A conservator has to be a detective 90& of their job, 10% being everything else. You go in as an artist, trying to fix a painting, and you'll fail. They are the detectives of the art world, investigating crimes (staples) against artmanity.
After watching the studio tour, I know the only reason Julian photographs the paintings using wireless is so that he is not in the room alone with the pink doll.
Ya know, one day we're gonna hear about the famed conservationist, Julian Baumgartner, being found dead in his storage room with the hands of a strange pink statue wrapped around his neck. Found scrawled next to him in tacks is the message: "It's reversible."
You just have to roughly know what the sponsors do and then listen out for the right keywords. This one does Ebooks or something, so here you listen for 'book', story', library', 'reading', etc. Yeah, you can block these sponsored sections with a browser extension, but that's not as amusing.
Right?! I’m watching the video on my tv and came to my phone *just* to read the comments to see if anyone else commented/noticed the transitions this time 🤣 King of sponsor placement 🙌🏻😆
@Michael Scofield I get my audio books for free from the government (perks of having a disability and living in a country that actually cares). Thanks for the tip! I'll look him up. :)
This is one of those channels where you don"t know how you stumbled upon it because you have no interest in art conservation and don't watch art videos but everytime you see a new video, you immediately click on it and watch the whole thing 😂
You put the feeling into words. If somebody would have said to me "let's watch a video of a paining being restored" I don't think I would have been very eager to watch it. And yet, here we are.
I’ve never seen a Rockwell up close, so seeing the canvas texture and brushstrokes is kind of a geek moment for me. I love seeing the hand of the artist in real life.
Back in the 90's, I was working a second job as a janitor. I'd been an art minor in college, so imagine my shock when I was cleaning a fairly standard conference room, vacuuming with my shoulder close to the wall, and suddenly realized I was seeing layered brush strokes on what I thought was a Norman Rockwell print. I stopped my vacuuming and stared at the painting in awe for several minutes, examining all the details up close. That room got extra special care during my tenure as its custodian.
From the label on the back of the canvas, the painting that Julian is examining Is a "Study for cover of April 4, 1953." As wonderful as the painting is, this was not the final canvas art for that cover of the Saturday Evening post of that date. A Google search of Rockwell's art, and the title "walking to church" shows reproductions of the final canvas. It is much more detailed than this "study"! Both are amazing works of art.
I wish I could remember where it is but one of the major museums, maybe the MoMA or perhaps the Smithsonian, has high resolution photos of their entire collection online. You can zoom in on pieces and view the brushstrokes, the color transitions, sometimes you can even see how the artist mixed two colors on the canvas so that from a distance you see a nuanced color but up close you can see it was a skillful example of canvas paint mixing. I'm sorry I can't remember which organization did it but I bet with a little googling you could find it.
@@professionalpainthuffer I haven’t taken an art class since high school, so I know next to nothing about art, I just like these videos. May I ask who Norman Rockwell was, and why he is so significant?
@@fallingskies8991 ofc you can. Norman Rockwell painted covers for the Saturday Evening Post from 1916 to 1963. He's considered kind of the father of modern American painting by some, the father of Americana painting by others. He was quite good at painting daily life without making it schmaltzy. I believe he also did several large scale paintings for the government, but don't quote me. Mainly, his contribution was to art was to use his work to communicate. If you look through his 50s and 60s covers, he says many things about the civil rights movement, for example.
My hypothesis: the owner wanted to show-off their Rockwell painting but had a hard time convincing friends it was authentic due to the lack of his trademark signature, so they requested that he add it. Rockwell, feeling miffed that his personal inscription was seemingly ignored, and that the owner was only taking advantage of the relationship, "took back" his inscription as they were no longer worthy of it.
I would not have believed it was a Rockwell either because it looks like an earlier painting or something, like not as skillful as his later, well-known works. I don't know for sure.
@@TV-8-301 : As noted in another comment thread, this one is a study for the final piece that became the April 4 1953 Post cover, not the final piece itself. That's why it's less polished than the works we typically see.
I didn't expect it to come up so soon. I mean, I heard it coming. It's pretty unmistakable when he starts making random, nobody asked comparisons. I was like "Really, Julian, an Audible ad 3 minutes in?"
Some questions that I would like to ask you, Julian: - You mentioned that, in the past, every artist/studio had their own recipe for paints and varnish. Has the diversity in these products decreased or, on the contrary, increased with industrialization? - Do makers/artists design modern paints/varnishes with conservation or, at least, long term stability of the painting/art in mind? - Do modern ingredients make the conservation easier or more difficult? Do they interfere with technics or the chemicals you use for older ones? Thank you.
