Filling as Retouching: The Use of Coloured Fillers in the Retouching of Contemporary Matte Paintings

Abstract

Contemporary paintings - characterized by new textures, unvarnished surfaces or matte finishes - have new aesthetic values that should be strictly respected by conservators. This often leads conservators to establish unconventional treatment methodologies and materials that include the retouching of areas with losses. This research presents the case of the retouching process carried out on several large paintings by the artist Manuel Padorno (1933-2002), considered one of the most important Spanish painters in the second half of the 20th century. Because of his creative process - distinguished by his freedom in the use of materials and techniques - some of his paintings now have significant conservation problems. This damage includes large losses and major cracks that have required unconventional retouching due to their particular shine, volume and saturation characteristics. In this case, the retouching of some large losses located in highly saturated and matte areas (some of them made up of synthetic gesso impastos) required the use of coloured synthetic fillers, instead of two separate layers of stucco and retouching, as the tested samples provided a glossier or more satin finish which prevented complete visual integration at the required level of saturation. The retouching methodology includes the preparation of coloured filler samples - using different synthetic reversible binders - to obtain an exact match not only in terms of colour, but also shine. The results showed that the use of these coloured fillers produces extremely matte and saturated colours that can be retouched afterwards if necessary. Wet-on-wet application, which produces complete visual re-integration in the original impasto areas, can also be achieved.