Art Article 2: Van Gogh Newly Discovered Artwork

Kate Borck

Ms Sudkamp

Sculpture, 4

12 September 2013

Article 2

            Van Gogh is a famous artist who started making inspiring artwork in the late 1800s. His art is highly prized and worth a large amount of money. As with most artists, their work is lost and later found at random times, far after their creation. Sometimes it is even destroyed and later found in photos. Another piece of Van Gogh, Six Sunflowers, was destroyed in 1945 while in Japan. A photo of it was found many years after its destruction, showing it in the orange frame that Van Gogh presented the piece in. Unfortunately, great artists like Van Gogh have their work destroyed or lost over the years and it is hard for art inspectors to distinguish between an artist’s real work and a fake. This sometimes leads real art pieces to be undiscovered or not accepted as a real or original work, even if it is. Van Gogh’s work is inspirational and known worldwide; it is unfortunate that his work is constantly being destroyed or lost. These discoveries also bring on the question that there may be other artworks by famous artists that have yet to be discovered. These new found artworks can change a person’s view on how an artwork should be represented as a whole. For example, Van Gogh wanted Six Sunflowers to be presented in an orange frame, something what was not known before the picture was discovered. These discoveries are exciting for those who are involved; they bring attention to art museums and can greatly affect the owner’s life. The finding of old works of art can greatly affect art enthusiasts everywhere by inspiring them with different techniques and inspiration.

Works Cited

"Newly Discovered Van Gogh Painting Kept in Norwegian Attic for Years." The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.

"Rare Van Gogh Sunflowers Image Found." BBC News. BBC, 09 Apr. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.

Article Assignment 1

Katherine Borck

Ms Sudkamp

Sculpture, 4

03 September 1013

Restoration Failures

            In 2012 an 82-year-old in Spain by the name of Cecilia Gimenez ruined the historic art piece by Elias Garcia Martinez, the Ecce Homo. The destruction of Ecce Homo was a sad day for the artistry of restoration, yet not for the millions of people on the internet who found this hilarious. This is not the first or the last time an art piece has been ruined by those “restoring” it. In the online article The Worst Art Restoration Mistakes of All Time by Esther Inglis-Arkell, we find out that this isn’t the first time a restoration has gone wrong, and won’t be the last. Good art restoration takes talent, hard-to-find materials, and taking the time to recreate every detail that the original artist had made. Unfortunately, not everyone has the patience to do restoration the right way.

            In many former situations, historical art has been ruined by the so-called professionals; not to the extent of the Ecce Homo, but ruined nonetheless. Some examples of restoration blunders given by Inglis-Arkell in her article are The Virgin and Saint Anne, The Tree of Fertility, and Supper at Emmaus. Many times, like with The Virgin and Saint Anne, cleaning the art piece is what destroys it. Often the paint that causes the most important and beautiful details in the piece is washed away along with the dirt and grime, causing the painting to be blurry and multiple shades lighter. In other cases, such as the restoration of Supper at Emmaus (where the restoration artist “gave the woman a nose job”), the restoration artist changes the appearances of the original subjects of the painting. Whether it be the bad blunder of professional screw-ups or a old lady who is way too confident in her own painting abilities, these failed restorations are a unfortunate part of art today. Hopefully, someday soon, the restoring famous works of art will no longer end in unfortunate mishaps, but the preservation of glorious artworks to be loved throughout generations.  

 

Works Cited

Inglis-Arkell, Esther. "The Worst Art Restoration Mistakes of All Time." Io9. N.p., 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 03 Sept. 2013. <http://io9.com/5938377/the-worst-art-restoration-mistakes-of-all-time>.