On the question of artists using modern paints with conservation in mind, as an artist I feel I can reply: many modern paints are rated on a scale of light fastness (how long they will last without being bleached by the sun/natural light). Different levels of light fastness are mostly determined by the budget of the paint: affordable ("student") paints are less light fast, and more expensive ("artists") paints will last longer without fading. Cheaper paints are more commonly used when an artist is practicing techniques or experimenting with new techniques (for cost saving reasons). More expensive paints are more commonly used on artworks that are made with the intention to sell them, or exhibit them (which are more "important/valuable" so are more probably to be conserved in the future even if they are higher quality, just for the sake of keeping the value of the painting)
@@schoonergirl2658 I think I’m the one who uses way too much tape and it’s never over the flap and onto the body of the present. I miss 70% of the seam.
@@kitterzy For Christmas we count the number of pieces of tape that my sister uses to wrap her presents. Those gifts can sometimes be hard to get into!
Think that’s just you buddy lol. Why would anyone want to erase their teenage years. That’s the best time of ones life. Then you settle down and have kids. They are to be treasured so you can tell your kids not what to do lol. I sure do.
@@joeburrows6 there's 212 likes so maybe The Memeest Film Buff isn't alone, and i think some ppl just want to erase some cringy or embarrassing moments in their teenage years, not everything of that period
@@joeburrows6 If you had my teenage years I doubt you'd call them the best time of your life. People should be allowed to assess and decide what made them miserable and not have random people telling them that they wasted their teenage years because those were the best. If being suicidal is supposed to be the best years of my life, I mean... Learn some empathy, man.
@@dalekjast5 you can see a good bit of it next to the left of the fire hydrant under "normal" light too. but yeah, it looks like more than just the inscription was removed when you look at the colors on the sidewalk
"Remote photography station", sure. We all know that you just exit the room and wait for a bit for the purple baby to make the photo while you're gone.
I went to see the Rockwell exhibit at the Smithsonian in DC back when I was in middle school. The exhibit was amazing and it was incredible to see so much of Rockwell's work up close! But, I very distinctly remember seeing a little kid reach out and actually touch one of the larger paintings with their full hand. It was crowded, the parents were preoccupied with other siblings, and the gallery attendant and/or security guard was nowhere to be found. I was horrified and didn't know what to do or who to tell what just happened, so i didn't say anything. It wasn't until many years later, while watching this channel, that I learned that the painting probably had a coat of varnish and the kid's oily hand likely didn't do any damage to the actual paint. Thanks for lifting that little bit of guilt of of my younger self, Benjamin!
@@Nurse_Lucy hahahaha thanks for the heads up. I did see. For the briefest moment I thought he has the same problem as me when wrapping. Of course I was wrong. Have a great Christmas.
Its almost like someone was upset that their painting of Prince George was actually a painting of General Hamilton and said "#@¢% it, you keep the thing!"
Anyone else worried that someday Julian will be taking those UV pictures remotely and then he’ll pan over and the pink baby will have suddenly moved closer?
I was about to ask for you to make a video on how to pack fragile paintings smoothly, then I saw the end of the video and realized "well, I suppose we're in the same level."
This isn't the final version of this painting. From Sotheby's: 'Unhappy with the direction the painting was taking at a certain point, he began the canvas over again entirely, making several changes that ultimately enhanced the work’s narrative qualities. A comparison with a preparatory charcoal drawing reveals these alterations, the most noticeable of which is the addition of the steeple, peeking out from behind the Silver Slipper Grill. Rockwell added this structure, and the tiny flock of birds that spread out across the sky, because he believed these specifics “clarified the story he wanted to tell. Without [them], one might not have realized that the family is going to church." '
I've recently become fascinated with this channel. Not so much that I'm a real big art aficionado, but I do enjoy history and as a retired Chemist I'm fascinated by the substances used in cleaning and restoring.
the absolute amazingness of the fact you had your hands on a real norman rockwell painting and didnt have the chance to clean and refresh it is heartbreaking. you could just see that the colors were so vivid on that painting and it could of looked so amazing with a good refreshing. but the mystery is amazing too. the thought crossed my mind they had the inscription removed too for the value of the painting instead of it being locked to one family, but truth be told it probably would have sold better with the inscription because it was personalized and had more of his writing other than just his signature. but who could ignore that bright red signature either way.
Julian, I've been diving into a lot of restoration videos and am curious about some of the differences in the approaches you use! The biggest one is a lot of the museum channels I follow seem to use more instruments, spectroscopy and over-eye magnification tools, whereas we've mostly only seen you use handheld microscopes etc. Is this because of personal preference, equipment/budget constraints, workflows etc.? Or do you use these tools and just not film them as much? It would also be really cool if you did a video broadly explaining the different workflows for different types of conservation! I'd love to hear about how the usual steps vary for paintings vs for textiles, sculptures and frames.
If I remember correctly, for the more advanced examinations (like x-ray, spectroscopy, etc) he sends the work out for it to be done. I may be wrong though, so let's hope Julian answers.
I know that he's mentioned before that he learned conservation from his father, so he probably leans more towards more classic and natural ways of doing things. He's very much the "Why do I need a big, fancy piece of equipment when a little time, some work, and observation will tell me the same thing?" kind of guy.
