an introduction to techniques and restoration
by Umberto Tripi and Roberta Voncina
Umberto Tripi and Roberta Voncina will offer a visual presentation of how frescos are made and, when needed, restored.
A series of examples of the different steps of the making of a fresco and a collection of freshly made frescoes will be on display.
The making of a fresco is a complex process. After a long and careful preparation, the artist has to act swiftly and no mistakes are allowed: every touch of the brush will leave its mark for centuries to come. In this presentation, both the details of the preparation of the wall and the colors, as well as those of the painting itself, will be explained together with the restoration technique as well.
To restore a fresco does not mean to destroy an existing work of art in order to create a new one, nor to redo it completely to return it to its pristine splendor. It rather means to make sure that a fresco, which has arrived unto us, also can be seen and enjoyed by future generations. It does not mean to iron out the wrinkles of time, but instead to read in them the marks of time, so that we can gain a deeper knowledge of our past. The second part of the lecture focuses on the techniques, which allow a safer conservation of more or less ancient frescoes.
MORE INFO:
Umberto Tripi and Roberta Voncina
DOORS OPEN AT 6:15 AND CLOSE AT 7:00PM PROMPTLY
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Please click on “Make a Reservation” by May 15, 2012 at 2 PM
The Reservation System will allow you to register until we reach
capacity or by the event’s date at 2:00 PM (whichever comes
first.)
PLEASE NOTE: RESERVATION IS REQUIRED FOR OUR EVENTS FOR SECURITY REASONS. A RESERVATION IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF A SEAT. OUR VENUE HAS LIMITED SEATING AND WE WILL ACCOMODATE GUESTS ON A FIRST-COME FIRST-SERVED BASIS. GUESTS WITHOUT SEATS ARE WELCOME TO STAND IF THEY LIKE.
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UMBERTO TRIPI and ROBERTA VONCINA
Umberto Tripi and Roberta Voncina’s paths crossed at an early age. They have similar artistic backgrounds and they have worked jointly in many major restoration projects like the restoration of the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua and the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome. Experts like Bruno Baratti (one of the four restorers of the Sistine Chapel) and Gianluigi Colalucci were among their mentors in the conservation field.
Most of their work took place in Rome and surroundings at the Vatican Museums, the Capitoline Museums, Villa Borghese, Villa Adriana in Tivoli, the Museum of Palazzo Braschi and the Mausoleum of Romulus on the Ancient Appian Way. These projects included working on masterpieces of artists like Polidoro and Caravaggio, Antoniazzo Romano and Taddeo Zuccari, and many more of this magnitude.
In 1997 Roberta and Umberto also worked on a project aimed to save art pieces in Umbria that were heavily damaged after the earthquake among which there were frescoes of artists like Nicolò Alunno, Giovanni of Corraduccio, and Ferraù Fenzoni.
Umberto and Roberta’s passion for frescoes is reflected not only in their engagement with the restoration of ancient works of art, but also in a project of their own, EMBLEMATA, a collection of newly crafted frescoes.
LOCATION:
Embassy of Italy/Italian Cultural Institute
Auditorium
3000 Whitehaven st Street NW
Washington, DC 20008