It’s insane to think of the pressure this woman must’ve felt. Imagine having to stab a scalpel into a MINIMUM 500 year old work by one of the most famous artists of all time. I can’t.
Jason D I have a family member who works in art restoration and he talks often about how, even with all of his experience, the erratic beating in his heart would not go away every time he was assigned to another piece of artwork.
@@LucasCarter2 we should never rank inanimate objects higher than the flesh and life of a living human. As a trainee surgeon I treat my patients with utmost care and would never think of a piece of paper that meant nothing back in the day as anything more valuable than the human right in front of me that's giving their trust in my hands.
i heard you talk about live restoration videos in your livestream 15 minutes ago and went on a spree of art restoration videos xd. and yes i can't imagine working in art restoration because my clumsy ass will destroy most paintings
Also came from the livestream! I am now officially hooked on these videos, so thanks for that Holly. But really, this stuff is so frightening, I'd never be able to do it
I would even be afraid to drink coffee in the workshop. Plus I'm damn sure I would sneeze trying to flip it over, and there would be a scalpel conveniently teetering close by... I have the worst luck.
These people perfect the art on less important things first, and take what they learn onto the important things. They work in a way in which catastrophic fuckups aren't possible.
Yes, I admire these conservators very much. I think she probably had a team of people helping her make decisions at the important junctures - this helps ensure the best outcome.
@@chrysanthemum436 Lots of restaurants' owners asked Picasso to draw something instead of paying the check...one day one owner asked for the usual drawing but he also requested the artist to sign it and Picasso replied "i'm buying a meal, not the whole restaurant".
Especially considering Michelangelo was a lunatic perfectionist according to biographers where he literally hated 95% of what he created because he never was satisfied with his work.
I'm glad to know that there are people out there that realize the historical importance of these classic works from great artists, and care enough to preserve that history. Thank you Ms. Shelley for the work you do
Well they are not more important than any drawing that i do,maybe even less as they dont benefit humans progress or any other relevent area in our life.
@@elomnusk7656 The past is as relevant as the future. Without these pieces from the past that remain with us, we forget who we once were, and how different life was. Arrogance is not attractive, and a simple drawing is not equivalent to the historical significance of Michelangelo's work. His contribution to society and culture is elementary, and common knowledge in junior high. Please maintain some respect.
@@nicolacarter597 yeahh. he said it in one of his videos. if a customer asks him to restore art on paper, like this, he would recommend a paper conservator to the customer from his network of other art restorers.
what i like about artifact is that if you touch that paper, it means youre technicaly also touching literally the same thing as what Michelangelo touched.. as he lived in the past and created such a huge impact in the world, touching his "pressence" on the paper mustve feel out of this world
@@MaiaPalazzo So, quite literally anywhere where anything ever happened in the history of history. You can walk out of your front door, something historical took place there. It's not that special.
@@BabsChannel It's not that special, but by that standard what really is? For those of us with imagination, it's possible to sense, even if imagined, some connection with the famed people and events of history by occupying the same space. Sort of like entertainment or religion but regarding things that actually happened.
Not a craftwoman nor an artist, conservation borrows to each and need an understanding of craftmanship and artistry, but you can't be an artist or a craftman to work with respect in conservation. She is mostly a historian, a technician, and a chemist.
I love how people react to anime art or any new form of art the same way classical painters were reacting to contemporary art back in the old days. Like art is art, it is beautiful to have many ways to express that ! ^^
When I was a teenager, my Aunt Brenda gave me a supply of linen paper and envelopes, because it was all she used. I loved it, and continued using linen paper for everything. I did all my college work on linen. Even my note taking in class - I would take notes in pencil on one piece of linen paper in shorthand, transcribe them later in ink onto a fresh piece of linen paper, then erase my penciled versions, reusing the paper for another class. The paper is so strong, that even after all that writing, erasing, and writing again, I could still use ONE piece of paper for note taking for an entire semester. Recently, some 25 years after graduation, I looked at some of my college papers, which I keep in the lower cabinet of a bookcase. It was all still perfect - as if it were new. Even the heavily used note taking paper from my final year that I had not yet transcribed. So yeah, anyway, I'm on team linen, lol.
you loosen them from what unnecessary shite they were previously stuck to, then help restore them back to their glory days/the way they were always meant to be?
Love how she explained the steps and the considerations they undertake when restoring the works of the master. Mustve been very exciting and nerve wrecking at same time to handle such pieces.
She doesn't wear gloves because the work is so fragile they need to ensure there is nothing between them and the work which may cause them to mishandle it. People doing this kind of restoration wash their hands very regularly to avoid transferring skin oils, etc. onto the works. With this kind of work gloves are not recommended.