Most likely, it's simply not worth it. Spectroscopy and similar equipaments tend to be quite expensive. Museums use then more often than not to analyse the best way to preserve an artwork or issues that may appear in the future. Conservation usually works with pre existing issues. So, is likely that Julian simply don't have a constant need for those types of equipaments that would justify purchasing them. Like a comment above said, he probably sends the artworks that need this type of examination to a third party.
oh my , JB , a rockwell, i'm from uk and get such weird looks when i mention him - but the life and empathy in his work is amazing . ty for letting us " up close and personal " with his work
Just wanted to let you know that I was able to show a clip from one of your videos today for a presentation of a university class! Your channel truly is satisfying, informative and entertaining all at once 😊
Great story! I can totally imagine that Norman gifted this painting when he was just a regular illustrator (as you know, "illustrators" were looked down upon in the art world at that time.) When he gained some fame and they were asked to lend the piece out for display, they realized that the painting was valuable. They probably asked him (graciously I'm sure) to erase the "unsightly" inscription and sign it, so they could display it as a "real" work of art. Kind of sad, actually. I wonder if Norman felt a bit let down by their request.
@@gracecadet3244 And the judge wasn't gonna look at the twenty-seven eight-by-ten color glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us.
@@paganpines As I remember in the movie "Alice's Restaurant" the police had taken nearly a hundred photos of the "crime scene" ... but the judge was blind.
Norman Rockwell is one of my favorite illustration painters. I painted a self portrait in his style where he was looking in a mirror while sitting. This is now my favorite video from your channel 👍
I would love to know how a conservator would handle a case where the pencil inscription sat on top of the varnish layer and the painting then needs to be cleaned? Would you remove the varnish layer along with the inscription or skip cleaning that area?
The use of a camera operator is really interesting, but often the lack of stillness just takes away from the clean professional vibe these videos normally have,, I found myself focusing on if the camera was moving slightly instead of the video :-/
Cool to see this window into Rockwell's process -- a fully worked up preliminary painting as preface to the finished work. Can then see all the many changes he made in the final painting. And finally everything looks so photographic when it is a relatively free-handed composite creation. But definitely needs complete cleaning and restoration by BR!
This painting is so pretty, it made me instantly smile! It's a shame that we didn't get to see it conserved, but nonetheless, this was an interesting video 😊
I've been to Norman Rockwell's estate a few times as a kid. It's like an hour from me. It is amazing to see the collection of art and his original studio.
I'm so happy I found your channel by pure chance, the way you walk us through the work you do, is fascinating and mesmerizing. So thank you so much, for the work you do, and share with us.
LOLed at the blooper at the end! What an interesting puzzle for you. Glad the museum let you film it. I hope they decide to let you conserve it in the future!
I just noticed around 4:50 that there's a camera operator that is filming you as you're working. If I recall correctly, it used to be fixed angles only, where you'd set a camera down and then perform the work. I'm not sure if you've employed the operator in other videos, but props to you and the operator for being able to incorporate the new dynamic camera while preserving what made the original-style great: a technical approach, almost instructional in nature, that frames _exactly_ what is being discussed in the narration with minimal "artistic" distraction. Your videos are very well shot, especially the walking gimbal shots.
Love Norman Rockwell! My mom has been collecting his plates and statue collectibles for years! He used to live in my hometown in NY ! Can’t wait to watch this! ❤️
A fascinating tale of who, what, when, where and why. After last week's video it was great to see you use your tools and spaces for this detective work. I, like you, wish the conservation work was part of the job, those colors could be bright and vibrant again. Who knows, perhaps one day this will return for our enjoyment.
Yay! I got home about 30 minutes ago from working 8 hr night shift and need to stay awake. My kiddo starts class in an hr or so and this video popped up just when I needed it. TY!!!
That would be interesting to know. A couple years ago I watched a documentary on Wolfgang Beltracchi, a former art forger. He made a career out of faking famous paintings & selling them. His family got like mad rich due to that. He also spent 6 years in jail for it after he was found out, but now he's actually decently well known. It would be crazy interesting if Julian ever stumbled across a really well forged painting or even Beltracchi's forged paintings. I wonder if he would still clean and treat a painting even if it was forged.
@@flowerdolphin5648 the irony is that now one of his forged paintings would probably sell very well precisely because of the dodgy history behind it :') funny how that works
@@flowerdolphin5648 I've often wondered, I heard on an interview once ... that a lot of museums and collectors deliberately avoid doing modern analysis, using modern technology on their collections because they're afraid of discovering fakes. In the interview, it was stated that he believe as much as 30% of art in museums are fakes. I don't know how he came by that number, don't remember anything else about the interview, so I can't give a citation. Sorry.
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Julian just out here telling his million and a half subscribers that the museum really should pay him to preserve the painting.
Hahah they should tho
They don’t?
Lol
He should. I’ve seen videos of some very prominent museums restoring VERY important paintings and they used......STAPLES!!
Lets start a petition to the museum to allow julian to clean the painting.
So I guess Julian can add detective to his long list of job titles.
