Vatican Experts Restore Masterpieces
2023-12-29
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1Alessandra Zarelli works to keep the artwork of the Vatican Museums in good condition.
2She says, whenever she works on a masterpiece, she must calm her heart so her thinking can center on her work.
3Vatican City is a small country surrounded by the Italian capital, Rome.
4It is the headquarters and seat of government of the Roman Catholic Church.
5The Vatican Museums contain thousands of artworks hundreds of years old including paintings by Michelangelo.
6"The emotion of working on something like a Michelangelo is truly indescribable," said Zarelli.
7She helped repair one of his wall paintings in Vatican City's Pauline Chapel.
8Michelangelo painted during the Renaissance period of European history during a growth of interest in science, art, and literature.
9Zarelli is part of a special team at the Vatican Museums' repair laboratory for paintings and wood pieces.
10The team is responsible for looking after thousands of square meters of wall paintings, including the famous ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel.
11They also look after some 5,300 oil paintings and wooden statues.
12The painting and wood lab is one of eight specialized groups in the museums.
13It permitted several news organizations, including Reuters, the chance to see its inner workings to mark its 100th anniversary.
14Care and repair methods change often and today's workers often have to repair mistakes from care workers that came before them.
15They repair work from recent history to many centuries ago.
16Another problem, usually from the distant past, is that restorers were not technicians but artists in their own right.
17Francesca Persegati is chief restorer at the Vatican Museums.
18She said that some of those artists thought they could "improve" the original by adding their own work.
19"It's important to be humble in this job, to respect the work but also to have a scientific background to understand the materials," she said.
20Before a painting even reaches the lab, another team carries out tests to see if paint or color has been added since the piece was first made.
21They also check it for possible other work below the surface.
22In another part of the lab, Caterina Manisco was working on an 1895 painting called Madonna and Child Between St. Teresa and St. Francis.
23Italian Emma Richards was the artist. She painted for the rich and powerful, like Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
24Such work was a rarity for women artists of the time.
25"Because she was a woman, I somehow feel very close to her," said Manisco, an external restorer at the lab.
26To mark the 100th anniversary of the paintings and wood lab, the Vatican Museums are using special technology.
27It permits visitors to use their phones to connect with information about the artwork they are looking at.
28I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Alessandra Zarelli works to keep the artwork of the Vatican Museums in good condition. She says, whenever she works on a masterpiece, she must calm her heart so her thinking can center on her work. 2Vatican City is a small country surrounded by the Italian capital, Rome. It is the headquarters and seat of government of the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican Museums contain thousands of artworks hundreds of years old including paintings by Michelangelo. 3"The emotion of working on something like a Michelangelo is truly indescribable," said Zarelli. She helped repair one of his wall paintings in Vatican City's Pauline Chapel. 4Michelangelo painted during the Renaissance period of European history during a growth of interest in science, art, and literature. 5Zarelli is part of a special team at the Vatican Museums' repair laboratory for paintings and wood pieces. 6The team is responsible for looking after thousands of square meters of wall paintings, including the famous ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel. They also look after some 5,300 oil paintings and wooden statues. 7A century of restoration 8The painting and wood lab is one of eight specialized groups in the museums. It permitted several news organizations, including Reuters, the chance to see its inner workings to mark its 100th anniversary. 9Care and repair methods change often and today's workers often have to repair mistakes from care workers that came before them. They repair work from recent history to many centuries ago. 10Another problem, usually from the distant past, is that restorers were not technicians but artists in their own right. Francesca Persegati is chief restorer at the Vatican Museums. She said that some of those artists thought they could "improve" the original by adding their own work. 11"It's important to be humble in this job, to respect the work but also to have a scientific background to understand the materials," she said. 12Before a painting even reaches the lab, another team carries out tests to see if paint or color has been added since the piece was first made. They also check it for possible other work below the surface. 13In another part of the lab, Caterina Manisco was working on an 1895 painting called Madonna and Child Between St. Teresa and St. Francis. Italian Emma Richards was the artist. She painted for the rich and powerful, like Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Such work was a rarity for women artists of the time. 14"Because she was a woman, I somehow feel very close to her," said Manisco, an external restorer at the lab. 15To mark the 100th anniversary of the paintings and wood lab, the Vatican Museums are using special technology. It permits visitors to use their phones to connect with information about the artwork they are looking at. 16I'm Gregory Stachel. 17Philip Pullella reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 18________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20museum - n. a building in which interesting and valuable things (such as paintings and sculptures or scientific or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public 21restore - v. to return (something) to an earlier or original condition by repairing it or cleaning it 22concentrate - v. to think about something: to give your attention to the thing you are doing or reading 23paralyze - v. to make (a person or animal) unable to move or feel all or part of the body 24humble - adj. not proud: not thinking of yourself as better than other people