Oh right, sorry, I read your comment as being your obsessive mind screaming 'no gloves' at you and you telling that voice to shut up - like an obsessive compulsive person trying to stop the compulsion.
when reading about this on wikipedia and sites like this: barnandwillow.com/blogs/barn-willow/17306109-things-you-need-to-know-while-shopping-for-belgian-linen I understand that flax is the naturally harvested fibre (linseed), and linen the end-product of this same fibre, correct? So the paper for this drawing was made from pure natural fibres, together with an endproduct created from the same natural fibres. Do I have this right?
This was very interesting and informative, not to mention entertaining. I agree that the artwork should maintain a certain level of originality. It should be kept as Michelangelo would have seen and used it.
What I really like about videos like these is seeing the people at work behind the scenes of the great collections of the world. This shows that museums have a great task beyond just collecting, storing and showing: They are entrusted with the heritage and the recollections of mankind. It makes me very happy that they do not take this responsibility lightly.
Lovely! And as a lowly member of the public, I do appreciate that you addressed the creases but left the tear. I think this was the right balance between remediation and respect for the drawing's history. Thank you for all the wonderful, delicate work you do!
The no gloves comments! Yeah because of course The Metropolitan Museum of Art would pick some random person without the knowledge and experience of years doing her job that this lady has and of course people on youtube know a lot more about restoration and conservation than she does. *sighs and rolls eyes
@@sarahfrench9336 I'm curious. With something of this age, is there no worry about oil that's naturally present on fingers causing something undesirable?
Sorry but it is a valid question. The presence of dirt and grime and lotions and soup and natural oils on a person’s hands is undeniable. Even if it isn’t “traditional” to wear gloves it only makes sense that they should.
@@missmerbella That is why it is considered better to wash the hands carefully than to wear gloves that make you loose sensitivity on your fingers, wearing gloves has damaged documents, not to mention that accumulate dirt and the professionals now choose to handle paper without them. They are the professionals, honestly that should say it all.
@@bluezauza It depends on what you're doing in the restoration process. If you need to use your sensitivity of touch, sure. If not, there is no reason NOT to wear them.
People comment about her not wearing gloves but my impression from watching these conservation videos is that it's in the best interests of the work that conservator to be able to feel it with her bare fingertips. It's an extremely delicate process that if their sense of touch is in any way restricted I think it would significantly increase the risk of missing a weakness or irregularity in the work's surface and hence they could damage the work or fail to properly restore the work to the best possible condition. It is worth the tiny amount of skin oils getting on the work (I'm sure they frequently wash their hands with an appropriate soap to minimise this) than them tearing a hole in it.
All I could think, all the way through watching this was "That's a Michelangelo! She's conserving a Michelangelo!" What a wonderful privilege. I'm so grateful to conservators for preserving works like this, so future generations are still able to appreciate them in real life, not just in digital format. :)
They didn't have external mic for the conservator. She sounded compressed and low volume, because they probably used the built-in camera mics, which are shit for a professional video like this, and just cut out the noise in the background. They had the music loud for that reason too probably.
bob ross is an artist but his art was not interesting, sesame; so you might have wait until all the paintings on the planet mysteriously disappears before his paintings are conserved. hahaha, i seen a special on his art. his estate is storing all of his paintings in a huge warehouse somewhere, even buying back some of his works
@@hansouth2355 It may not be very interesting art, but it's art nonetheless, and also Ross is culturally important enough for his work to be conserved for posterity. If they don't we'll only have some blurry tapes to see how he worked and his end results.
Excellent!! I am a restorer of works on paper and I know how much responsibility we should assume in this profession, and even more in works of such importance. It takes a lot of courage
Marjorie Shelley also appears in the "Great Museums" video "An Acquiring Mind: Philippe DeMontebello and The Metropolitan Museum of Art". In that video she gives a more generalized overview of paper conservation. Absorbing, fascinating, and informative. The Met is very lucky to have a conservator of her talent and dedication.
The fact that Michelangelo touched that piece of paper is just fascinating to me. That drawing has survived centuries; it's survived wars, natural disasters, and just the wear and tear of everyday life. That drawing has seen and heard so many eras and people come and go and to this day it survives. Imagining Michelangelo sketching on that piece of paper and never truly realizing that it would outlive his world for more than 500 years is again, just truly fascinating. History and the objects that tell its story need to be preserved and I'm glad there are individuals out there with the passion and expertise to be able to do so. What a suspenseful yet enjoyable experience to watch someone repair an object that will more than likely outlive all of us who are alive at this moment.