I'd also add that he should be called Dr. Julian Baumgartner with that amazing handwriting :)
Always has been
The list is never ending and I love it!
I bet he can even cook. 😏
A conservator has to be a detective 90& of their job, 10% being everything else. You go in as an artist, trying to fix a painting, and you'll fail. They are the detectives of the art world, investigating crimes (staples) against artmanity.
After watching the studio tour, I know the only reason Julian photographs the paintings using wireless is so that he is not in the room alone with the pink doll.
Ya know, one day we're gonna hear about the famed conservationist, Julian Baumgartner, being found dead in his storage room with the hands of a strange pink statue wrapped around his neck. Found scrawled next to him in tacks is the message: "It's reversible."
😂😂😂😂
A pink doll with that probably glows bright with those lights on.
@@DominicNJ73 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂👍
@@DominicNJ73 Nah, JB would exorcise it with an "aggressive solvent" 🤣
julian: this video is brought to you by-
me: skillshare
julian: ...audible
me: *surprised pikachu face*
😄😄😄
He got you good. 😂
it was evident when he started speaking of stories and how he's voice isn't good enough.
It's literally the most obvious transitions to an ad
I said squarespace 💀
It’s like an episode of Scooby-Doo where Julian removes the Norman Rockwell imposters mask to reveal ... Norman Rockwell
"And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for this meddling Baumgartner!" - Norman Rockwell
Funny that you mention Scooby-Doo. When Julian briefly showed his handwritten notes, I thought they read "Scoobydoo?".
Julian: Where is the inscription?
Rockwell: Gone, reduced to atoms
Best comment ever!
Are you saying Rockwell used the inscription to destroy the inscription?
@@Supermelo29 agreed!!!😂
Audible....that's a weird way to pronounce 'square space'
Agreed, he must have miss spoke
😄
Idky but this episode when that smooth transition to the ad came on the first thing that can eto my mind was that distracted boyfriend meme
*Skillshare
Who needs an audiobook when there is hours of Julian on YoutTube?
The camera operator did a really good job with this one
Was scrolling way to long for this! It's awesome! It makes such a great video out of it!
The camera angles and the editing. The movement of the camera really adds to the feel of the video.
Have been searching for this comment! This video feels so different and and alive indeed!
Is this not the first video with a camera operator besides julian?
I didn't like it
julian: you never know what you will find in the back of a painting
general hamilton in the background: RIGHT????
Ok usually your transition to sponsors are okay but today I simply did not see this one coming at all
He's getting sneakier lol
It was so fricking smooth I almost became angry 😂
You just have to roughly know what the sponsors do and then listen out for the right keywords. This one does Ebooks or something, so here you listen for 'book', story', library', 'reading', etc. Yeah, you can block these sponsored sections with a browser extension, but that's not as amusing.
Right?! I’m watching the video on my tv and came to my phone *just* to read the comments to see if anyone else commented/noticed the transitions this time 🤣 King of sponsor placement 🙌🏻😆
Everytime he leaves me surprised but this time I was proper shooketh
I can't be the only one who wants Julian to read an audio book. Any book. really. That would be the only reason for me to get Audible.
@Michael Scofield I get my audio books for free from the government (perks of having a disability and living in a country that actually cares). Thanks for the tip! I'll look him up. :)
This is one of those channels where you don"t know how you stumbled upon it because you have no interest in art conservation and don't watch art videos but everytime you see a new video, you immediately click on it and watch the whole thing 😂
and now you want a painting to?
Ikr
@@egliosha mayyyybeeeee
ITS MAKES ME FEEL SO FANCY ISKKDKDK😂😭😭
You put the feeling into words. If somebody would have said to me "let's watch a video of a paining being restored" I don't think I would have been very eager to watch it. And yet, here we are.
I’ve never seen a Rockwell up close, so seeing the canvas texture and brushstrokes is kind of a geek moment for me. I love seeing the hand of the artist in real life.
Back in the 90's, I was working a second job as a janitor. I'd been an art minor in college, so imagine my shock when I was cleaning a fairly standard conference room, vacuuming with my shoulder close to the wall, and suddenly realized I was seeing layered brush strokes on what I thought was a Norman Rockwell print. I stopped my vacuuming and stared at the painting in awe for several minutes, examining all the details up close. That room got extra special care during my tenure as its custodian.
@@donaldwatson7698 That is a fabulous story! How lovely that you had that opportunity!
From the label on the back of the canvas, the painting that Julian is examining Is a "Study for cover of April 4, 1953." As wonderful as the painting is, this was not the final canvas art for that cover of the Saturday Evening post of that date. A Google search of Rockwell's art, and the title "walking to church" shows reproductions of the final canvas. It is much more detailed than this "study"! Both are amazing works of art.
@@donaldwatson7698 neat!
I wish I could remember where it is but one of the major museums, maybe the MoMA or perhaps the Smithsonian, has high resolution photos of their entire collection online. You can zoom in on pieces and view the brushstrokes, the color transitions, sometimes you can even see how the artist mixed two colors on the canvas so that from a distance you see a nuanced color but up close you can see it was a skillful example of canvas paint mixing. I'm sorry I can't remember which organization did it but I bet with a little googling you could find it.
