Page 16 - IAV Digital Magazine #510

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Who Did This? Yet Another Amateur Art Restorer In Spain Has Absolutely Demolished A Once-Beautiful Artwork
By Caroline Goldstein
Spain, the coun- try most famous for
producing botche d art restorations, has produced, for your viewing pleasure, yet another mauled artwork, this time in the city of Palencia.
What was once a handsomely carved smiling female figure sur- rounded by live- stock has
ben transformed i nto a claymation nightmare.
In this case, which was first reported by
a local news out- let, the results resemble a failed facelift undertak- en on some poor, unwitting snow- man. It’s almost as if a child was tasked with the job.
But really, what
child could pro- duce such a nightmare?
The female fig- ure’s head, once tilted downward, is now a smooth, egg shape, with cockeyed mis- matched eye sockets stuck on. The figure’s nose is a soft mound,
and the mouth is formed by two thin, slightly upturned lips, her cheeks and chin nowhere to be found.
Taken together, the figure now resembles Donald Trump, one Twitter user noted, right down
to the asymmetri- cal hair swoop.
On Facebook, Palencia resi- dent Antonio Guzmán Capel noted that, while the restorer was doubtless at fault, the real criminal here was surely whomever com- missioned the job
and did nothing to rectify the griev- ous situation.
The Professional Association of Restorers and Conservators, bless its heart, noted on Twitter that “this is NOT a professional restoration.”
Thank you, Professional Association of Restorers and Conservators, for clearing up any confusion, espe- cially when there is so much PR defense to play.
Back in June, when a painting of the Virgin Mary was
transformed into an unrecogniz- able blur, the for- mer president of the restorer’s association
tld the Guardian t hat more trained restorers were needed in the field, which was being marred by amateurs.
“Can you imagine just anyone being allowed to oper- ate on other peo- ple? Or someone being allowed to sell medicine without a pharma- cist’s license?” he added.
Indeed.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine