Although I can say I know quite well my metier, I had never tried before the restoration of a damaged Pastel painting (or another person´s work) until now.
I have a good friend, an artisan framer in Barcelona. He received short time ago an old soft Pastel portrait painting. A damaged painting to restore. The Pastel painting was in very bad condition and in need of repair.
Picture of an old Pastel Portrait, Author unknown, photo by ©BOGRA Art Studio, 2018
He called me recently for consulting, hoping that I could help him to save the painting. The portrait model and client, a very old woman now, wanted to clean, restore and reframe the work since this painting had great sentimental value for her.
Detail of a damaged Pastel Portrait, Author unknown, photo by ©BOGRA Art Studio, 2018
The Pastel is a delicate matter, and considered together with the charcoal, technically speaking, as “fragile techniques”. But well preserved, framed, and well protected it can last many, many years. Sometimes even more than an Oil because it is a technique that does not need mediums (additives) or special grounds (gesso). Pastel paintings can be surprisingly durable. Well preserved, a Pastel drawing can maintain the vividness of colors and the freshness of the strokes for several centuries.
A picture of the process of restoration of a Pastel portrait, photo by ©Bogra Art Studio, 2018
That’s why I felt very sad when I saw this delicate portrait of the 60´s, splashed and so seriously damaged. The drawing was throughout this long time in its original frame. A light wooden board, probably varnished, supported the drawing directly from the back without any other protection in between. There was no support board to make an insulation. The weather, the temperature changes, and the wood sweating did the rest. The so many motes that can be observed on the paper surface are oil stains from the wood that impregnated the portrait itself. They sadly were impossible to remove for me.
Picture detail of a damaged Pastel Portrait paperback, photo by ©BOGRA Art Studio, 2018
It is not even possible to apply a Pastel layer on top of the old drawing because the oily paper repels it, and the stains always remain… Maybe the only way would be to try to absorb the spots with talc or with several treatments, as absorbent paper layers. This would take time and a lot of work. Something that I had to discard and let another person, truly dedicated to the restoration could try.