American Artist Magazine
November 2002
When and How to Remove Varnish

In the American Artist Magazine article, November 2002 , that was written by Christopher Willard, titled "When and How to Remove Varnish" Cher Goodson , president of Art Restorations, Inc., Dallas, Texas, and James Hamm, professor in the art conservation department at Buffalo State College in New York discussed the evaluation and treatment processes associated with cleaning of oil paintings.

The article begins with a discussion of how historical works are cleaned, the methods used, and the debate that surrounds the ethics of cleaning a painting or painted surfaces.

Mr. Hamm states "Varnish removal from paintings is one of the most complex and contentious subjects in art. The more than 10-year cleaning of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling left artists, historians, and conservators divided. Some believed the removal of dirt, soot, and varnish revealed the artist's original colors, while others suggested the work had been irrevocably altered. The colors of historical works that were coated in inferior varnishes have often aged with detrimental results; but today, when high-grade varnishes are common, do artists need to remove and revarnish paintings after a certain amount of time has passed?"

The article continues with Mr. Hamm, noting, 'I know of virtually no reason why artists need to remove varnish from one of their paintings in their lifetime,' he says, noting that there is a big difference between when conservators consider removing varnish appropriate and when collectors or artists do. 'Paintings that need revarnishing are usually old works. I often have clients bring me paintings from the 1940s for cleaning. The client thinks this is an old painting, and I think it's a young painting. Generally, conservators think in terms of multiple decades-20 to 30 years old is still a fairly young painting.' Furthermore, Hamm explains that removing varnish too soon can be dangerous, since the paint on, say, a 15-year-old painting is not hard enough to resist the solvents used to remove the varnish. 'Therefore, he says, 'dissolving the varnish may also dissolve the paint.'

Determining whether the paint is hard enough to resist solvents also requires an understanding of the quality of the original paint. 'Cheap paint is often bulked up with additional medium and aluminum stearate, so unfortunately it will never harden,' he notes. 'More expensive paints are more highly loaded with pigment and generally oxidize sooner, creating a harder paint surface.'

Hamm warnes that '...varnish removal by an artist should be viewed as a last-ditch effort." He continues by noting that "Removing varnish from oil paintings is sticky, both literally and figuratively,' he explains.

Hamm notes that it takes a lot of time and concentration to remove varnish from a painting, adding that certain colors...might be more sensitive to the solvents than others. The bottom line is...think carefully before completely stripping and revarnishing any oil painting."

Hamm's recommendations for the care of approaching the cleaning of any painting are supported by Cher Goodson as she discusses recent paintings that she and another conservator on her staff, Stephanie Grant, have recently restored.

The first painting discussed is one from the 18th-century. "The detail on the left shows the extremely yellowed varnish. The detail on the right is the same area after the varnish was removed and new varnish applied. Goodson stresses that artists should not attempt varnish removal on an old painting but instead should take it to a professional art conservator."

Ms. Goodson continues her discussion of treatment that Ms. Grant had applied in the restoration process.

"The conservator attached linen to the back of the original painting to support the paint film. It took about 30 hours to remove two-thirds of the varnish, as seen here. Goodson notes, 'We use literally hundreds of different solvent systems, which is why I recommend artists take their paintings to a professional for varnish removal.'

After the old varnish was entirely removed, Grant applied a light coat of damar varnish with a brush, retouching where there was flaking paint, and then gave it a final light coat. 'Properly situated in a normal environment, this painting should not require cleaning for at least another century,' Goodson remarks. 'It's important for viewers to understand that paint or glazes are never removed. Conservators would rather leave some grime on the surface if it prevents pulling off paint to get to the dirt.'

Included in the American Artist article were other works of art that Ms. Grant has restored in the last year. Following are the details and images of their restoration.

Portrait of Arthur Shiff, by J. Corniltier 1856, oil, 24 x 20. Private collection Before varnish removal (left) and after (right)

Trees in a Meadow, by unknown artist
ca. early 20th century, oil on gessoed Masonite, 26 x 31
Private Collection

'The painting was in good condition, but the varnish was extremely discolored, 'remarks Goodson, adding that exposure to a significant amount of cigarette smoke was also a factor in the discoloration. Because the paint film was stable and in good condition, it only took about 15 hours to remove the varnish from the whole painting.

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