

One of the key challenges, therefore, is to find cleaning agents which avoid or minimize this risk, but which are also effective at dirt removal. Artists' acrylic emulsion paints are also sensitive to a wide range of liquid agents commonly used for surface cleaning, and can be vulnerable to swelling and pigment removal.
#Acrylic emulsion skin#
Dirt deposition can also be exacerbated by greasy deposits on the surface, such as skin oils resulting from improper handling indeed, the presence of tenacious dark finger marks is not uncommon with acrylic paintings. These paints are generally soft at room temperature, and dirt can become firmly ingrained-in the worst case, possibly permanently embedded in the paint surface-hence the margin between successful dirt removal and damage to the paint film can be slim. Often the surfaces are delicately nuanced, and even the very slightest alteration-such as burnishing, tidelines, or a roughening of the surface-can critically influence appearance and coherence. Surface cleaning of acrylic emulsion paintings can be difficult for a variety of reasons. Eventually, this process may compromise the painting's appearance to such a degree that cleaning is warranted. In contrast to traditional oil paintings, acrylic emulsion paintings are rarely varnished as a result, airborne dust and dirt deposit directly onto the paint surface, building up over time. research into the future conservation of these relatively new materials is being done now to ensure these artworks will be kept in good condition for centuries to come. It is extremely important and very welcome that. Acrylics, on the other hand, are little more than half a century old.

Oil paint has been used by artists for six hundred years, so modern conservators have six centuries of experience to draw on and develop. However, as with all new materials used in art, targeted research has become increasingly important in order to determine appropriate conservation strategies, a fact not lost on Hockney himself: These paints offer a range of technical differences in relation to traditional oil paints, including rapid drying, versatility, durability, and an ability to be thinned with water-properties exemplified in David Hockney's A Bigger Splash, where the paint was applied directly to bare canvas and could be repeatedly applied wet-on-dry in multiple layers to produce a crisp painting in pure, clean color. Since their introduction in 1956, waterborne acrylic emulsion paints have been widely adopted by artists. Links to Cultural Heritage Policy Documentsĭavid Hockney, A Bigger Splash, 1967.Conservation Collection at Research Library.Research Assistance at GCI Information Center.