Im somehow fascinated, that you are so much interested in such restorations, or those old masters...And i totally agree with you! Michelangelo was my door to art. In a lot of ways he still is, even if i meanwhile i have my own way. I like the thought (even if im not sure about it, but it seems so) that you also have something recognized in Michelangelo. I would be interested what your relationship is to Michelangelo, or restoration ?
Extremely happy to gear that true artist, respect the master behind the art piece, but also respect the age of it, all those imperfection show the journey throught the years of this precious document
Because it's iconicc a testament to the skills of days past, of ancient times, when people with talent actually employ them to make valuable things. Yes this might just be a sketch pad to Michelangelo, but a treasure for us to study and behold. We look at it as an evidence to a yesteryear that did exist
speaking as an artist: yes, this level of drawing can and is achieved by many incredible artists today. Artists today reach these heights and push things further by standing on the shoulders of giants, many people hone and improve their craft by copying things that old masters have already done until they learn it too.
i don’t know why but looking at this drawing made me tear up it just genuinely looks so beautiful with evidence of its age, ive watched plenty of videos of conservations of paintings but never of drawings, it seems more beautiful with its flaws
I can't describe what I'm feeling right now, seeing that old master work being repaired. Awe? Inspiration? it's this deep and profound feeling which I can't describe with words.
@@petersavrides4664 he refuses to take criticism, uses invasive and outdated techniques, and therefore no, plus no formal education. they would laugh him out the door, you would hope. all they have to do is watch the ave maria restoration to see the mess he makes
he could never work on such a delicate piece. that is why he only works on client’s paintings and not these historical pieces (and it is a shame still. because even if they are private they still have a lot of history to them...)
Thank you for reminding me that conservation is not striping the ages and traits of an artwork in the hope of making it look new. That there is beauty and history in flaws.
You go to college majoring in something like Art History and then you apply for and get into one of the rare and prestigious art restoration graduate programs.
Most people in the paper restoration world actually start out as book binders with special training for conservation, at least that's the standard where I work
Nice workshop. Makes me sad. It certainly does not remind me of the lab I worked at last, with all its crowded make-shift tables, understocked chem shelves, partly self-made machineries/lamps and not an INCH of space to store a pen because the lab was getting crammed with incoming silver-fish contaminated objects. That, btw, was the official restaurator lab of the city's sculpture and archeological museum. The lack of finance and the overall precarious job situation was the reason why I gave up on my dream as a restaurator. It makes me angry and sad sad sad.
i really appreciate their attitude, and their decisions regarding how it should be presented, there's a strange balance to be had between conserving it pristine as though new, and showing the age and its history through framing and cracks
this is incredible it's another form of art by itself this is one of the most important job in the world in my eyes they are like the firefighter of art and history
Conserving Michelangelo or any item from humanity's past is an important endeavour. No matter what it is or made of. We can, if we take the time, learn quite a lot. Marjorie Shelley should be commended for the delicacy of her work.
During restoration proccess its preferable to not wear glove to keep tactile sensitivity, you have to make sure that your hands are very clean and dry though
Arielle Masters wearing gloves makes it harder to use delicate hand movements. To work on old art work or document you wash and sanitize your hands and then dry them thoroughly. That protects the paper enough and preserves your ability to use a whisper light touch and tiny tiny movements
lol, i was watching a few videos of baumgartner restauration and excepted about the same from this video. then in the end only the adhesive was removed with some gel and you do not even get to see the process the commentary is good, but this is not what i came here for
@@andybaldman visit any forum or mailing list for conservators. I work at a museum so I'm on several and a few email lists. reddit has a few that are obviously public, just Google keywords. long story short, this guy is way too aggressive with paintings and uses outdated methods that he learned from his father (the one who was actually trained, but was trained 40 years ago). he is also extremely vicious and litigious and petty of people question his methods or offer criticisms.
@@maryandchild I did google, and didn't find anything. Feel free to offer keywords. I doubt I'm going to get on any private internal mailing lists of conservators. I can see people being critical, but from my perspective when I watch other conservator vids here, I'm disappointed in what I see. He has a massive following, and I'm sure is doing well, so I can see him being hated and getting a lot of flack. But I'd be interested in some objective critiques from conservators, with specific examples of what they would do differently.
It’s insane to think of the pressure this woman must’ve felt. Imagine having to stab a scalpel into a MINIMUM 500 year old work by one of the most famous artists of all time. I can’t.
Jason D I have a family member who works in art restoration and he talks often about how, even with all of his experience, the erratic beating in his heart would not go away every time he was assigned to another piece of artwork.
Jason D i know, i feel you
Next episode is how that very precise scratch, almost like it's from a spalpel, had been there for 500 years
Imagine how surgeons must feel the first time they operate on a living patient.
