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Over the past 25+ years as a conservator, I've come across plenty of interesting and challenging projects that require creativity, tenacity and humility to complete. But in all of the obstacles I've faced, none has been as heady as this faceless painting.
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I have never encountered this level of pushback regarding a sponsor. Clearly you struck a nerve! How impressive that your subscribers think so highly of you (myself included) that they voice their displeasure directly rather than just move on and you never know why.
well it's for a very good reason, they're a horrible organization
Their bad practices and illegal activities has been proven to be true by the government since 2018, they been shut down by FTC and even fined for millions of dollars. What they did is illegal and the fact they coming back again to many many channels are extremely concerning.
people just feel more comfortable trying to educate other people now, but are also very concerned and aware of the influence someone with almost two _million_ subscribers, he won't drop it if it's just a couple people saying "betterhelp bad" and betterhelp is BAAAD, wym "never know why?"
"Kit is proud to have won the tack removal process" got a big laugh and a thumbs up 🙂
She may have won the tack removal but Julian is so much faster at scraping
Okay, YES. Featuring Kit and the owner is SUCH a good move! Love seeing this!
I was coming in to comment on the same thing. It's so rare that we get to see the initial consultation to work out what sort of restoration is being requested, so this was a rare look into another part of the process. I'm glad that Kit is still in studio and that the owner consented to be on camera. I hope we will get to see more pieces like this in the future.
Kitt!! It’s been forever. She’s so funny!!
Ĺppql⁰@@erinclowñ⁹
At some point, Kitt needs 100% her own episode. Well, Julian can poke his head around the corner once and make a silly face, but yes, she needs her own episode!
Exactly
I'm not just watching your video out of interest only, I'm also watching it to improve my English, your speaking speed matches my comprehension speed.
Good luck with your learning. I would love to learn another language but it never seems to stay in my brain!
That's great! He does have a nice, slow speaking style. Good luck with your learning!
congrats on finding someone who talks at the right speed for you! that's one of the hardest parts of language practice for me edit: it's a good idea also to have some variety! i've heard stories of people who learned a language from a tv show and then talk like the characters, in a way that native speakers can recognise. of course, there's nothing wrong with the way julien talks, but it's very formal, which could make it difficult for you to sound casual during casual conversations if you learn primarily from him. if you like minecraft videos, ethoslab is a youtuber who spoke slowly in the past and then gradually began to speak faster. if you start with his old playlists and work your way up to the new ones, it could be a good way of improving your listening speed! maybe other people have recommendations for similar channels?
@@Nepeta-Leijon I'am not a beginner in English, but I have mainly used technical English throughout my career as an electronics engineer (reading technical literature), so I have little experience of general conversation.
@@axelackens2157 oh awesome! julien's style of speaking is probably a good fit for the workplace; his tone is very professional
"Very astute observation" I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. You guys are all such treasures.
Unfortunately, BetterHelp has some very concerning practices regarding patient privacy and counselor competency. Excited for this project though!
thank youuuuuu
Fake news
@@mrpolnar1 Found the CEO of BetterHelp.
It’s great seeing Kit back!!!
Not hiding in the background.
@@dac9500Oh, boy, I can't wait to see the deft, socially nuanced reasoning behind this take.
@@dcallan812no shaming her for "hiding" if she doesn't want to be in a video
@@Uncle_Smidge Learn how to punctuate. There's no need for a comma after the word "Oh". The comma after "deft" should be replaced with the word "and". Also, "socially nuanced" doesn't really make sense. Just as you failed in high school English, you failed miserably in trying to impress others with your basic writing and composition. How do you like my take on you? ❄️🤡
@@Uncle_Smidge Try to learn basic punctuation and composition before failing miserably (as you did in high school English) before making any comments. And take a peek at a thesaurus once in a while. "Socially nuanced" ... that's hilarious. ❄️🤡
Hooray Kit! and more--THE OWNER also gets a part in the vid?? This is great! Now we can hear the interplay of owner's vision and conservator's methods
Love Kit's comedic relief against you drier humor ... Nice switch up in the routine. And looking forward to the repair of this one
Scraping, scraping, scraping…. Another slow descent into madness
Oddly enough, it looked just like the usual rabbit skin glue even if he mentioned no solvent worked...
