Famous Van Gogh Painting Restored

The world-renowned Sunflowers painting at a museum in Amsterdam was examined and restored in early January. The Van Gogh / van-ˈgō / Museum took down the said painting for the final phase of research and restoration. The painting, which is part of the sunflower series made by Vincent Van Gogh in 1889, is popular for using only three shades of yellow. In 2018, the Sunflowers painting was discovered to be in poor condition. With the latest scanning techniques, experts found that a yellow pigment sensitive to light was causing the discoloration of the painting. This discoloration is not visible to the human eyes, but the areas painted with the color can lose its luster over time. More than half a year after this discovery, experts began restoring the painting. During the restoration, they removed a white layer of wax that coated the painting. However, several discolored layers could not be removed because they had already mixed with the paint. Experts had to add new coatings because of this. After six weeks, the painting was displayed again at the museum. Although it was restored, the Sunflowers painting remains fragile and sensitive. Thus, the officials of the museum decided that the painting can no longer be transferred to and exhibited in other museums. They explained that too much movement and changes in environment, like air humidity and temperature, can damage the painting. The painting will permanently remain in the Van Gogh Museum under new and gentler LED lighting.