The fact that he got to work on a Norman Rockwell, I-
Right? I've been waiting this whole time for an artist I'm familiar with, but I did not expect the lord almighty of modern american painting.
@@professionalpainthuffer I haven’t taken an art class since high school, so I know next to nothing about art, I just like these videos. May I ask who Norman Rockwell was, and why he is so significant?
@@fallingskies8991 ofc you can. Norman Rockwell painted covers for the Saturday Evening Post from 1916 to 1963. He's considered kind of the father of modern American painting by some, the father of Americana painting by others. He was quite good at painting daily life without making it schmaltzy. I believe he also did several large scale paintings for the government, but don't quote me. Mainly, his contribution was to art was to use his work to communicate. If you look through his 50s and 60s covers, he says many things about the civil rights movement, for example.
@@professionalpainthuffer oh cool! Thank you for that information! :D
My hypothesis: the owner wanted to show-off their Rockwell painting but had a hard time convincing friends it was authentic due to the lack of his trademark signature, so they requested that he add it. Rockwell, feeling miffed that his personal inscription was seemingly ignored, and that the owner was only taking advantage of the relationship, "took back" his inscription as they were no longer worthy of it.
Spot on. Bet that’s exactly what happened. Owner wanted it done in bright red so everyone could see it too
I would not have believed it was a Rockwell either because it looks like an earlier painting or something, like not as skillful as his later, well-known works. I don't know for sure.
I wonder, though, why he would write an inscription in pencil if he didn't plan on removing it.
Artists don't always plan ahead like that though... sometimes decisions are made in the spur of the moment
@@TV-8-301 : As noted in another comment thread, this one is a study for the final piece that became the April 4 1953 Post cover, not the final piece itself. That's why it's less polished than the works we typically see.
Damn, Julian slapped us with the transition outta NOWHERE. I did NOT see it coming. Well done as usual Julian.
Nah, hes slipping. That one was too set up, lol
nah theyre always so set up, he just starts talking about an unrelated topic that has nothing to do with the conservation
Just when you start learning to predict a square space ad he throws in an audible.
I didn't expect it to come up so soon. I mean, I heard it coming. It's pretty unmistakable when he starts making random, nobody asked comparisons. I was like "Really, Julian, an Audible ad 3 minutes in?"
@@janemorrow6672 oh well wordplayed
I love how in this video and studio tour "prince George" is just lying there waiting to be discovered as a general Hamilton
Some questions that I would like to ask you, Julian:
- You mentioned that, in the past, every artist/studio had their own recipe for paints and varnish. Has the diversity in these products decreased or, on the contrary, increased with industrialization?
- Do makers/artists design modern paints/varnishes with conservation or, at least, long term stability of the painting/art in mind?
- Do modern ingredients make the conservation easier or more difficult? Do they interfere with technics or the chemicals you use for older ones?
Thank you.
Signal boosting bc those are good questions and I want to know too :)
F
!!
Up-up-up
On the question of artists using modern paints with conservation in mind, as an artist I feel I can reply: many modern paints are rated on a scale of light fastness (how long they will last without being bleached by the sun/natural light). Different levels of light fastness are mostly determined by the budget of the paint: affordable ("student") paints are less light fast, and more expensive ("artists") paints will last longer without fading. Cheaper paints are more commonly used when an artist is practicing techniques or experimenting with new techniques (for cost saving reasons). More expensive paints are more commonly used on artworks that are made with the intention to sell them, or exhibit them (which are more "important/valuable" so are more probably to be conserved in the future even if they are higher quality, just for the sake of keeping the value of the painting)
At the very end...Julian’s struggles with tape.
Me: Every time I wrap a damn present.
Yep. If I end up in Hell I'll be in the gift wrapping department.
@@schoonergirl2658 I think I’m the one who uses way too much tape and it’s never over the flap and onto the body of the present. I miss 70% of the seam.
Yes, but it is conservation wrapping tape, acid free 8-)))
@@kitterzy For Christmas we count the number of pieces of tape that my sister uses to wrap her presents. Those gifts can sometimes be hard to get into!
I am one of those nuts who wants each present to look special. Probably borderline OCD!
I never realised how truly illegible Julian's handwriting was til now
Makes me feel better about my own chicken scratch
I was impressed he was using a standard clipboard and lined paper, just as if he's a human being. Instead of the HIGHER LIFEFORM we all know he is.
So Rockwell essentially did what everyone wants to do whenever they remember their teenage memories and *erase it.*
*Tries to erase his existence from the painting*
Us years later: *Hah! You thought!*
Think that’s just you buddy lol. Why would anyone want to erase their teenage years. That’s the best time of ones life. Then you settle down and have kids. They are to be treasured so you can tell your kids not what to do lol. I sure do.
