Argumentative Essay: Is Restoration Justified?

As the grand parade of time marches on, it tramples over the delicate arts, taking with it pieces irreplaceably stolen, never to fully return. However, modern restoration techniques can bring these muddled, damaged, and tainted works of art into the light to be enjoyed more thoroughly as they once were. By stripping these pieces of the hardships endured throughout the years and bringing out their originality, restoration leaves the viewer with a more accurate perception of what the piece always has looked like. While some argue by attempting to “fix” the work of art it destroys the work in the process, but these works are revived through safe methods, thus no longer seen through the dirty lense of age and previous improper restorations. As

According to the Smithsonian Institution, Restoration aims to repair loss paintings may have suffered, such as: paint chipping, weakened canvases, tears, water damage, fire damage, and insect damage. In this process, the restorer does not aim to replace or cover up the original work with something better, but to “stabilize the remaining original artwork and integrate any repairs in order to preserve the artist's original intent.” (Smithsonian)** Despite conservators not having the intention to the message portrayed by a painting by cleaning it, many art critics still find issue with this practice; one painting cleaning in particular sparked much controversy throughout the art community, Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Virgin and Child with St. Anne”. **The classic painting was cleaned of its discolored varnish that left the image of the work to darken throughout the years. When the old varnish was removed, many critics claimed the painting to now be “too bright”, despite in reality the cleaning bringing the painting closer to its former glory. While cleaning another Da Vinci painting, “The Last Supper”, old restorations that changed the painting significantly were found. With this discovery, modern restorers now know what the original looked like without unfit changes and are able to fix the work to be more