About Face - Restoring a Torn Portrait
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ส.ค. 2023
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The ability to stand in front of an object composed of wood, fabric and paint and become lost, to transcend time and space and lose one's self is something that no medium other than painting can achieve. Yet when the image is disrupted by tears, old varnish and grime, that illusion, the magic is compromised. Enter the conservator who, with care and precision will apply selected materials all in hopes of salvaging the painting, the magic and turning a lost situation about face.
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Julian could restore that portrait the Beast clawed at the beginning Beauty and the Beast, but he’d probably roast the previous treatment of it.
I REALLY want to see him do this as an April Fools or something!!
That would be a really fun episode! What an awesome idea.
I mean, the owner was really careless with that painting. 😂
I have one of me, from my high school production. Maybe I should send it over.
I'm started screaming lika an seagull!
Don't be afraid of making longer videos showing more of the processes, its part of the reason we love your videos
I'd love to see more techniques.
Conservation channels are interesting as well as this restoration channel
@@DaleDixplease point me in the direction of some.
How true!
Every time you mention letting the paintings sit for a couple days, it makes me wonder how you organize your time, and I’d love to see a week in the life kind of video. As much as I appreciate the videos focused on the journey of the painting from start to finish I’d love to see every day. How do you plan your day, how many pieces you work on in a day on average. Is there a particular time of day that you prefer to work on certain tasks? Do you plan out strategically knowing X painting will be sitting for a couple days so that gives you three days to work on other tasks or is it more free form? Is there a particular time of day that you take client meetings or calls versus work on retouching? It’s all so interesting and it would be a nice window into this craft as a profession.
Great idea. I have been wondering that myself.
Wow. I think you want this man's secret of making a living, or you are a tax collector. 🤣🤣🤣 only joking. He's just mentioned a dozen things. It's about YOU organising your day. He has to eat, drink bathe dress. And if he's an expert, he will be quicker than you.
When artists wait for work to dry, they have dozens of other jobs 'on the go'. You really ought to take the plunge and have a go, cos you seem genuinely interested. Be willing to spend years studying 'how to begin' because I don't think you can mess these up. Only just found channel. But some are saying 'genius' some 'rubbish'. This isn't helping us who have no idea. I am on you tube to learn, not gossip. Please say why its a rubbish technique. It's fascinating and this knowledge gets alot of people's attention during downtime. Thank you.
Especially since we always see the whole process for a painting, its easy to forget how much time is put into each individual work! Seeing a whole week of him bouncing between different projects to get a better feel for how much effort this takes would be amazing!
I agree! Would be very interesting indeed
Likewise. He's so calculated, articulate and organized. I truly wonder how he does it all and films and edits as well
There are conservators, and then there is Julian Baumgartner. THAT is magic! Kudos once again!
It'll be cool if owning a painting that was once conserved by "the great Julian Baumgartner" becomes something a future art collector can boast about😁.
That's an incredible painting and beautiful restauration. A moving story behind it. I'm glad this painting exists to remember her.
She was lucky she was beheaded. At the time, murderers in Rome were commonly executed with a method called mazzatello, where they smashed a criminal’s face in with a giant hammer. Truly an awful way to die!
Yes my thoughts as well
Restoration*
That was how the older of her brothers was executed. Her youngest brother, being only a child, was shown “mercy” and after being forced to watch his family being mutilated and killed was made a galley slave. And the family properties confiscated and given to the pope’s family…
Does it make me a horrible person that every time I watch content of his when he narrates in this fashion, I think of a American Psycho?
It never ceases to amaze me at what conservation can do. I have only ever had one painting conserved. It's no great masterpiece, done by an artist that even though signed it, is still unknown. However, I saw the painting at an estate sale and fell in love with it, but financially, we were struggling and really couldn't afford it so I left it. I told my wife about it, and she went grocery shopping a little later and came home with it. I look at it everyday, and to me, it is priceless. The conservation process revealed colors I had no idea were there. The change isn't as extreme as the ones featured here, but dramatic enough to make it have a very different feel to me.
Aww, your wife's a keeper. :)
Edit: spelling, cuz I'm a doofus.
your, not you're ... you're means you are. @@chocolatefrenzieya
@@melanisticmandalorian8909 Dang it! haha!