@@joeburrows6 there's 212 likes so maybe The Memeest Film Buff isn't alone, and i think some ppl just want to erase some cringy or embarrassing moments in their teenage years, not everything of that period
@@joeburrows6 There are a lot of people with shitty childhoods. Feel blessed that you don't have bad memories.
@@joeburrows6 If you had my teenage years I doubt you'd call them the best time of your life. People should be allowed to assess and decide what made them miserable and not have random people telling them that they wasted their teenage years because those were the best. If being suicidal is supposed to be the best years of my life, I mean... Learn some empathy, man.
I wonder if we'll see that painting again after they read the report on it needing some TLC.
I really hope so!!
The ad transition is smoother than airbrushed varnish.
God ... i wanted to see that paint cleaned off ... That colors (10:19) already looks gorgeous ... Imagine the greens on the walls.
That infrared photo looks like the inscription was erased with an actual eraser.
The fact it was written in pencil makes you think it wasn't meant to be permanent.
I noticed that too. You can see the tail end of his signature from the inscription hiding under where the red one is on the curb.
@@dalekjast5 you can see a good bit of it next to the left of the fire hydrant under "normal" light too. but yeah, it looks like more than just the inscription was removed when you look at the colors on the sidewalk
Your camera person is doing a fantastic job.
U up?
Imagine Julian sponsoring something like Raid Shadow Legends or AFK Arena. That would be something.
I CANT IMAGINE
Julian would never stoop down to that level of sponsorship
@@coffeewentcold but it would be funny and ridiculous
@@catherineliu06 can you imagine the sidetrack he'd need to take to lead us there? glorious
@@coffeewentcold Do you know what "imagine" means? We know he'd never do it, but _imagine._
I want to cry. Julian has a cameraman now. After all these years, this is so beautiful... (QuQ)
omfg that was a smooth transition to audible ngl damn
"Remote photography station", sure. We all know that you just exit the room and wait for a bit for the purple baby to make the photo while you're gone.
0:20 -Prince George- General Hamilton casually chillin' in the background
Omg please please please Museum let Julian restore this painting 🙏
I went to see the Rockwell exhibit at the Smithsonian in DC back when I was in middle school. The exhibit was amazing and it was incredible to see so much of Rockwell's work up close! But, I very distinctly remember seeing a little kid reach out and actually touch one of the larger paintings with their full hand. It was crowded, the parents were preoccupied with other siblings, and the gallery attendant and/or security guard was nowhere to be found. I was horrified and didn't know what to do or who to tell what just happened, so i didn't say anything.
It wasn't until many years later, while watching this channel, that I learned that the painting probably had a coat of varnish and the kid's oily hand likely didn't do any damage to the actual paint. Thanks for lifting that little bit of guilt of of my younger self, Benjamin!
Ah, you lucky dog.
can't get over the cinematography..... it's so extra in this video!
Thanks for being human there at the end. It makes us appreciate your skill more knowing you aren't super human. Plus it was funny.
Does anyone else want to see him wrap Christmas presents now?
Exactly what I was thinking.
Dear God - you are a genius. Now I can't stop thinking about it.
@@jeffkeith637 did you see?
@@Nurse_Lucy hahahaha thanks for the heads up. I did see. For the briefest moment I thought he has the same problem as me when wrapping. Of course I was wrong. Have a great Christmas.
Its almost like someone was upset that their painting of Prince George was actually a painting of General Hamilton and said "#@¢% it, you keep the thing!"
Anyone else worried that someday Julian will be taking those UV pictures remotely and then he’ll pan over and the pink baby will have suddenly moved closer?
I've been so stressed the past few months. Forgot how relaxing this guy's narrations can be. Feels like lying down on a feathered pillow
Oh man, I want you to clean this painting!
The way he sneakily slides into the sponsor section so smoothly, askjdnaksjn Julian you’ve done it again xD
OMG IM EARLY. LONG LIVE KING JULIAN.
I just had Madagascar movie flashbacks
Sounds like a Roman emperor's name, I like it! Ave Imperator Julian!
@@november2435 its also the name of the lemur king from Madagascar lol
I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT
@@allyh.publico1823 I LIKE TO- MOVE IT!
Julian out here showing his detective skills ontop of everything else he can do
Those transitions man, they get me every time, every damn time julian, you're too good man.
I mean the integration transition btw
I was about to ask for you to make a video on how to pack fragile paintings smoothly, then I saw the end of the video and realized "well, I suppose we're in the same level."
A favorite museum experience was the Norman Rockwell Museum. Seeing the Four Freedoms series full size was breathtaking in what they conveyed.
oooooo i would love to see the four freedoms ( or any rockwell) up close
This isn't the final version of this painting. From Sotheby's: 'Unhappy with the direction the painting was taking at a certain point, he began the canvas over again entirely, making several changes that ultimately enhanced the work’s narrative qualities. A comparison with a preparatory charcoal drawing reveals these alterations, the most noticeable of which is the addition of the steeple, peeking out from behind the Silver Slipper Grill. Rockwell added this structure, and the tiny flock of birds that spread out across the sky, because he believed these specifics “clarified the story he wanted to tell. Without [them], one might not have realized that the family is going to church." '
It's a pretty basic composition as is, as boring as "walking to church" sounds.
