In the new exhibition being held in the new Guangzhou Museum of Art (Guangzhou Art Museum), a classic oil painting in the history of Chinese art - "Father" created by Luo Zhongli is extremely "eye-catching", and tens of thousands of visitors look at it every day.
But few people know that this contemporary oil painting has participated in hundreds of exhibitions so far, and the work itself has experienced vicissitudes like the old father on the picture, and needs to be cared for and restored.
In the exhibition hall on the third floor of the Guangzhou Museum of Art (Guangzhou Museum of Art), the audience stopped in front of "Father" Photo by Yangcheng Evening News reporter Liang Shanyin
On the morning of January 6th, an interesting lecture was held in the lecture hall of the new hall of the Guangzhou Art Museum, and Kong Yan, an oil painting restorer from the Art Restoration Department of the National Art Museum of China, was invited to share the restoration story of the oil painting "Father".
The lecture on the theme of "Facing the Father: The Story Behind the Restoration of Luo Zhongli's Oil Painting "Father" was jointly organized by the Guangzhou Museum of Art, the Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and the Art Committee of the Guangdong Artists Association for the Preservation and Restoration of Comprehensive Material Painting and Art Works.
The dark, wrinkled face under the white headscarf is the appearance of "Father" in Luo Zhongli's painting, and the strong impact of the rough texture makes the audience unforgettable. "Father" is one of Luo Zhongli's classic works that focus on peasant groups, and he reflects the real Chinese society with local feelings, and is known as "Chinese Miller".
It has participated in hundreds of exhibitions and carried out systematic restoration for the first time
"When the structure of a work of art is unstable, it needs to be 'pushed onto the operating table'. Kong Yan said that the restoration of artworks is part of conservation, and when the works have deteriorated to a certain extent and need to intervene to slow down the deterioration, they need to be restored.
Since its completion in July 1980, Father has participated in hundreds of exhibitions, and its pigment layer has developed multiple cracks due to aging, which has affected the structural stability of the painting.
In 2013, Father underwent its first maintenance treatment, in 2018 there was a trend in the partial deterioration of the work compared to previous records, and in 2019, the restoration and conservation program was launched, which was the first systematic restoration of Father since its inception.
As an outstanding representative of Chinese realist art creation since the reform and opening up, the oil painting "Father" has been followed up and observed and protected by the Collection Department and the Restoration Department for many years. The two-year restoration provided a guarantee for future generations to understand the true appearance of the original and preserve its historical and cultural value.
According to Kong Yan, the restoration of this work requires structural repair, repairing the canvas, reinforcing the pigments, and after the structure of the painting is stabilized, the color of the picture is concentrated, and the colors are cleaned, set off, and filled in the missing parts.
The lecture scene was taken by Yangcheng Evening News reporter Liang Shanyin
"We removed the outer frame of the work and remodeled its internal structure, sealing it with a non-reflective, UV-resistant protective layer, and finally adding a back panel to protect it. Kong Yan pointed out that the protective layer reduces the risk of damage to the work in the environment, and the presence of the protective layer is not easily visible to the viewer due to the high light transmission of the material.
In the course of the speech, Kong Yan exhibited a comparison of the before and after restoration of "Father", and the audience can see from the screen that the restored work has obvious changes in color vividness, depth of darkness, and spatial structure. According to reports, after the latest round of systematic restoration, the present work is expected to be able to be exhibited in a safe and stable environment for decades.
The information on the base plate of the painting retains the story of creation
"Every restoration of a work is a process of gaining insight into a work. As a "doctor" of artworks, Kong Yan unlocks the untold secrets behind "Father", which includes both the information hidden on the bottom panel of the painting and the behind-the-scenes story narrated by the creator Luo Zhongli.
After removing the wooden frame, Kong Yan saw the blue-green words "Luo Zhongli" and "1980.7" on the back of the painting, which were Luo Zhongli's autograph when the painting was completed. A wooden strip of the frame is engraved with Luo Zhongli's nickname "Luo Er", which was originally a mark made by the carpenter to mark the custom-made person.
In addition, there is also a label on the bottom plate of the painting that reads "Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition", "After tearing off the label, there is a label, and it can be seen that this work has traveled all over the country to participate in the exhibition, and next to the label is the original name of the painting written by Mr. Luo 'My Father'." ”
The exhibit label on the back of the painting "Father".
The inscription on the bottom plate of the painting "Father".
According to Kong Yan, one of the prototypes of the characters in "Father" is a dung farmer that Luo Zhongli met next to the public toilet in Shapingba, Chongqing, and the other is the owner of the house he lived in Shuangcheng Village, Xima Town, Pingchang County, Bazhong City, and Deng Kaixuan, a local farmer.
The father was wearing a white turban, his skin was dark, and sweat was running down his eyebrows. His lips were chapped, and he was holding a bowl of water in his hand, presumably just after farm work and wanted to drink water. ”
Kong Yan believes that "Father" is set in a golden wheat field that symbolizes hope, and the characters look directly at the audience to bring a strong visual impact and emotional resonance, depicting the toned body and fiery spirit of the "fathers".
In order to accurately restore the external image of working people, Luo Zhongli recalled the creative process, saying that he collected steamed bun residue and eraser scraps on the classroom floor, mixed them with paint, so as to highlight the roughness of the characters' textures, and used kitchen knives instead of traditional spatulas to carve out dark details.
At that time, there were no ready-made large-scale canvases, so in order to avoid obvious traces brought by the sewing machine, the secretary teacher of the art department stitched together the two canvases one by one.
Virtual technology offers new possibilities for art restoration
Talking about the current application of art restoration technology, Kong Yan said: "Art is not a necessity for human survival, but they are a living necessity for human beings. However, at present, the scientific research and development investment in art restoration is still insufficient, and the technology for art conservation still needs to be improved. But she is looking forward to the future of technology, noting that virtual technology will bring a quantum leap forward in art restoration.
In the restoration process of "Father", Kong Yan and other restorers used multispectral detection and imaging, using ultraviolet rays to determine the degree of aging of the painting's surface coating, and touching the manuscript layer with infrared rays to find traces of modification, which helped the restorer obtain three-dimensional and multi-level information about the current condition of the work, so as to carry out accurate restoration in modules.
Group photo at the lecture
In addition to the restoration function, artificial intelligence and 3D printing technology make it possible to permanently preserve the color and details of the paintings. Kong Yan presented a Lambren-style work based on AI algorithms and 3D printing simulations, "virtual technology allows us to resurrect masters in a sense".
The material structure of oil painting is a composite of multiple different materials, and long-term exposure to the environment will inevitably lead to its continuous aging and even disappearance. Kong Yan pointed out that virtual restoration technology can scan and reproduce works with high precision without damaging the original work, so as to meet the needs of more audiences to appreciate the work, and at the same time carry out virtual restoration and protection of the artwork.
She believes that virtual technology will play a more important role in the field of art and technology, and make greater contributions to the preservation and inheritance of cultural artworks.
Text|Reporter Liang Shanyin, Zhu Shaojie|Provided by the organizer (except for the signature)