@@LucasCarter2 we should never rank inanimate objects higher than the flesh and life of a living human. As a trainee surgeon I treat my patients with utmost care and would never think of a piece of paper that meant nothing back in the day as anything more valuable than the human right in front of me that's giving their trust in my hands.
damn, that must be the most frieghting job. To even mess up once would be catastrophic.
i heard you talk about live restoration videos in your livestream 15 minutes ago and went on a spree of art restoration videos xd. and yes i can't imagine working in art restoration because my clumsy ass will destroy most paintings
Also came from the livestream! I am now officially hooked on these videos, so thanks for that Holly. But really, this stuff is so frightening, I'd never be able to do it
I would even be afraid to drink coffee in the workshop. Plus I'm damn sure I would sneeze trying to flip it over, and there would be a scalpel conveniently teetering close by... I have the worst luck.
These people perfect the art on less important things first, and take what they learn onto the important things. They work in a way in which catastrophic fuckups aren't possible.
Yes, I admire these conservators very much. I think she probably had a team of people helping her make decisions at the important junctures - this helps ensure the best outcome.
Michelangelo would have been like: "They're just some drawings lmfao"
These people would've tried to conserve his napkins if they could, doesn't matter lol
@@chrysanthemum436 Lots of restaurants' owners asked Picasso to draw something instead of paying the check...one day one owner asked for the usual drawing but he also requested the artist to sign it and Picasso replied "i'm buying a meal, not the whole restaurant".
@@oiurehj haha, that's great :)
Especially considering Michelangelo was a lunatic perfectionist according to biographers where he literally hated 95% of what he created because he never was satisfied with his work.
@Michelle Ortiz of course not. Just the kind of shit people love to misquote to feel like intellectuals.
I'm glad to know that there are people out there that realize the historical importance of these classic works from great artists, and care enough to preserve that history. Thank you Ms. Shelley for the work you do
Well they are not more important than any drawing that i do,maybe even less as they dont benefit humans progress or any other relevent area in our life.
@@elomnusk7656 The past is as relevant as the future. Without these pieces from the past that remain with us, we forget who we once were, and how different life was. Arrogance is not attractive, and a simple drawing is not equivalent to the historical significance of Michelangelo's work. His contribution to society and culture is elementary, and common knowledge in junior high. Please maintain some respect.
I'm pretty sure the majority of people recognise the historical importance of a Michelangelo lol
@@jere473 by which effect?
@#Y0u0nlyLif30nc3 #Yolo Like why is it important?
I´d love to see a Baumgartner Restoration on something this delicate.
He restored a paper panel glued to wood support with a picture of archimedes
He dosent work on paper, oil and canvas.
Yaaas!!
@@nicolacarter597 yeahh. he said it in one of his videos. if a customer asks him to restore art on paper, like this, he would recommend a paper conservator to the customer from his network of other art restorers.
I thought the same thing!!!
When your homework gets wet and you try to salvage it.
XD
MOOD
Who salvages their homework? It ain't my problem once I hand it in
@@lordiust962 my homework used to have a unique signature it was mine as it look like it was so crumpled up it lost it size
THIS COMMENT IS SO PERFECT
What an admirable profession.
what i like about artifact is that if you touch that paper, it means youre technicaly also touching literally the same thing as what Michelangelo touched.. as he lived in the past and created such a huge impact in the world, touching his "pressence" on the paper mustve feel out of this world
Kevin M Abraham, I think of things like that too. I sometimes think about like, who used to stand right here on this ground. You know. Ooo it’s cool.
Just like going to places where historical things happened.. such a exquisite feeling!
@@MaiaPalazzo So, quite literally anywhere where anything ever happened in the history of history.
You can walk out of your front door, something historical took place there.
It's not that special.
@@BabsChannel It's not that special, but by that standard what really is? For those of us with imagination, it's possible to sense, even if imagined, some connection with the famed people and events of history by occupying the same space. Sort of like entertainment or religion but regarding things that actually happened.
@@rgemail Those of us with imagination? Snowflake.
The lady is an artist herself.
That's usually how it works....
she maybe an artist but what she did in this video is called a craft. she is a master craftswoman
CommentCop Badge#666
We know. It’s the compliment that counts.
Not a craftwoman nor an artist, conservation borrows to each and need an understanding of craftmanship and artistry, but you can't be an artist or a craftman to work with respect in conservation. She is mostly a historian, a technician, and a chemist.
500 years later: “conserving anime art”
Oh god no..
「光」イェレナ or even “conserving digital art”
conserving digital art? shook
"conserving digital art"
dude.
