as an American.

[@fj103]

A nightmare to restore! :)

[@Hey_Jeans]

How amazing. To learn how intrigate this job is I'd be so nervous to have that much responsibility

[@foodini]

How do you get the cross-section? Is that cut from the painting, or is that just a flake of paint that can be re-attached w/o permanent effect?

[@GreenZebra2795]

being a conservator is my dream job. I dont think i would ever be able to do it, but i can dream lol

[@ankavoskuilen1725]

Please keep us informed!

[@jeanneblondewomanstamping9788]

How are conservators protected from the occupational hazard of inhaling solvent?

[@nationalgallery]

Hi there, we take various steps to reduce the amount of solvent entering the atmosphere. Keeping our solvents in narrow necked bottles and trapping used swabs in lidded swab pots. We also have very good ambient extraction in the studios which ensures that levels of solvent in the atmosphere don’t get too high. For particularly hazardous solvents we have organic vapour respirators that provide 100% protection for the wearer.

[@Sirmenonottwo]

It is interesting how a painter was brought along in the campaign. Not something commonly done lately.

[@patstats1]

I’m curious. I see the ghost of a shield painted in the lower right corner. Does Xray show another composition underneath?

[@michaelomalley423]

Surprised to see the lack here of solvent ventilation/extraction trunks when conservators use organic solvents to thin or remove synthetic varnishes.

[@nickdryad]

I have such a lot of trouble cleaning my Reynolds.

[@16BitSiren]

Wow this would be a stressful job. You do not want to make a mistake with these 😖

[@MrGuardianofhades]

One of my more strange subs..nice

[@EP-yd7vz]

Gainsborough...swoon!

[@deltasquared7777]

Are you familiar with the use of applying cajuput oil for a reasonable period of time to gently soften old varnish; you can still gently swab off the unwanted layers, layer by layer? This is a drying oil, so when the oil dries the underlying resin glazed paint you choose not to remove by the swab is still preserved.

[@robertreynolds6725]

Hmmmm very interesting

[@ophelias4172]

As much as I dream about working with artifacts at museums, restoration and conservation work would be a nightmare. It's so fiddly and one wrong move and you have the potential ruined a priceless artifact.

[@jade.clarisse_]

Registered in my mind as “paintings by Ryan Reynolds” 😂