A painting takes weeks, months or even years to get to the desired result. Each artwork comes with life and is prone to decay.
Different types of colors have different lives and different ways to be taken care of. What we have in museums is not just works of art but wonderful work of maintenance which preserved historical artworks for decades and centuries. Various factors that determine the life of a painting are:
Temperature: Its generally observed that very low temperature is responsible for wearing of paint coat much faster than optimal temperaturesmaking it brittle. This goes well for both acrylic paints and oil paints. High temperatures can be hazardous for oil paints, especially in the studio or storage. That is because the medium of oil paints is very susceptible to self-combustion. Also, unstable temperature causes paints to shrink and expand which is not good for painting.
Humidity: For the paintings especially done on paper, it is very important to maintain humidity levels and keep them stable (sweet spot being 50 %) to avoid ruining. Good humidity levels also help in the easy drying of paintings when you need to develop layers while painting is in progress. High humidity levels cause mold and mildew and low humidity levels cause excessive drying which is similar to effects high temperature or prolonged sun exposure have on a painting.
Air: Paintings need air to breathe. It does not matter if they are on a canvas or some poster board to avoid sudden humidity from developing molds in crevasses and getting oil painting all heated up in high temperatures, Keeping a spot for air exchange while framing the painting is very important and it acts as a backup plan and provides an assurance that your artwork will be fine in sudden change during extreme weather conditions. Also air quality plays an important role as heavy metals and acidic components in the air can ruin the paints.
Sun: Direct sun is harmful to an artwork. Knowing this fact must be surprising for a few of us because artists love working outside under the sun sometimes and it's highly advisable to use oil paints in ventilated areas so why not under the sun in the fresh air. But science is that paint is not that dry while you are painting. It takes hours and days to dry up.
If a finished artwork is ready for varnish or already varnished, paint is supposed to be completely dry. Direct sunlight is bad for this stage. It might change the color of painting and in severe cases where the base of the painting is not that strong, it actually chips off the layers.
Dirt: There is dirt build-up everywhere so it is obvious paintings are equally prone to it. It adds a dull look and with debris building up gets tough to clean. Long stored paintings need to be cleaned whether they are varnished or unvarnished.
It is important that you know what colors and mediums are used in the painting before trying to clean it. All you need is a cotton cloth and soapy water and softly dab the painting. But if the paint is water-based it will be spoiled and should only be dusted. So be in the know before starting. You will be surprised by the amount of dirt on the cloth. You can use Q-tips for getting into crevasses.
If the painting has an uneven texture that is when the role of art restorer comes in. Its professional help for expensive and signature artwork.
So how do artists make sure the life of painting before selling it off? It is a process called varnishing which preserves the painting for a longer period of time and maintains the look.