It's ok, you will get the hang of it :) @@chocolatefrenzieya
@@melanisticmandalorian8909 lol ok, smarty. :P
Thanks for the backstory. I really enjoy any historical narrative about the picture, the artist, his technique, and the art of the period.
Whoever the artist was who painted that picture really did a good capturing their model's essence in it. It looks almost more alive than most photographs.
There’s a painting in the The National Gallery that one is certain you should be able to reach in and touch the orchid. It’s the magic of oil paintings done by masters
The harp song is part of the story of italian TV. It is the Toccata from Sonata in La Maggiore by Pietro Domenico Paradisi. From the 60s it was used as a background music during the interruptions due to technical issues, accompanied by images of famous landscapes from the whole Italy. This interruption was called "intervallo" and became so much popular in the 70s and in the 80 to became almost an actual TV program in the 90s. Thanks Julian for resurrect this memory
That’s fantastic, thank you for sharing!
I was about to say that! Such a madeleine moment!
“And legend has it that every year, the night before the anniversary of her death, she comes back to the St. Angelo Bridge where she was executed, carrying her severed head.” [soft instrumental music playing in the background ☺️] 8:53
The original painting of which it is a copy is now in possession of The Net in New York, and at least for them, there seems to be some doubt about it's subject and the artist who painted it. But, looking at the original one can see why this copy was executed. It's quite beautiful, and this copy is a worthy one, and bears it's own charisma, because the copyist was immensely skilled in their technique. Both pictures capture an ethereal fragility in their subjects, both at odds with the tragedy of their purported subject Beatrice Censi. What she did was not the act of someone fragile, but of someone who found a kind of resolve with her family to put an end to her father's impunity. So, it's quite possible that the original painting isn't of Beatrice, but no matter. Her memory lives on.
I'm so glad someone pointed this out. I started giggling when the soft music began
@@BigHenFor I was wondering why Beatrice and her family didn't just choose to abscond, but maybe this brutal father also had a considerable estate.
@@BigHenForI think the original is part of Italian national collection displayed at the Palazzo Barbarini in Rome.
Came to look for this, the jaunty music paired with the macabre tale really got me 🤣
I’m so glad that Beatrice Cenci story is still known. There are so many paintings of women who’s stories are lost
The funny thing about the painting is that we now know that it was not Beatrice Cenci, but just a woman with a turban; and that the artist was not Guido Reni, but a female artist; Ginevra Cantofoli...
@@Sebastian_TerrazasWow! Had no idea. Women artists have been hidden for far too long.
Knowing the story of the girl and the family made this restoration so much more important for me to hear and watch.
Thanks for such an incredible experience.
You never cease to amaze. The retouching alone was phenomenal but the story behind the young woman was equally mesmerizing. What you've accomplished was to bring her back to life.
This was the best notification on my phone today.
Same
Indeed.
My thought ❤
I agree
I know! 😂
A beautiful restoration Julian, she has an angelic quality about her which can now be enjoyed for many years.
“Enjoy” doesn’t come to mind when I know her back story. Her entire life and death went from sad to horrifically sad. I don’t know if there is an afterlife but if there is I hope she found comfort and happiness. Then I can think of her without sadness.
Sorry. I am technology challenged. I did not want to reply to this comment
@@mircat28 The young ladies life was indeed horrific, but I was talking about enjoying the portrait as an exquisite piece of art which captured her beauty and innocence so lovingly.
@@mircat28elle a dans les yeux une immense tristesse.
Very true…
I'm glad you included her story because it made me look at the original. This painting is nice, the features are soft and delicate, but then you look at the original and wow. I feel like the original captures a sadness in her eyes compared to this one.
I did the same, and you're right. It just goes to show the excellence of Reni's work. This copy is marvellous, but the original goes beyond.
Seeing the clothes clean off like that was magical
It felt like the actual clothes had been washed clean.
I don’t know why I’m still surprised that cream or yellow clothes turn white when cleaned… but I am 😅
Julian, your video today gives me both joy and sadness. As always the conservation that you do on these paintings is amazing. I believe, that the caring and effort that you put into conserving these paintings does not go unnoticed by the artist and their sitters. And where ever they are they are smiling down on you. I'm saddened by the history behind this painting, that not only once, but twice this young lady was betrayed by people that, she thought loved and cared for her.
Family and religion gone wrong is an old story, sadly.
