Milvale, Pennsylvania (AP) – What are your thoughts? Preserve the 80-year-old mural Has it gathered decades of soot, salt, and other deterioration?
Carefully and methodically, the conservation team employs everything from scientific analysis to seaweed extracts and everyday items: cosmetic sponges and skewers.
This was the method adopted by the team as they worked on part of the murals at St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church near Pittsburgh.
The church’s walls and ceilings showcase a series of renowned murals created between 1937 and 1941 by the late Croatian-American artist Maxo Vanka.
The Association for Preserving Millvale Murals at Maxo Vanka has dedicated the past 15 years to restoring the artwork, one painting at a time.
For the last three years, a dedicated crew of 16 members has focused on the Upper Church. From January to May, efforts were concentrated on the upper right wall and ceiling, featuring an Old Testament panorama with portraits of Moses, St. Matthew, and Saint Mark. The team cleaned dirt, extracted corrosive salts, carefully removed loose paint, and delicately repainted pigments in areas where they had faded.
“We’ve found that art conservation is a blend of appreciation and science,” remarked Naomi Lewis, a wall painting conservator overseeing this year’s project.
The project commenced in January, with workers erecting 32-foot (9.8-meter) scaffolding for close access to the mural.
Cleans up decades of pollution
During the initial days, the maintenance team polished and vacuumed surface dirt and soot. They then used a wet cosmetic sponge and a fine cotton swab to cleanse the surfaces and grooves.
Much of the grime came from daily air pollution, stemming from Pittsburgh’s former steel industry and nearby highways. One side of the church confronted an additional challenge, damaged by more sunlight exposure, leading to increased temperature and humidity fluctuations.
The team employed specialized tools to navigate the interiors of smaller recesses, ultimately using thousands of soot-covered sponges.
As work progressed, the team began to see the images emerging more clearly, with the gray areas reverting to the original white painted by Vanka.
“It’s truly captivating to observe from below, especially from the ground up. Many of these details are returning, revealing his initial vision,” noted protective technician Christina Chikula.
Chemistry, colors, cleaning
The workers also cleaned the aluminum leaves creating the backdrop, such as the arched area behind St. Mark and St. Matthew.
They used a neutral pH solution, avoiding both alkaline and acidic substances that could harm the material.
Some aluminum leaves had completely deteriorated. Initially, the plan was to replace these sections with new leaves, but they appeared too shiny and mismatched. After some experimentation, they decided to mix watercolors with other materials.
“This provided the right sheen and tone to blend seamlessly with the original aluminum leafing,” Lewis explained.
To address areas with paint loss, the crew preserved Vanka’s original brush strokes while filling certain spots with pastels and watercolors.
The team follows a conservative method, using materials that are easily removable and only filling when absolutely necessary. The primary objective is to enhance the clarity of the original artwork.
Salt, compresses, seaweed
Sulfate salts present a significant challenge. Although naturally occurring, they tend to be more prevalent in areas with high air pollution.
Salts react with moisture in the walls, leading to deterioration.
The team affixed a bandage-like container of tiny cellulose fibers to the affected areas. One compound in the compress extracts the salt, with the process being repeated multiple times. Additional compresses were applied using another compound to strengthen the gypsum.
In some regions, the paint had curled, flaked, and cracked. The workers carefully reactivated it with Funori, an adhesive derived from seaweed, and employed a tacking iron to safeguard the paint.
Simultaneously, the Conservation Society collaborated with the parish on improvements, such as roof repairs and upgraded climate control systems, to prevent future damage from environmental factors.
It’s conservation, not recovery
Ruiz prefers to avoid the term “repair” in describing their projects, even though some work fits that description.
She explains that “conservation” is a broader term, encompassing everything from documentation to preventive care that preserves Vanka’s original work as clearly as possible.
“We truly aim to highlight what he accomplished,” Lewis emphasized. “That is our foremost priority.”
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Source: apnews.com