A basic knowledge of world's art history is highly recommended, as well as the theorical knowledge of the main art techniques.

The course is designed to provide students with the basic knowledge needed to address the following questions:

• What does it mean to restore a work of art?
• Does conservation and restoration serve different purposes today than it did in the past?
• When looking at a work of art, are we able to distinguish its original elements from those that have been restored or reconstructed?
• How has the work changed over time?
• What conservation or restoration interventions has it undergone?
• Who carried out these interventions, and according to which principles and criteria?

The History and Techniques of Restoration course aims to develop students' ability to assess the material aspects of works of art and their state of conservation, while fostering an awareness of the critical debate that has accompanied restoration practice from the writings of Giorgio Vasari and Giovan Pietro Bellori to the present day. The course traces the history of the conservation of works of art from the sixth to the sixteenth century, as well as the development of the restoration of artworks and architecture through the contributions of the principal practitioners and theorists of restoration from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. Particular attention is given to the relevance of these historical developments in light of the restoration theory of Cesare Brandi and the subsequent critical debate. The course also includes a specialized module on the conservation and restoration of Baroque polychrome sculpture.

 

The course is divided into four modules:

Module 1 (6 hours): Introduction on main art techniques. Focus on the techniques of fresco painting and the technique of woodcutting and wood inlay.

Module 2 (6 hours): Pictorial restoration techniques: cleaning consolidation transport of the pictorial film, integration of the lacks.

Module 3 (6 hours): Sculptural restoration techniques: consolidation, anastylosis, integration. Conservation and Restoration of painted sculpture.

Module 4 (6 hours): Virtual restoration

 

1. Knowledge and Understanding

• Knowledge of the history of restoration in Italy from the sixteenth century to the present day.
• Knowledge and understanding of the principal theories of restoration developed in Italy during the modern and contemporary periods.
• Knowledge of the history of restoration practices in Apulia from the second half of the twentieth century to the present.
• Knowledge of the technical terminology of the discipline.
• Theoretical knowledge of artistic techniques and conservation and restoration techniques.

2. Applying Knowledge and Understanding

Ability to identify the material components of works of art and recognize the principal artistic techniques and methods of execution.

3. Making Judgements

Students will develop the ability to formulate independent assessments of the history and techniques of restoration through the centuries, taking into account both the aesthetic and conservation-related aspects of the works examined. They will be able to critically analyze works of art and other cultural artefacts, formulating well-founded judgements based on the study of primary sources and the relevant scholarly literature.

4. Communication Skills

Using the specific terminology of the discipline, students will develop the ability to interpret, communicate, and present the course content within a coherent and well-structured discourse based on specialist knowledge, supporting their arguments with logical and consistent reasoning.

5. Learning Skills

Students will acquire the methodological tools necessary to pursue independent study of the history and techniques of restoration and the analysis of works of art through the critical consultation of primary sources, specialist bibliography, and restoration documentation. They will be able to update their knowledge in response to advances in scholarly research and emerging issues concerning the conservation, enhancement, and public accessibility of cultural heritage.

 

The lessons will be carried out through frontal teaching. Part of the time will be dedicated to reading and discussion texts and images in the classroom.

 

The oral/written exam will be based on the study of recommended texts/documents and is to verify the knowledge of the lesson topics, analyzed throughout the course. In particular, the student will be evaluated considering:

• knowledge and understanding of the subject matter,
• ability to apply knowledge acquired, synthesis and formal correctness in the exposition and ability to argue one's thesis
• autonomy of judgment,
• communication skills.

 

The exam score is assigned using a grade expressed in thirtieths (or through a pass/fail assessment).

 

In the evaluation of the exam, the determination of the final grade considers the following elements:

 

30 with honors: excellent evaluation; comprehensive and rich preparation; in the presentation, accurate expression, confident knowledge of the topics, clarity of exposition,.

 30: very good evaluation; comprehensive preparation, with good ability to make connections; in the presentation, proper expression, fairly confident knowledge; clarity of exposition.

29-28: very good evaluation; comprehensive preparation with connections; in the presentation, some uncertainty in expression, fairly confident knowledge, not entirely clear exposition.

 27-26: good evaluation; comprehensive preparation; reasonably confident presentation, uncertainties in exposition.

25-24: moderately good evaluation; approximately complete preparation, occasional inaccuracies and/or gaps; in the presentation, occasional terminological or conceptual confusions.

23-22: more than sufficient evaluation; nearly complete preparation, gaps and/or inaccuracies; in the presentation, some confusion of terms and concepts.

 21-20: sufficient evaluation; approximately complete preparation, inaccuracies, gaps; in the presentation, approximate use of terms and concepts.

 19-18: barely sufficient evaluation; limited preparation (many inaccuracies and various gaps); in the presentation, confusion of terms and concepts.

 < 18: insufficient evaluation; insufficient preparation; insufficient presentation.

Required Reading

• Cesare Brandi, Theory of Restoration, (English Edition), Milano, Feltrinelli, 2005.
• M. Ciatti, Appunti per un manuale di storia e teoria del restauro, Milano, Hoepli 2009.

Additional bibliographical references, particularly those relating to the monographic topic covered in the final module, will be provided during the course.

Students who do not attend classes are strongly advised to contact the instructor by email to request the additional teaching materials used during the course.