Heartbreaking story of this young woman, a fitting tribute so she is not forgotten. Beautiful restoration.
Wow, thank you for telling her story and treating her with so much respect.
What a queen! May she rest in peace.
The turbant actually was retouched after the face since it's shown first but when you go see the face retouching the turbant is yet to be retouched. :)
I noticed it too
I think Julian was probably excited to retouch the face so did it first 😂
That's what I figured, although I'm not sure why he said otherwise. Not much of a distraction, overall.
I'm guessing maybe enough time had passed between retouching and doing the voiceover that he forgot that the face was what he had retouched first.
@@iheartmops Yeah, but why call such attention to the order and then not correct his narration when seeing the footage?
My plan was to get up early this morning and get my life together, but now I'm lost in this painting, so... thanks a lot Julian!
No, seriously, thank you. This is where I belong.
Edit; that little vacuum hits better than coffee
Julian is so right about the magic of standing in front of a work of art and losing oneself in looking. The first time that I went to the Louvre, I went to see the Mona Lisa. I had expected to think that it was too chocolate boxy for my tastes. When I walked into the gallery there was only a security guard there, and he stepped out as well. It was just me and the painting for five minutes (it was near closing time and most people had left). The experience was truly magical, and to my surprise, I fell in love with the painting.
Years later I went to see Guernica in Madrid. Again, it was close to closing time, and it was just me and the painting. It took my breath away.
The very quick transition from the story about her carrying her severed head to beautiful harp music, killed me! 10/10 editing choice!
Besides being an amazing conservation professional, I always get touched by Julian's sensibility in his opening words. Thanks for bringing us knowledge, beauty, and poetry!
What a shock, to see this face again.
Fifty-three years ago, I studied painting in Rome. Our school (R.I.S.D.) was in the Palazetto Cenci, in Piazza Cenci, and my studio was next to the room which was the school’s library. In that library was (another) copy of Reni’s Beatrice. I spent hours looking at it and became so fascinated with it that I asked the school’s professor of Art History, Baruch Kirschenbaum, about the painting. He told me the story of Beatrice. That face and that story have stayed with me for fifty years, and I was very surprised to see Beatrice pop up in your thumbnail.
I imagine there were many copies made of Reni’s original but I want to thank you for restoring this one.
I would have hated it if she were to suffer any more indignities.
The absolute flawlessness of the original painting of her face is just gorgeous. Amazing to see under that old varnish and grime.
19:34 Thought the face was left for last??? No matter, the work is incredibly beautiful! Wonderful job, as always 🥰
Yes Julian, what’s your answer?! Have you been lying about other things as well, huh?! Awesome work as always!
He's testing us. Are we completely mesmerized by his words and voice, or are we paying attention?
The final restoration, however, is always well done.
I feel that such transgressions will summon a painting that is held on with staples that have been super glued as well.
I came to the comments for this. Unfortunately it completely brought me out of the experience as I fixated on it. Why lie?
Came here for this as well. The "easy win" area is seen completely untouched while he restores the face. Makes no sense.
Seeing the clothes clean off like that was magical. What a queen! May she rest in peace..
I think this man is genius. I cant believe how complex the overpainting is.
Luminous is the best word I can think of to describe this painting! Wow... just...wow! The sheen of her robe, the glow of the skin! It is spectacular, and you did an incredible job fixing her, as always! ❤ The owner must be so thrilled!
I really got more out of this restoration video BECAUSE of Julian telling the story of the subject. Otherwise, I would not have cared very much, since portraits aren't really my thing, I prefer landscapes. So thank you!
this painting is breathtaking. Her story is so sad. Julian you out did yourself on this one!!! Your work is impecable.
The final result looks flawless. I can't even tell that it had giant cracks in it.
“carrying her severed head”
*happy piano music plays 🎶🌸✨*
Ouch. The damage looks bad indeed. But here comes Baumgartner to the rescue.
The retouching sequence with the piano was simply magical - awestruck!
This is the face that millions of people should adore. The Mona Lisa pales in comparison. I have never in my long life seen anything as beautiful!
We calling this one apprentice hiding behind the door. I just wonder why she is no longer in the videos. She was enjoyable in the few she appeared. Great work, Maestro, as usual. Thank you for keeping us entertained.
Even if it is a copy, this painting is a masterpiece in its own right.
Your restoration was masterfully executed, as always.