I love how people react to anime art or any new form of art the same way classical painters were reacting to contemporary art back in the old days. Like art is art, it is beautiful to have many ways to express that ! ^^
When I was a teenager, my Aunt Brenda gave me a supply of linen paper and envelopes, because it was all she used. I loved it, and continued using linen paper for everything. I did all my college work on linen. Even my note taking in class - I would take notes in pencil on one piece of linen paper in shorthand, transcribe them later in ink onto a fresh piece of linen paper, then erase my penciled versions, reusing the paper for another class. The paper is so strong, that even after all that writing, erasing, and writing again, I could still use ONE piece of paper for note taking for an entire semester. Recently, some 25 years after graduation, I looked at some of my college papers, which I keep in the lower cabinet of a bookcase. It was all still perfect - as if it were new. Even the heavily used note taking paper from my final year that I had not yet transcribed. So yeah, anyway, I'm on team linen, lol.
U would definitely keep and even frame some of it!!! Fantastic!
just put a book on it
Jasper King - Yeah! And then, run over in a few times with a four-wheeler.
LOL :D
Brilliant. A dang book!! I love it. 😂
😭😂
*crunch*
Very informative. Love these sorts of videos.
Yeah, very informative, just some unspecified jello and a few rocks on top of it.
Youd like Baumgartner restorations. He does amazing art restorations
@@peterleonard49 Yes I already follow them :) Thanks though
That‘s how you look at people. Like art. You look at the drawings. Not the damages.
you loosen them from what unnecessary shite they were previously stuck to, then help restore them back to their glory days/the way they were always meant to be?
@@elilw1147 maybe, if you love them
Love how she explained the steps and the considerations they undertake when restoring the works of the master. Mustve been very exciting and nerve wrecking at same time to handle such pieces.
Disappointed. I was expecting a conservation of Michelangelo.
Ferble-kun Sakrrislin lol
Underrated comment
Lmao😂🤣😂🤣
Genius
"The reason that it's so creased is because it's 500 years old and also paper"
Michelangelo would've been like: "That's just some sketches. Y'all could've thrown that away. I ain't even know I kept that."
Was he a front-porch banjo-playing moron too?
i love thisss 😂😂😂
I ain’t even know I kept that 😭😭🤣
@@ninjabaiano6092 Are you sure that wasn't Picasso?
@@EGarrett01 i might be confusing those ngl.
Could you please be my grandma
Blue kid Lol! That's adorable
dumb comment
Vi Ma bitch please
Blue kid mine too
You pervert.
“No gloves” “no gloves” “no gloves” “no gloves”
shut up.
Seriously she doesn’t need to wear gloves. It’s delicate work. Heck man.
Your average piece of Bread why u pressed
She doesn't wear gloves because the work is so fragile they need to ensure there is nothing between them and the work which may cause them to mishandle it. People doing this kind of restoration wash their hands very regularly to avoid transferring skin oils, etc. onto the works. With this kind of work gloves are not recommended.
I know that. I’m not saying she should wear gloves. What I was saying is that people should shut up about the no gloves thing
Oh right, sorry, I read your comment as being your obsessive mind screaming 'no gloves' at you and you telling that voice to shut up - like an obsessive compulsive person trying to stop the compulsion.
Auriflamme Oof that’s heavy actually
Amazing but I have always wondered what sort of paper they used during the age before modernism, it seems like quite a durable and well crafted paper.
I think she mentions that it was flax and linen. But in our era, flax is banned isn't it?
+408Magenta
Flax is not banned I believe.
+408Magenta
Well now I trust you less, where did she even mention flax?
04:00 mark.
when reading about this on wikipedia and sites like this: barnandwillow.com/blogs/barn-willow/17306109-things-you-need-to-know-while-shopping-for-belgian-linen
I understand that flax is the naturally harvested fibre (linseed), and linen the end-product of this same fibre, correct? So the paper for this drawing was made from pure natural fibres, together with an endproduct created from the same natural fibres. Do I have this right?
What an honor and privilege to conserve such an important piece of culture. Nothing but respect for the conservationist and her skill.
This was very interesting and informative, not to mention entertaining. I agree that the artwork should maintain a certain level of originality. It should be kept as Michelangelo would have seen and used it.
Passy, true !
A great thing about conservation is that it is a field where result is always more important than the time spent
My favorite ninja turtle for sure!!
He's a party dude!
@@georgewang2947 which turtle was the odd on out?
What I really like about videos like these is seeing the people at work behind the scenes of the great collections of the world.
This shows that museums have a great task beyond just collecting, storing and showing: They are entrusted with the heritage and the recollections of mankind. It makes me very happy that they do not take this responsibility lightly.
