Restoration or vandalism?

[Allegra]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19349921 -

'An elderly parishioner has stunned Spanish cultural officials with an alarming and unauthorised attempt to restore a prized Jesus Christ fresco.
...
The once-dignified portrait now resembles a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic'.

 

[Kylara]

Haha I saw that yesterday too...brilliant! Shame about the original, but I love the audacity of it...Apparently it looks a lot like a WWE fighter/wrestler/person...

 

[The Judge]

Yes, I saw this. You have to wonder if the poor woman is mentally ill in view of how she went about it.

 

[Dave]

I believe as many people think they can paint as believe they can write, and will continue to do so unless someone tells them otherwise.

 

[Ursa major]

When the perpetrator reaches the pearly gates, St Peter might very well say, "Sorry, but we can't just brush your behaviour off."

 

[Gary Compton]

She'll have to canvass the angels for forgiveness.

 

[Venusian Broon]

We don't have any historical portraits of Jesus.

Whose to say that her version isn't closer to the truth than the one that she changed?

However having seen her effort, if he did look like that I'm sure his features would have been remarked upon at the time.

 

[Foxbat]

A few years ago, I visited The Hermitage in St Petersburg. On display was the restored Rembrandt (Danae - the one splattered with Sulphuric acid in the early nineties). The restoration work took about 8 years to complete. I have to say that the work of these restorers was extremely impressive. It was obvious even to a philistine like myself that restoration is an art in itself and should only be carried out be very skilled experts.

 

[thaddeus6th]

Haven't we bean here before?

 

[EricWard]

Poor Jesus. It looks like he got caught in a can crusher.

 

[kshRox]

When the perpetrator reaches the pearly gates, St Peter might very well say, "Sorry, but we can't just brush your behaviour off."

Oh my Big Bear, that was bad, very bad.

 

[Starbeast]

My jaw dropped. I can't believe she thought she did a fine job, the picture looks like a muppet monster to me. Sheesh!

I can see her giving it back, saying: "There, it's done. What do think? I can see by your big eyes you can't believe I restored the painting. Got anything else around here you need touching up?"

 

[Vertigo]

I fairness Starbeast I suspect she realised she hadn't done a "fine job":

The woman appears to have realised she was out of her depth and contacted Juan Maria Ojeda, the city councillor in charge of cultural affairs.

Sadly "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

 

[Cayal]

This has the Edvard Munch tick of approval.

 

[CyBeR]

When I saw that I actually felt bad for the painting that was ruined. Heck, I may not be religious, but that was a beautiful work of art.

Oh well...one man's trash...

 

[Starbeast]

I fairness Starbeast I suspect she realised she hadn't done a "fine job"

But wouldn't she know that far before finishing it? Couldn't she tell it looked bad, by at least an eighth of the way there?

This situation reminds me of that Mr Bean movie, where he ruined the priceless painting, Whistler's Mother.

 

[Dream Walker]

All restoration should be kept in the spirit of the original. Otherwise it is only vandalism and the affront is to someone who cannot protect their own work. It behooves us as a society to rein in these bad examples. they take away from our collective heritage.

 

[TheTomG]

I wonder what possesses some one (and read into that what you may, heh!) to think that they have the artistic ability to restore a piece of art? And why said belief overrides the thought that maybe, just maybe, they ought to ask the owners of the said piece of art before putting crayon to canvas... err I mean brush.

 

[jastius]

it looks like it was redone by picasso..
its still salvagable but it needs someone trained in monotone drawing techniques to proceed. you could blueprint a computer reconstruction and layer it over what was done. the problem i believe she encountered is that gesso is very tempermental.if you are not careful you get that browny dissolved thing happening.