Speaker:
Yang Yingsheng, London-based oil painter and oil painting conservator; member of the British Association of Paintings Conservator-Restorers (BAPCR); Professor of Oil Painting Conservation and Restoration at Nanjing Normal University

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, a special lecture on the concepts and practices of oil painting conservation and restoration was successfully held. Drawing on classic restoration cases from the United Kingdom, Professor Yang Yingsheng offered a clear introduction to conservation techniques, core preservation principles, and preventive conservation systems. His professional and practical approach provided valuable reference for the protection of oil painting heritage.
The lecture first clarified the fundamental distinction between conservation and restoration. Conservation aims to maintain the current condition of an artwork and follows the principle of minimal intervention. It involves only non-invasive procedures such as surface dust removal and the cleaning of dirt from varnish layers, without altering the painting itself or adjusting its colors, thereby preserving the artwork’s original state to the greatest extent possible. Restoration, by contrast, addresses damage such as blistering canvas, cracking, and panel deformation through reversible treatments. It also involves removing harmful traces left by previous improper restoration in order to prevent further damage to the artwork.
Professor Yang also shared a range of practical restoration techniques that balance treatment effectiveness with the safety of cultural objects. For 17th-century European panel paintings prone to cracking, he explained that conservators avoid forced flattening and instead adopt tray-like support systems that allow wooden panels to expand and contract naturally with environmental changes while maintaining stress balance. For canvases affected by moisture-induced shrinkage or damaged edges, he introduced the strip-lining method, in which new canvas edges are added to fragile areas with extra margins reserved for framing, leaving no visible trace of repair on the front of the painting.
Professor Yang emphasized that preventive conservation is essential to the long-term protection of cultural heritage. Environmental control can effectively reduce damage to paintings; regular annual inspections help assess and manage risks at different levels; and protective installations can prevent damage at its source.
Having developed over a long period, the field of oil painting conservation and restoration will continue to uphold the principles of minimal intervention, reversibility, removability, and respect for authenticity. By integrating traditional techniques with modern technology, and by applying scientific thinking and rigorous methods, conservators can safeguard artistic heritage and ensure that classic oil paintings endure across time.