Lovely! And as a lowly member of the public, I do appreciate that you addressed the creases but left the tear. I think this was the right balance between remediation and respect for the drawing's history. Thank you for all the wonderful, delicate work you do!
The confidence and courage of this lady is what astonishes me
The no gloves comments! Yeah because of course The Metropolitan Museum of Art would pick some random person without the knowledge and experience of years doing her job that this lady has and of course people on youtube know a lot more about restoration and conservation than she does. *sighs and rolls eyes
And anyone who watched conservation knows they are not always necessary
@@sarahfrench9336 I'm curious. With something of this age, is there no worry about oil that's naturally present on fingers causing something undesirable?
Sorry but it is a valid question. The presence of dirt and grime and lotions and soup and natural oils on a person’s hands is undeniable. Even if it isn’t “traditional” to wear gloves it only makes sense that they should.
@@missmerbella That is why it is considered better to wash the hands carefully than to wear gloves that make you loose sensitivity on your fingers, wearing gloves has damaged documents, not to mention that accumulate dirt and the professionals now choose to handle paper without them. They are the professionals, honestly that should say it all.
@@bluezauza It depends on what you're doing in the restoration process. If you need to use your sensitivity of touch, sure. If not, there is no reason NOT to wear them.
People comment about her not wearing gloves but my impression from watching these conservation videos is that it's in the best interests of the work that conservator to be able to feel it with her bare fingertips. It's an extremely delicate process that if their sense of touch is in any way restricted I think it would significantly increase the risk of missing a weakness or irregularity in the work's surface and hence they could damage the work or fail to properly restore the work to the best possible condition. It is worth the tiny amount of skin oils getting on the work (I'm sure they frequently wash their hands with an appropriate soap to minimise this) than them tearing a hole in it.
"They (old master drawings) should bear the evidence of their age..." beautifully said.
All I could think, all the way through watching this was "That's a Michelangelo! She's conserving a Michelangelo!" What a wonderful privilege. I'm so grateful to conservators for preserving works like this, so future generations are still able to appreciate them in real life, not just in digital format. :)
When you put music in a video, do not make it as loud or louder than the voice.
chefranden they didn’t
@@chaupt22 They honestly kind of did, it's a slow piece but it seems to interfere with the commentary fairly often.
Omg absolutely this. Some of those slow crescendos really made it hard to hear what she was saying.
They didn't have external mic for the conservator. She sounded compressed and low volume, because they probably used the built-in camera mics, which are shit for a professional video like this, and just cut out the noise in the background. They had the music loud for that reason too probably.
I don't know why I find these fine art conservation videos so fascinating.
500 years later: Conserving Bob Ross's artworks.
bob ross is an artist but his art was not interesting, sesame; so you might have wait until all the paintings on the planet mysteriously disappears before his paintings are conserved. hahaha, i seen a special on his art. his estate is storing all of his paintings in a huge warehouse somewhere, even buying back some of his works
@@hansouth2355 It may not be very interesting art, but it's art nonetheless, and also Ross is culturally important enough for his work to be conserved for posterity. If they don't we'll only have some blurry tapes to see how he worked and his end results.
Excellent!! I am a restorer of works on paper and I know how much responsibility we should assume in this profession, and even more in works of such importance. It takes a lot of courage
What an absolute pleasure must be just to hold such drawing!
Seeing such an old drawing outside of a glass case is humbling and makes me emotional
Marjorie Shelley also appears in the "Great Museums" video "An Acquiring Mind: Philippe DeMontebello and The Metropolitan Museum of Art". In that video she gives a more generalized overview of paper conservation. Absorbing, fascinating, and informative. The Met is very lucky to have a conservator of her talent and dedication.
The fact that Michelangelo touched that piece of paper is just fascinating to me. That drawing has survived centuries; it's survived wars, natural disasters, and just the wear and tear of everyday life. That drawing has seen and heard so many eras and people come and go and to this day it survives. Imagining Michelangelo sketching on that piece of paper and never truly realizing that it would outlive his world for more than 500 years is again, just truly fascinating. History and the objects that tell its story need to be preserved and I'm glad there are individuals out there with the passion and expertise to be able to do so. What a suspenseful yet enjoyable experience to watch someone repair an object that will more than likely outlive all of us who are alive at this moment.
Me finding a mistake in my essay and pretending I know how to fix it
plaid glasses .. you put it in a humidifier?
A modern day Master restoring and supporting another Master. Magnificent!
Would be awesome to see more of the restoration process of another painting, these videos are so cool
Im somehow fascinated, that you are so much interested in such restorations, or those old masters...And i totally agree with you! Michelangelo was my door to art. In a lot of ways he still is, even if i meanwhile i have my own way. I like the thought (even if im not sure about it, but it seems so) that you also have something recognized in Michelangelo. I would be interested what your relationship is to Michelangelo, or restoration ?
