Sources of national noncommercial restoration and acceptance of its principles in modern easel oil paintingrestoration practice

The beginning of the 20 century in Russia was full of various events in the domain of art, among which the problem of adequacy of restoration with the aim and tasks of historical heritage preservation took an important place. Prior restoration practice was oriented mainly on giving cultural monuments perfect exhibit shape. In order to realize this aim, monuments were exposed to various forms of total distortions. It caused reasonable indignation among Russian intelligentsia and artists. All-Russian Congress of Artists held in December 1911 - January 1912 in St. Petersburg took adequate place in the struggle against this phenomenon existing in Russian restoration practice. Participants of the Congress condemned easel oil painting restoration practice of that time, which was oriented to return works of art to their original form determined by the subjective opinion of a customer and a painting keeper. A. Boravsky, a participant of the Congress and the author of the most conceptual and advanced view on restoration, made suggestions, which became basic for the present-day easel oil painting restoration practice methodology and terminology formation. They are minimization of restoration interference, revelation of the author's concept, preservation of original materials, insertion of the detailed restoration documentation into restoration practice. Boravsky interpreted restoration as minimal physical influence on a work of art with artificial means and required not only narrowing of restoration methods application but complete elimination of some of them. These principles were developing and widening over the whole period of the 20 century and have become basic for the present-day restoration methodology. Such methodological position allows preserving authenticity of a work of art after restoration works. An example of science-based restoration is restoration of two easel oil paintings performed in the State Scientific Research Institute of Restoration. They are a portrait of a girl painted in the 19 century by an unknown artist and a portrait of an unknown participant of 1812 Patriotic War with the Order of St. Anna on his neck, which is ascribed to belong to George Dow. Restoration of these works of art revealed the authors' paintings in the process of notes removal that was based on the technological study of a paint layer. By means of estimation of methodical and methodological principles realized in restoration we can assert with a great deal of certainty that during restoration principles of minimal and scientific-based interference into the authors' paint layers were realized. These examples demonstrate that careful treatment to restored objects allows keeping authenticity of a work of art. This treatment should be a strict standard and principle of present-day restoration that has roots in early 20 century, to the work of the All-Russian Congress of Artists held in 1911-1912 in St. Petersburg.

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