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| Bread and water! |
| Kishore Singh / New Delhi Oct 21, 2009, 00:12 IST |
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Your collection could end up losing value unless it is maintained well.
Weevils. Spores. White ants. Mould. Dry rot. If the receding monsoon has you sighing in relief at the averted danger to your collection of art — whatever its worth — there’s still plenty out there to cause it damage. Cigarette smoke (causing a dulling of the patina), pollution (grime and discolouration), humidity (leading to bubbling of watercolours, “waves” in stretched silks or even some canvases, or warping of frames), and the gentle light of the winter sun (which causes more damage than the harsher summer sun because its slant is more likely to impact paintings that are on walls, causing them to fade).
While spending lakhs and crores on buying art, few people take the trouble to look after it, with the servants doing the mandatory dusting (rubbing in polluting grime further into the impasto!). As a result of which wood boring worms could attack the frames, eat up the paper or cause holes in the canvas; mould spores could result in damage to the underside of paintings; and inadequate care could bring down the value of your art collection. There’s no gainsaying that if you hold a very large collection of paintings that need to be stacked, it is best to have professional stacking shelves custom-built for the purpose so they don’t rest on the floor, and are at some distance from each other, properly wrapped and sealed against pollutants and pests. Air-conditioning helps in keeping the temperature constant and the air dry, something that professional vaults offer for storage of art (Saffronart in Mumbai has the facility).
However, even displayed paintings are likely to be exposed to fungal growth and need constant maintenance. While fading, chipping (in oils, especially if a layer of varnish has been applied on top), flaking and so on will require professional intervention, there are ways to minimise the damage through a number of methods, the efficacy of which has been tested — though with newer chemicals in paints, damage might still occur, so follow any instructions with care.
Humidity will cause watercolour paintings, limited-edition prints and other paperworks to either bubble, warp or break into wave-like folds, and though re-framing sometimes solves the problem, it is not a long-term solution, and the best way to control it is to use de-humidifiers. These are useful also in controlling the amount of moisture in the air, and therefore a lot of the rot and pest problems, but the dryness may not be suitable for a human environment and therefore needs to be carefully monitored.
If you have oils and acrylics that need cleaning, a number of options are available to you. The safest and most efficient way is to use (preferably stale) bread to rub lightly across the surface of the painting. The layer of black soot it will remove should provide the evidence to why the painting looks brighter, the details sharper, and if this is done gently, no damage is likely.
Experts recommend other, similar options — but using peeled, half-cut potato, or onion, instead of bread. Certainly, their juices are not damaging, and though long-term exposure to a potato can leave stains, a quick rub should do more good than harm. Others say there’s nothing like a soft brush (think baby’s toothbrush, or your granddad’s shaving brush) to clean a painted surface, especially where thick paint or texturing have been applied. Still others recommend good old water with a mild detergent for oils and acrylics, only the cleaning sponge should be squeezed dry — however, it’s best to test this over a small area before subjecting a whole painting to it. Even then, check that no discolouration et cetera occurs over a month, since in some cases chemicals could take time to cause a reaction. Whatever you choose, don’t rub briskly or too hard. Also, it’s best to test your maintenance with less expensive paintings first. If unsure, let an expert care for your art rather than subject it to experimentation.
Some people have used more unorthodox solutions with different measures of success, so you need to see what works best for you — blowing dust off a painting using a vacuum cleaner (use the small dust-busters rather than the industrial variety); gently hosing down particularly dirty paintings, even giving them a soap-and-water rub, and then drying them outdoors in a breeze but not in direct sunlight (I don’t think I’d personally have the courage to attempt this); giving a painting a brisk hand massage (apparently it gives the surface a sheen, but sounds like another kooky idea); sealing paintings in plastic with a piece of charcoal to absorb any moisture or mouldy smells!).
While some things are well known — never hang a painting directly below air-conditioning ducts, as the condensation will damage them; nor touch paintings with dirty, sweaty fingers as these will leave their impression on the surface — others are less obvious: too often, even professional collectors will leave the broken glass on a painting in its frame, even though this will likely leave scratches in the painting or photograph; too much exposure to light, whether electric light or ultraviolet light from natural sources (place UV filters over windows) will shorten the lifespan of a painting, but when using artificial light, tungsten is better than halogens; to avoid contraction and expansion of frames or canvases, try and keep the temperature constant between 18 and 22 degrees centigrade — it might require you to keep air-conditioners running constantly, a cost outlay you must build into your bottomline when planning a collection.
Finally, of course, you will need experts to keep an eye on your collection, checking it out at least once a year for fungal growth, spots, reframing requirements and so on. It’s worth the effort, and the payment, than the potential loss it could result in during the absence of such checks.
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