Check out Baumgartner Restoration, he does work on paintings.
@@SaevioCorta From conservators point of view, he does not do conservation though
Extremely happy to gear that true artist, respect the master behind the art piece, but also respect the age of it, all those imperfection show the journey throught the years of this precious document
Amazing, this was just an artists sketches. Probably nothing special to Michelangelo. And people revere it like it's gods manuscript nowadays.
Because it's iconicc a testament to the skills of days past, of ancient times, when people with talent actually employ them to make valuable things. Yes this might just be a sketch pad to Michelangelo, but a treasure for us to study and behold. We look at it as an evidence to a yesteryear that did exist
@@charmedprince Very true everthing that you have said. Don't forget that this level of drawing is and can still be achieved today by modern artists.
speaking as an artist: yes, this level of drawing can and is achieved by many incredible artists today. Artists today reach these heights and push things further by standing on the shoulders of giants, many people hone and improve their craft by copying things that old masters have already done until they learn it too.
Marjorie and The Met, thank you for your work.
i don’t know why but looking at this drawing made me tear up it just genuinely looks so beautiful with evidence of its age, ive watched plenty of videos of conservations of paintings but never of drawings, it seems more beautiful with its flaws
I hope you're not considering a career in art conservation. Imagine all those tears landing on that 500 year-old paper! lol
I can't describe what I'm feeling right now, seeing that old master work being repaired. Awe? Inspiration? it's this deep and profound feeling which I can't describe with words.
i love this video, but I feel like im cheating on Baumgartner.
me too
Literally me.
one day i feel like he will work up enough experience to work at an institution like the MET. what a talented guy, it's only a matter of time.
@@petersavrides4664 he refuses to take criticism, uses invasive and outdated techniques, and therefore no, plus no formal education. they would laugh him out the door, you would hope. all they have to do is watch the ave maria restoration to see the mess he makes
he could never work on such a delicate piece. that is why he only works on client’s paintings and not these historical pieces (and it is a shame still. because even if they are private they still have a lot of history to them...)
Thank you for reminding me that conservation is not striping the ages and traits of an artwork in the hope of making it look new. That there is beauty and history in flaws.
How does one even get into art restoration as a career, seems pricey
A taste for art should be the starter
You go to college majoring in something like Art History and then you apply for and get into one of the rare and prestigious art restoration graduate programs.
Most people in the paper restoration world actually start out as book binders with special training for conservation, at least that's the standard where I work
That's a VERY SMALL job market for it
I think you need a background in chemistry as well
I love Michelangelo. I remember being face to face to some of his works. It always brings tears to my eyes.
The stress of this job would keep me up all night lol.
Wow! You know you've reached the pinnacle of your profession if you're working on a Michelangelo.
i'm sure that crack on the paper is more valuable than everything I own.
What an extraordinarily clever and gifted person.
Nice workshop. Makes me sad. It certainly does not remind me of the lab I worked at last, with all its crowded make-shift tables, understocked chem shelves, partly self-made machineries/lamps and not an INCH of space to store a pen because the lab was getting crammed with incoming silver-fish contaminated objects. That, btw, was the official restaurator lab of the city's sculpture and archeological museum. The lack of finance and the overall precarious job situation was the reason why I gave up on my dream as a restaurator. It makes me angry and sad sad sad.
Dear Lady thanks to show mee this very difficult proceger to keep alive art of Michelangelo.
Restoring drawings is quite easy! Scan it, Open it in Photoshop, use the magic repairtool and finally print it. 👏
Thank me later
Thank you, thank you, thank you, O All Wise, All Seeing, All knowing and Munificent One, Thank you! ;)
i really appreciate their attitude, and their decisions regarding how it should be presented, there's a strange balance to be had between conserving it pristine as though new, and showing the age and its history through framing and cracks
Why am i watching this at 1am in the morning!
It's putting me to sleep 💤 😴 I'm only 5 minutes in.
I cannot imagine the patience and time it took to remove the adhesive from that drawing. And her touch - dang.
This was nowhere near long enough. I'd watch this conservation process for hours.
It was an incredible exhibit. Great getting to see how those pieces were prepared for display.
**A woman flattening old paper**
1.5M people: interesting
I love Michelangelo, I like his pictures and sculptures.
I wonder if Michelangelo's actual fingerprints or DNA could still be on the page..
it is possible, DNA has a halflife of around 512 years. I'm not sure about fingerprints.
Candy Williams we have his fingerprints already ;)
Candy Williams but why ?