How in the world did it get ripped that badly?
Julian, you are a miracle worker.
The restoration, especially of the face, is amazing.
This video has it all: art restoration, history, and defenestration!
What a tragic story behind such a beautiful face, what a beautiful piece of history and art. The restoration is as always masterful.
I love the torn ones 😅❤
I’ve been following Julian’s work for years now, and it amazes me every single time. I watch it everyday and it’s my moment of relaxing and watching something beautiful being restored.
Ps.: it’s adorable how julian now uses his new vacuum and is so proud of it!
There seems to be an interesting diagonal pattern to the canvas that I’ve never seen before, even in dozens of Julian’s videos.
I know this is a copy of a masterpiece but honestly the artist of this specific painting created a masterpiece! The soft work, lighting, the way everything is just so… perfectly beautiful. Absolutely incredible.
I’m so happy you got her back to looking beautiful!!! You did a fantastic job!
The cleaning for this one has to be one of my favourites. And what a gorgeous painting
Seu trabalho é impecável. Você é um mestre nesta arte.
Who needs calm app, when we have Julien? 😊
Outstanding work, sir! Thank you for sharing her with us. She is an exquisite beauty indeed!
The juxtaposition of "...carrying her severed head" followed by that sweet and light sounding music, is just sending me.
Merci pour ce fabuleux cours d’histoire de cette délicate peinture. C’est une très jolie copie ! C’est une œuvre d’art.
Excellents choix musicaux pour accompagner cette renaissance 👍🏻
À bientôt !
🌸🌸🌸
Sublime, magical, artistic and masterful work. I would watch few hours in real time watching you match the colours while retouching. 5*
A beautiful painting of a beautiful lady, tragically assigned to a brutal death. Thankfully there are paintings, excellently restored to keep her memory and image alive. Fantastic restoration, thank you.
This was a beautiful painting - the lady's skin was luminescent and I think you brought her back to life.
Please never let anyone say you shouldn't include the tucking of the linen backing into the video - I always enjoy that moment so much. Its like wrapping a present perfectly.
This painting reminds me of the one called "The Girl with the Pearl Earring." I love the tilt of the head on both. They seem so delicate. ❤
0:55 it's more than the damage that you see if you are the owner at the time of the damage. You feel all the emotions of the trauma or finding the precious one in it's damaged state. ... Truthfully, you feel the emotions a long time after the restoration, but eventually, the emotions fade as the beauty of the restoration heals and erases some of the sting of the trauma... as you really never forget the trauma, but you can't stay hurt when the restoration is so beautiful. 💖🌞🌵😷
The retouching always blows me away
When you retouch, and speed up the video, it looks more like you’re erasing the damage, than adding paint to it. Fine work.
Just a hauntingly beautiful painting Jillian. I am so glad they brought it to you instead of anyone else.
Thank you for including her story!
been following you for years now. It was today that I realized that 'pressure, heat and a bit of moisture' means you kind of iron those paintings flat. just, very gently.
With your diamond fingers, you restore the painting’s sparkle and vitality and add brilliance and beauty to it. you are creative . May God protect you, you who have diamond fingers. 👍💯💯💯💯❤❤❤❤
I’v been meaning to say this a long time ago but your intros for the paintings are simply exquisite.
As an archivist, the tape holding it together at the beginning almost made me throw up. lol
As always you can take the most difficult of projects and work with the client to restore dignity to the painting.
"carrying her severed head" *light and happy music starts*🤣🤣🤣
The translucency of those lips! Very beautiful painting. And the tragic story makes it even more special.
What a beautiful image, brought back to life by so much patience, skill and passion. An amazing tribute to a very sad story. Thank you ❤
I must say this is one of the most beautiful paintings I've seen. What you did in restoring it was nothing short of the most skilled master. So incredibly talented. A true master. Thank you for the work you do.
I love the magical moment when the retouching disappears into the painting ✨
Well that was knocked out of the ballpark. Incredible work and ethic
How immensely satisfying to see the painting as the artist intended it to be. To achieve this must be one of the real rewards of being a conservator with Julians skill and talent. All very life enhancing.
You did a masterful job restoring this painting. Thank you for sharing. It’s a great day when you post. ❤
A beautiful painting and restoration. The original is one of my favorites. The attribution to Reni is vigorously disputed. No matter, really. Painting speaks for itself.
