107-040 Histories and Theories of Conservation

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Usually 12.5 points of first year art history, see Prerequisites.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject will include: an analysis of the conservation issues in the preservation of ancient archaeological sites; the emergence of the professional painter restorers such as Bellini and Titian in Renaissance Italy; restoration controversies such as the Sistine Ceiling; ritual renewal and Japanese architectural restoration; 19th century critics such as John Ruskin and Viollet-Le-Duc on how Gothic architecture should be restored; ecotourism and the art of indigenous Australian peoples; changes in conservation as a result of digital technology; and the conservation of films on celluloid and video. Students should become conversant with the major debates concerning conservation and contemporary museology.

Assessment

Written work totalling 4000 words.

Prescribed Texts

• D Bomford, Conservation of Paintings. Pocket guides of National Gallery. 1997.
• UK Institute for Conservation (ed), Appearance, Opinion and Change. Evaluating the Look of Paintings. 1990.
• N Price, M Tallery & A Vaccaro (eds), Historical and Philosophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage. J Paul Getty Trust, 1996.
• A Oddy (ed), The Art of the Conservator. British Museum, 1992.