Restoration of paintings
I have been painting for as long as I can remember and my childhood home bears witness to this: there is no wall without a painting. Although art academy seemed like a logical choice, the combination of science and art practice was something that appealed to me more. I was mainly interested in the old masters: I especially copied their works.
In 2018 I graduated from the master conservation-restoration at the University of Antwerp as a painting restorer. I also did my bachelor here, with an Erasmus exchange of six months in the restoration of paintings, modern and contemporary art and sculptures at TH Köln.
From April 2018 to October 2021 I first worked as a painting restorer and conservation advisor at Art Salvage B.V. and Art Conservation Europe B.V. in Vlaardingen, from February 2021 as conservation and restoration manager. Here I have been able to do beautiful projects in the broadest sense of the word, not only limited to the restoration of paintings, but also collection assistance, mold analyzes and the conservation and restoration of other objects.
In November 2021 I took a different angle to get more room for research: my PhD research at the University of Antwerp. Macro X-ray powder diffraction imaging (MA-XRPD) has recently been developed here, which can now very accurately identify subtypes of pigments. This makes it possible to reliably distinguish old master pigments from their industrial-age equivalents used by (hyper-)restorers and forgers from the 19th century onwards. My research focuses on the pigment lead white, because its composition has become much more varied since the 19th century and because we find it in almost every painting until the 20th century. The title of the research is therefore “Lead white speciation: a technical marker for dating paintings and paint layers.”
Because the focus is now entirely on research, I am currently looking at how I will maintain my practical skills as a painting restorer, for example as a freelancer or at the university. Once a week I am also involved in the restoration of rowing boats, as part of the maintenance team of the historic fleet: this way I learn more about wood and the restoration of heritage that is still in practical use.
Contact
Iryn Bijker
Dordrecht