@@guillermojperea6355looks can be deceiving
One of my absolute favourites!!
Thought the same thing!
I love that video
As a painter, if one of my pieces was this badly damaged, I would understand it being thrown away. I'm also thankful for people like you.
I am glad to see that Kitt is now more involved with the procedures. Her humor and spunk are very healthy to see. Keep her in the videos. She's a great artisan.
I don't know anything about the prices of art (for purchase) nor for restoration, but just watching you and Kit scrape adhesive for hours leads me to believe that the cost to restore this piece will far surpass the purchase price of a painting with a ripped face. This is also the reason why I suspect that museums must have in-house conservators, outsourcing must be too expensive to be practical on a regular basis.
Suspect? Of course the bigger ones have their own.
@@MumrikDK They have entire departments
to be fair the biggest cost in restoration jobs is the labor and knowledge which wont be much cheaper for a museum.. the materials used are (in comparison) a minimal cost though there is the cost of a workspace which is somewhat variable.. but the hours of work by a skilled person is where you pile up the costs
@@Simon-ho6ly sure, but I assume that expert restorers that charge per restoration do so with a premium hourly cost and an estimate for hours, where a museum might just pay an annual wage that doesn't come close.
@@XYGSteve a bit, but then if the museum pays too low, the conservator will likely look to setup on their own, in partnership with another conservator or look to move to higher pay... but on the flip side, many museums hold historically and culturally significant works which you probably dont want to put in the hands of the conservator you found who will accept bottom level pay for... meanwhile a private conservator may have a hard time finding clients with realistic budgets to restore what may often be, at least moneteraly lower value works..
A craftsman passing on his trade, seeing the apprentices skill and confidence, being honed becoming as sharp as the teachers is well just magic. Thank You.
The next part of this cannot come quickly enough! Thank you, Julian and Kit.
Luckily there are images of this depiction without the damage ( Time Reveals the Truth / Allegory of Time Delivering Truth from Envy and Folly - Theodoor van Thulden ) ~1657
So would this be a copy? As they have it at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
@@etienneE It could still be a copy made by the Theodoor van Thulden or it could be by a student of the time. Theodoor van Thulden painted many altarpieces so it wouldn't be odd for there to be more than one as churches would likely request images on the same theme. Only close examination or better still a signature would say for sure.
@@littlebacchus216 If you compare this painting to the original the difference in quality is pretty obvious. If this was painted by Thulden he put a LOT less time and effort into it.
Yes, the intro to this video was really like "More drama, baby"... Many of this old paintings have several copies, so it shouldn't be to difficult to recreate the face. It's not a portrait painting, but a quite generic mythological painting. Even if there isn't an original painting or another copy, it shouldn't be to difficult to create a matching face for it. Thank you for your research.
@@littlebacchus216 I don't think you would find this kind of painting in a church, but all the big palaces and manor houses needed a lot of decorative art, so why reinvent the wheel, if a copy of another painting would fulfill the purpose.
I surmise that you wouldn’t have started this painting if you didn’t have a clear plan to success for the face. it’s nice to see you and Kit working together again on camera.
Kit is back! How many people have missed the faithful assistant?!?
I love in the beginning when Kit was like, glad you volunteered 'cause I'm out.😄So happy to see her back in front of the camera. Can't wait to see how you finish this one.👍🏾❤️
This painting and its consevation remind me a lot of my field, cartography. We never just make stuff up when data is missing, even when we're 99% certain of what should be there because we can never be completely certain. In our case, our clients really need accurate maps (I mainly make maps for mega wind and solar farm installs) to get planning permissions, to know what access they have, to know what is there already, to know what they'll need to purchase, etc. We just don't nessessarily know the original feature as we don't know the orignal intent of the artist (in this case, the artist is a farmer putting up fences deep within rural America, but you get what I mean)
Whoa... This might be the scariest one yet.
and the more they worked on it the scarier it got! (gets??)