I've recently become fascinated with this channel. Not so much that I'm a real big art aficionado, but I do enjoy history and as a retired Chemist I'm fascinated by the substances used in cleaning and restoring.
the absolute amazingness of the fact you had your hands on a real norman rockwell painting and didnt have the chance to clean and refresh it is heartbreaking. you could just see that the colors were so vivid on that painting and it could of looked so amazing with a good refreshing. but the mystery is amazing too. the thought crossed my mind they had the inscription removed too for the value of the painting instead of it being locked to one family, but truth be told it probably would have sold better with the inscription because it was personalized and had more of his writing other than just his signature. but who could ignore that bright red signature either way.
Julian, I've been diving into a lot of restoration videos and am curious about some of the differences in the approaches you use! The biggest one is a lot of the museum channels I follow seem to use more instruments, spectroscopy and over-eye magnification tools, whereas we've mostly only seen you use handheld microscopes etc. Is this because of personal preference, equipment/budget constraints, workflows etc.? Or do you use these tools and just not film them as much? It would also be really cool if you did a video broadly explaining the different workflows for different types of conservation! I'd love to hear about how the usual steps vary for paintings vs for textiles, sculptures and frames.
Just leaving a comment here because that’s a great question
If I remember correctly, for the more advanced examinations (like x-ray, spectroscopy, etc) he sends the work out for it to be done. I may be wrong though, so let's hope Julian answers.
I know that he's mentioned before that he learned conservation from his father, so he probably leans more towards more classic and natural ways of doing things. He's very much the "Why do I need a big, fancy piece of equipment when a little time, some work, and observation will tell me the same thing?" kind of guy.
Most likely, it's simply not worth it. Spectroscopy and similar equipaments tend to be quite expensive. Museums use then more often than not to analyse the best way to preserve an artwork or issues that may appear in the future. Conservation usually works with pre existing issues. So, is likely that Julian simply don't have a constant need for those types of equipaments that would justify purchasing them. Like a comment above said, he probably sends the artworks that need this type of examination to a third party.
I think things like that are used for really intricate stuff like when the Rothko mural in the Tate Modern was vandalised.
That last scene was a powerful little slice of life.
General Hamilton is just gonna lurk in the background, no biggie
This was better than all four seasons of Sherlock
Now, just hang on a minute!
Wow, the painting reminds me of Wes Anderson films.
same lol
where do you think Wes Anderson got the inspiration for his twee aesthetic from?
oh my , JB , a rockwell, i'm from uk and get such weird looks when i mention him - but the life and empathy in his work is amazing . ty for letting us " up close and personal " with his work
Just wanted to let you know that I was able to show a clip from one of your videos today for a presentation of a university class! Your channel truly is satisfying, informative and entertaining all at once 😊
Great story!
I can totally imagine that Norman gifted this painting when he was just a regular illustrator (as you know, "illustrators" were looked down upon in the art world at that time.) When he gained some fame and they were asked to lend the piece out for display, they realized that the painting was valuable. They probably asked him (graciously I'm sure) to erase the "unsightly" inscription and sign it, so they could display it as a "real" work of art.
Kind of sad, actually. I wonder if Norman felt a bit let down by their request.
Fun Fact - Rockwell had a studio directly above the actual Alice's restaurant immortalized by Arlo Guthrie.
🎶 You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant 🎶
@@gracecadet3244 And the judge wasn't gonna look at the twenty-seven eight-by-ten color glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us.
@@paganpines another typical case of American BLIND JUSTICE
@@paganpines As I remember in the movie "Alice's Restaurant" the police had taken nearly a hundred photos of the "crime scene" ... but the judge was blind.
Norman Rockwell is one of my favorite illustration painters. I painted a self portrait in his style where he was looking in a mirror while sitting. This is now my favorite video from your channel 👍
So cool that you get to be so up-close and personal with these beautiful works of art.
I would love to know how a conservator would handle a case where the pencil inscription sat on top of the varnish layer and the painting then needs to be cleaned? Would you remove the varnish layer along with the inscription or skip cleaning that area?
Can we just appreciate how he hung his drill under the cabinet around 9:33
The use of a camera operator is really interesting, but often the lack of stillness just takes away from the clean professional vibe these videos normally have,, I found myself focusing on if the camera was moving slightly instead of the video :-/
Overuse of the gimbal
Outstanding ! Who doesn’t like a good Rockwell ! Thanks for taking us along
They haaaave to hire him to clean the painting it’s so pretty!
Props to the cameraman!!!! The new angles are fantastic *chefkiss*
The smoothest sponsor transition yet, I was bamboozled 😂
Julian is first an artist but he takes everything he does to an art form. He is brilliant at his work.
Julian, if you start doing voiceover for Audible, I will sign up super quick.
