Exotic Woman

Interesting composition and contrast!

David --Terrific!

This is a restoration project I have worked on for the past few months. Edouard Richard was known for painting exotic women in middle eastern appearing locations. This painting is a typical example of his style. Unfortunately the heavy coating of varnish had not only deteriorated with age but had bonded with the oil colors. The varnish had to be moved as it was completed clouded with moisture at some time in its history. For me as restorer I had to shoot photographs of what was visible of the original work as most of the color and all of the detail was going to dissolve with each layer of varnish that was removed. The goal was to match every brush stroke of color as close as possible and maintain the dramatic lighting effect the artist achieved. It is very closely matched to the original painterly style of Richter. There are still patches of gold leaf that are bonded to the painting surface. I chose not to remove it as it will be covered by the framing. Restoration is definitely not for the faint of heart.