Most museums are shut in Europe at the moment due to new Coronavirus lockdowns, but this moment of pause allows us to reshift our attention on other aspects linked with art rather than just look at exhibitions. One aspect we may focus on, for example, is the restoration of paintings and works of art, something that may prove inspiring also for fashion or interior designers.
It was for example recently announced that the restoration of Pietro Lorenzetti's "Madonna con Bambino, Santi, Annunciazione e Assunzione" (Virgin and Child with Saints, Annunciation and Assumption, 1320), was finally completed (after 6 long years) and the altarpiece, a well-known example of Italian Gothic painting, is ready to go back to its place in the Santa Maria Parish Church in Arezzo.
One of the most famous paintings from the 1300s, the three-storey polyptych was commissioned in 1320 by bishop Guido Tarlati who asked Lorenzetti to paint beautiful pictures in fine colours on golden backgrouds. The artwork by the Sienese painter was completed in 1324 and in the centuries that followed it went through a series of restorations – at the end of the 1800s, in 1916 and 1976. Besides, the polyptych was dismembered and some parts were lost, so the artwork looks less monumental than it was in its origin.
The surface of the painting was often cleaned but the latest restoration managed remove residues from the 1976 restoration, allowing in this way to rediscover quite a few dusty painted and gold sections.
The artwork was then cleaned at the microscope, a process that brought back the vibrantly vivid colours of the original paint and the extraordinary geometrical patterns and freehand floral decorative motifs. The paintings were restored with chromatic selection employing watercolours. The re-acquired brightness will allow experts to examine the polyptych in all its glory, but it will also prove inspiring for design fans who love patterns.
There are some intriguing details that could be recreated or reinvented for textiles such as mantle of the Madonna with Child characterised by blue and gold motifs; the fine decoration on the cloak of Saint Donatus; the wall patterns in the scene of the Annunciation or its architectural details (see the thin columns supporting the roof section and creating a space for the Holy Spirit, symbolised by a dove, to fly in), but also the motifs on the book covers carried by the saints.
Due to Coronavirus events scheduled to celebrate the return of the polyptych to the Church of Santa Maria were postponed, but, in the meantime, we can let ourselves be inspired by the first images recently released or we can actively support other projects linked to this restoration. There is indeed a crowdfunding campaign at the moment on GoFundMe that is collecting donations to complete other works inside the church and transport the artwork to its original destination. So, yes, museums may be closed because of Covid-19, but we can still enjoy, promote and help art and, obviously, get inspired by it.