Cool to see this window into Rockwell's process -- a fully worked up preliminary painting as preface to the finished work. Can then see all the many changes he made in the final painting. And finally everything looks so photographic when it is a relatively free-handed composite creation. But definitely needs complete cleaning and restoration by BR!
7:34 Are those your favorite pair of jeans? LMAO you're about to lose your phone!
This was amazing to watch, it's so cool for you to be tied into the history of this painting. Hopefully you do get to restore it one day!
That feeling when there's 57 comments on a video that's 16 minutes long that's only been out for 11 minutes
Norman Rockwell has always been one of my favorites.
You've outdone yourself again, Baumgartner Restoration.
These videos make drop my resting heart rate, I’m so relaxed
This painting is so pretty, it made me instantly smile! It's a shame that we didn't get to see it conserved, but nonetheless, this was an interesting video 😊
I've been to Norman Rockwell's estate a few times as a kid. It's like an hour from me. It is amazing to see the collection of art and his original studio.
I hate how I thought of Lana Del Rey’s album before the actual Painter 🤦🏾♀️😭
*Norman* *Fucking* *Rockwell*
It's okay. You made a mistake. Don't take it too hard on yourself. Humans make mistakes. We all do. 😊
♂♀♂♀♂♀♂♀
You did the right thing
Aw, don't be. Her music's pretty great.
I'm so happy I found your channel by pure chance, the way you walk us through the work you do, is fascinating and mesmerizing.
So thank you so much, for the work you do, and share with us.
LOLed at the blooper at the end! What an interesting puzzle for you. Glad the museum let you film it. I hope they decide to let you conserve it in the future!
when your ad is so good it blends into the intro of the video and then back into an ad with nary a breathe between the two.
The narration gave me goosebumps. It was so well done!
I just noticed around 4:50 that there's a camera operator that is filming you as you're working. If I recall correctly, it used to be fixed angles only, where you'd set a camera down and then perform the work. I'm not sure if you've employed the operator in other videos, but props to you and the operator for being able to incorporate the new dynamic camera while preserving what made the original-style great: a technical approach, almost instructional in nature, that frames _exactly_ what is being discussed in the narration with minimal "artistic" distraction. Your videos are very well shot, especially the walking gimbal shots.
3:53 what am i reading there? The cursed word
Love Norman Rockwell! My mom has been collecting his plates and statue collectibles for years! He used to live in my hometown in NY ! Can’t wait to watch this! ❤️
I remember when Norman Rockwell's paintings use to be on the cover of the phone book! Yes, it was quite some time ago. Always loved them.
@@cat3crazy that’s so awesome!
Dood, you had to cut through a lot of red tape to get that painting shipped back to the museum LoL....(crickets)....Wow! Tough crowd.
He he!
A fascinating tale of who, what, when, where and why. After last week's video it was great to see you use your tools and spaces for this detective work. I, like you, wish the conservation work was part of the job, those colors could be bright and vibrant again. Who knows, perhaps one day this will return for our enjoyment.
Wow! How hard was it not to clean that painting? Itchy fingers?? Lol Great story!
I really love the dynamic camera movement. Great video, as always.
"no hanky panky so to speak"
same.
obsessed with this channel. got recommended today and have watched about 4 hours of videos so far.
Yay! I got home about 30 minutes ago from working 8 hr night shift and need to stay awake. My kiddo starts class in an hr or so and this video popped up just when I needed it. TY!!!
I'm in the same boat with you just got off a 10-hour shift at Waffle House and got things to do here in a while I really needed this
Norman Rockwell is one of my favorite artists ever...so thank you so much for sharing this with us. LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF THIS VIDEO!
3:53 Unbelievable! After all there ARE staples in the workshop.
Julian perfectly and neatly packaging that box with such precision and skill is more satisfying anything I've ever seen
Do you sometimes have to decide if a painting is a fake or the original?
That would be interesting to know. A couple years ago I watched a documentary on Wolfgang Beltracchi, a former art forger. He made a career out of faking famous paintings & selling them. His family got like mad rich due to that. He also spent 6 years in jail for it after he was found out, but now he's actually decently well known. It would be crazy interesting if Julian ever stumbled across a really well forged painting or even Beltracchi's forged paintings. I wonder if he would still clean and treat a painting even if it was forged.
He mentioned in one of his videos that he did participate in such investgations.
@@flowerdolphin5648 the irony is that now one of his forged paintings would probably sell very well precisely because of the dodgy history behind it :') funny how that works
@@flowerdolphin5648 I've often wondered, I heard on an interview once ... that a lot of museums and collectors deliberately avoid doing modern analysis, using modern technology on their collections because they're afraid of discovering fakes. In the interview, it was stated that he believe as much as 30% of art in museums are fakes.
I don't know how he came by that number, don't remember anything else about the interview, so I can't give a citation. Sorry.
Never in my life have I had this much fun watching paint dry. Love your channel!
Interesting how different this painting is from the one that was photographed for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.
So a 16 min video to find out the artist rubbed out the enscription.
Worth every second!!!!!!