Hud Adnan when he erased/smeared oil paints, he'd use his thumb, leaving an imprint in the paint
Respect to this woman. I cant even dare to do this .
wow this is amazing.
this is incredible it's another form of art by itself
this is one of the most important job in the world in my eyes
they are like the firefighter of art and history
For reference on how old this drawing is Michelangelo was born in 1475. . .
The quality of the paper is incredible.
very nice video but annoying (at times) high pitch music making difficult to hear the speaker.
Conserving Michelangelo or any item from humanity's past is an important endeavour. No matter what it is or made of. We can, if we take the time, learn quite a lot.
Marjorie Shelley should be commended for the delicacy of her work.
I lost count of how many comments say, *_"she's not wearing gloves"._* Wow... such is the state of UA-cam.
.
I wonder how many pieces of work by different Masters she has handled over the years? Mind boggling, and my mind is boggled enough to begin with.
Level of responsibility: Michelangelo
500 years! Wow - it's awesome to see his genius in simple lines
very interesting
BRAVO..'This is beautiful. Thank you for leaving the tear.
Hello my friend
I was so nervous watching this.
The quality of this oaper is amazing it looks so good after many many years omg so amazing, these People were so advanced in so many areas.
0:47 The reason for all the creases is two fold... ;)
Huge props for leaving the old tear restoration.
Wonderfully informative video! Why did you not need to wear gloves?
Cus she's not a pussy
sharkiesha's Dad goku the gloves protect the artwork not her. The oil from your hands can do serious damage to someone pieces.
During restoration proccess its preferable to not wear glove to keep tactile sensitivity, you have to make sure that your hands are very clean and dry though
Arielle Masters wearing gloves makes it harder to use delicate hand movements. To work on old art work or document you wash and sanitize your hands and then dry them thoroughly. That protects the paper enough and preserves your ability to use a whisper light touch and tiny tiny movements
She was carrying it on a bigger piece of paper entirely so her hands do not touch the work.
Compelling viewing! I would love to see a longer and more in-depth documentary on this wonderful conservation work. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Just curious, why wasn't it remounted to the old mounts?
Because they wanted to restore it to the original condition, how it was when Michelangelo drew it.
Because they didn't fit properly, the mounts were the main reason for the really bad creases.
I'm in utter awe. Simply amazing work!
An intact tear - oxymoron?
I’m assuming she means the tear doesn’t go all the way through the paper so it’s still one piece e
@@rocinadelossantos3479 visible tear, indicating that at one point in time it was torn and was later repaired
Han South do they document the fixes as they go so the next person can go through and confirm what was done previously?
Just taking a moment to congratulate this woman. Just the idea of being responsible for a piece like this makes me anxious.
Mickleangelo
I bet you would do a better job.
Ok
J M are you ok?
I didn't know restorations are this meticulous and tedious that its almost surgical. Kudos to all conservators!
No Belgian linen or washi kozo...
Interesting.
*takes notes*
Staples? 😉
What an interesting occupation
Seems like this lady is very considered in her technique which is important.
In 200 years there will be a conservator blaming her techniques for the inevitable ravages of time on this work.
It's amazing something that fragile and prone to any and all environmental damages could survive.
500k views for a 500yr old drawing
Such knowledge and skill to do work like this - and a tremendous amount of patience.
lol, i was watching a few videos of baumgartner restauration and excepted about the same from this video.
then in the end only the adhesive was removed with some gel and you do not even get to see the process
the commentary is good, but this is not what i came here for
that guy's kind of a joke in the world of conservation. this is what real conservation looks like.
@@maryandchild are you a collector or do you do conservation? sounds like you typed those words coming straight out of your ass
@@maryandchild Do you have a reference for that statement? (Link, etc)? What are you basing it on?
@@andybaldman visit any forum or mailing list for conservators. I work at a museum so I'm on several and a few email lists. reddit has a few that are obviously public, just Google keywords.
long story short, this guy is way too aggressive with paintings and uses outdated methods that he learned from his father (the one who was actually trained, but was trained 40 years ago). he is also extremely vicious and litigious and petty of people question his methods or offer criticisms.
@@maryandchild I did google, and didn't find anything. Feel free to offer keywords. I doubt I'm going to get on any private internal mailing lists of conservators. I can see people being critical, but from my perspective when I watch other conservator vids here, I'm disappointed in what I see. He has a massive following, and I'm sure is doing well, so I can see him being hated and getting a lot of flack. But I'd be interested in some objective critiques from conservators, with specific examples of what they would do differently.
Incredible job on a historical drawing, thanks for the wonderful video. The Met is a fantastic museum.