ca vas
Rep
iring
London Atelier of
Representational
Art tutor LIZET
DINGEMANS shows
you how to fix a torn
masterpiece with a
minimum of fuss and
simple tools you’re
likely to have at homeP
icture the scene. You hang your
latest masterpiece on the wall,
only to find out the nail was
weak and the picture falls. As it hits
the floor, your beautiful work of art
gets snagged and the canvas now has
a tear straight through it. The painting
is unsalvageable... Or is it?
No matter how careful we are with
our artwork, occasionally canvases
will rip – whether accidentally or
otherwise. Some of the most famous
paintings in the world have sustained
damage over the years and have
needed repairs made to the canvas.
In fact, even The Night Watch by
Rembrandt was slashed with a knife
in 1975. Luckily, restorers managed to
fix this priceless artwork and it is still
on display to this day – proof that what
at first can seem like a complete
disaster is actually pretty repairable.
There are actually a few different
ways of repairing a canvas: lining the
whole canvas, threading the fibres
back together, or applying a patch.
In this month’s project, I will explain
and detail the latter, which is the
easiest method to restore a ripped
canvas if it happens to you.
Before we start, however, it is
important to consider if this is the
right option for you. For instance,