Beatrice returned to all her glorious delicacy. Bravo!
You are amazing! She is so beautiful and I agree with your thoughts of transporting me to another time and place! You are by far the most talented restorer and I am so glad to have discovered your You Tube channel! 🥰
You know watching you in amazement restoring air has my eye looking in depth to every at every piece of art I encounter. It gives me pause to reflect on the image and what the story might be behind it. Thank you for opening my eyes.
I love the process of removing the varish and grime from the face of a portrait as much as the next guy, but seeing all the whites in her garments become white again was almost just as satisfying. Your work never ceases to amaze me, even after years of being subscribed!
Julian... I have watched every one of your restoration videos, so you would think I would be used to the transformations. But no. Every time, I find the process astonishing, satisfying, and I am overcome with the reborn beauty of the painting. Thank you!
These video presentations are amazing. Thanks so much for the time and effort in doing them and making your work available to us. It goes without saying that you spend an incredible amount of work creating these videos well beyond your time with the actual work itself. Many thanks.
Absolute masterpiece on your part sir. From the music to the videography to your narrative it was perfection. Bravo
There’s something very scientific about the restoration process that I love. It’s very much the same general process each time, which makes it more enjoyable to me because I feel I can understand what’s happening. But at the same time, the amount of expertise and precision in the details of his movements and methods (scraping glue, choosing solvents, applying paint) are so clearly the result of an incredible amount of experience. I don’t know much about this industry, but I have to think this man is an expert of experts. And he carries himself as such which is quite entertaining.
Julian: the peonies painting restoration turned out beautiful. I love looking at it in silence. Thank you. Carol from California
Beautiful painting and beautiful workmanship.
Julian: a beautiful restoration and quite a story. What a lovely piece of art work for a home. Carol from California
Bye far the best touchup I have seen by you. And you Amaze me every time I watch these.
I’m not just a subscriber I’m a proud subscriber, thank you.
Thanks for yet another superb restoration and video… you work ethic, your mastery and your generosity sharing it with all of us is something quite special. Thanks a lot Julian
Yes, Julian, it never gets old.
Great restoration work. However, there seems to be a continuity issue in the video editing: you touched up the tear in her scarf, but when you "moved on to her face" the scarf tear was still there. (Or the owner could have left it alone with the tears and tape and claimed it was a Banksy and worth a fortune!!)
Masterwork painting, restauration, narration, storytelling, videography... 10/10 all around. Thank you, Julian!
I have watched so many of your restauration projects and have never commented this one was special thankyou.
Beautiful craftsmanship. One question on this bit… it appears this scarf piece (18:57) is the bit on her head (eyebrow lower left?) If this is so, why does it appear unfinished when you move to her face?
Love your channel! Paintings are hung; people are hanged.
If it’s used commonly enough, and understood, it’s correct. Language evolves. There is no precision or meaning lost in using hung for a person.
Well that's an interesting assertion. However, a human being should always and everywhere be distinguished from an inanimate object. @@clixx13
@@clixx13 I disagree. Because a word is commonly used incorrectly doesn't make it alright especially when its due to ignorance and not evolution. The use of either word actually means something very different. To be hanged is to execute a living person while being hung is to mount a corpse for display.
you are the artist in what you do, to me, you have found your vocation in life, and this restoration is
a reincarnarnation of what the artist wanted me to get lost in. thank you, so much, for what you do.
I am an artist from Finland, and I just love to watch you are working ... you are soooooo talented
that retouching is absolutely fire. usually I can see where you've retouched on paintings if I look really close and with those beautiful zoomed in shots but this one is immaculate. Really well done on those colors especially in the face - skin tone is so difficult to get right even outside the context of color matching. top notch.
I was cheering saying...”good for her”...then devastated to hear what happened to her and her family...Beatrice Cenci was an amazing young woman...they certainly killed the wrong people...shame that the pope didn’t have that happen to him.....by the way, thank you Julian...you restored Beatrice’s beauty
The way her scarf and face lit up after they were cleaned. Not much can beat that.
Great, BRAVO! I find your profession fascinating to no end, dedication and thriving for the best, I salute you. Came across your videos searching for examples or tutorials on oil painting, did some of that when I was 14 or 15, now I'm 63, retired and going back to it. Thank you so much for taking you time and do these, excellent work. Peace on you and your family.