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People Won’t Stop Demanding The Mona Lisa To Be Cleaned, So Someone Just Explained What Would Happen
From rust being washed off some old pots to dirt removed from crevices between tiles, watching something return to its previous state is oddly satisfying and art pieces are no exception to that principle.
Not too long ago we shared a video of art expert Philip Mould removing the old varnish off a 400-year-old painting, which since then has gone viral. The fascinating process of painting restoration garnered attention on Tumblr where people were quick to demand the same thing to be done to Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous ‘Mona Lisa.’ A tempting idea, especially after seeing how beautiful the ‘Woman In Red’ looked after Mould’s treatment. In fact, some restoration work was done in 1809 on the original Mona Lisa, and that’s why it looks so ‘washed out’ as some layers of paint were removed during the process.
A Tumblr user named Eleanor quickly explained what would happen if someone tried to restore the famous painting to its original state. From introducing us to Leonardo’s painting techniques to the whole process of oil painting conservation, Eleanor explained why the restoration wouldn’t be worth the risk.
More info: Tumblr
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Not too long ago the internet was fascinated by Philip Mould’s restoration of 400-year-old ‘Woman In Red’
He used a mixture of gel and solvent, created specifically for this art piece, to remove the yellow varnish
“A mixture of gel and solvent was created, specifically just to remove the varnish and not to damage the underlying paint”
“It’s different from normal restoration, with the gel suspending the solvent and working more controllably”
After seeing Mould’s work, people of Tumblr quickly demanded this be done to Da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa,’ however, a user named Eleanor was quick to explain what would happen if someone did that
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What do you think ?
Susanna Vesna 7 years ago
Same here! Read it all! So fascinating! Hope this girl gets into the program.
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Johanna Zamora 7 years ago
Thank you for not succumbing to ignorance and letting people open their minds to the complexities of glaze painting. It's magical when done right.
Jill 7 years ago
When I saw this I couldn’t help but think about the ”restoration” of Ecce Homo. In case you forgot: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/botched-restoration-of-jesus-fresco-miraculously-saves-spanish-town-197057 FA08B4B6-B...9-jpeg.jpg 
HellCat 7 years ago
Thank you for the post, I learned a lot of things from it, specially as an art lover. I am also fascinated by Leonardo da Vinci's life and genius and this post comes nicely close to 15th of April, his birthday. I highly doubt there has been or ever will be a character like he was. As for the paintings themselves, unless there is an actual reason behind it, such as protecting or saving it, I actually prefer them when they have the varnish. Shows their age and in my opinion, increases their value and aesthetics.
Rocka Taa 7 years ago
you should watch the movie 'loving Vincent' then, it's great
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PeachPossum 7 years ago
I seem to recall from my art history class that Leonardo da Vinci was the first person to make restorations on the Last Supper. He had chosen to use his own invention of egg tempura on the stone wall after preparing the surface. It is not a fresco, which is wet plaster and painted in sections. A couple of years later, the tempura had started to flake off, and da Vinci returned to make repairs.
Mary Crisan 7 years ago
Check this please : https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/v/leonardo-da-vinci-last-supper-1495-98 just saying....
Load More Replies... Susanna Vesna 7 years ago
Same here! Read it all! So fascinating! Hope this girl gets into the program.
Load More Replies... Johanna Zamora 7 years ago
Thank you for not succumbing to ignorance and letting people open their minds to the complexities of glaze painting. It's magical when done right.
Jill 7 years ago
When I saw this I couldn’t help but think about the ”restoration” of Ecce Homo. In case you forgot: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/botched-restoration-of-jesus-fresco-miraculously-saves-spanish-town-197057 FA08B4B6-B...9-jpeg.jpg
HellCat 7 years ago
Thank you for the post, I learned a lot of things from it, specially as an art lover. I am also fascinated by Leonardo da Vinci's life and genius and this post comes nicely close to 15th of April, his birthday. I highly doubt there has been or ever will be a character like he was. As for the paintings themselves, unless there is an actual reason behind it, such as protecting or saving it, I actually prefer them when they have the varnish. Shows their age and in my opinion, increases their value and aesthetics.
Rocka Taa 7 years ago
you should watch the movie 'loving Vincent' then, it's great
Load More Replies... PeachPossum 7 years ago
I seem to recall from my art history class that Leonardo da Vinci was the first person to make restorations on the Last Supper. He had chosen to use his own invention of egg tempura on the stone wall after preparing the surface. It is not a fresco, which is wet plaster and painted in sections. A couple of years later, the tempura had started to flake off, and da Vinci returned to make repairs.
Mary Crisan 7 years ago
Check this please : https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/v/leonardo-da-vinci-last-supper-1495-98 just saying....
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