Might be controversial but I'd love to have more long form/all in one videos. I understand uploading in parts, and that you have a whole new series going on too as well as a full time job, but would love to be able to watch the whole process in one go without parts or breaks :) Regardless, I always enjoy watching you work to restore art in all its forms
His older videos are all-in-one, but the time between uploads was quite sparse. He ran a community or patron poll quite a while ago asking if people would prefer the episodic format with more regular uploads over the long form videos, and people voted yes so that's why the change happened. The good news for you though, is that you can scroll through his channel page and get your fix of all-in-one videos :)
I like that people seem to love Kit. I mean, seeing her from time to time was fine for me, but seeing her more is good too
Yes, descent into madness! Oh My Goodness. My heart is breaking at each chunk of canvas that disappears because it wasn't done correctly the first time. This one will be a necessity to see it to the end.
KIT!!! I'm so happy to see Kit back! Kit we love you!
I can’t wait to learn how you decide what to do for the face!
The piece REALLY had a number done on it. But I'm glad to see that Kit, the master's apprentice, is back. Was wondering where she had disappeared to but I think (hope) that she plays a roll in this restoration. If only for the experience she will gain.
The owner must really value this painting to have you put such an enormous amount of work into it. I guess he knows you are up for the challenge.
Must have gotten it for nearly free to be willing to put this much into it lol
I wonder if conservators hundreds of years from now will be like: "look at the shit this Baumgartner Restoration guy did to these paintings..."
Please drop betterhelp as a sponsor.
Nice to see Kit again. As you were removing the overpainting revealing more and more damage and missing areas I couldn’t help thinking that painting a completely new artwork would be easier!
OMG, this could be a five-part series!
really unfortunate to see the betterhelp sponsorship :/ betterhelp's privacy issues have been well known for a while now, as well as the potentially dangerous consequences of the fact that betterhelp's therapists can be forced to ghost their clients if they're fired or otherwise lose access.
Their vetting process has also come into question many times, as there are many complaints against the professionalism and ethics of the "therapists" they hire. These are all things that have been known since very early 2021.
Yip
Thumbnail had the right caption for this, most likely unintentionally.
Have these accusations persisted after they got officially investigated? The investigation clearing them was the last thing I heard (about a year ago, I think).
@@sarahleonard7309 "Clearing" isn't the word I'd use. FTC found the accusations against BetterHelp (sharing private health data and selling user information) essentially true. The company has promised to do better in the future, but with such a big break of trust over such a sensitive business model, it is clear that questions remain. Combine that with general criticism of the idea of online therapy, and criticism from clients about unprofessional therapists etc. that weren't part of the FTC investigation, and it's not surprising that the accusations continue. I'd say that not enough time has passed to tell whether they'll honestly try to do better. Would I work with BetterHelp as a video sponsor if I had a KZhead channel? I don't think so, not right now.
The banter with Kit was great fun. What a challenge, to divine and honour the artist’s intention. Great stuff!
Behind the canvas is truly a masterpiece of a series, though I can’t help but love the restoration videos and how the format changes constantly, from only audio to only Julian and then videos with Kit and now a new format with the owner I absolutely love the change you present along with your team, I’ve loved your videos for 5 years now ❤ always brings me comfort
Betterhelp add is scarier than a painting not having a face
agree!
it would be good that if you are commenting this let the people know why.
@abrilcb5749 I presume, it 1) very obvious 2) we can google it by ourself
@@abrilcb5749better help has poor vetting of therapists, leading to gay people being matched with Uber Christian therapists who try and "fix" their gayness with prayer, as well as privacy breaches to start with.
@@abrilcb5749 they sell user data and the counselors aren't therapists so that's how they get away with that, then there's the fact that it's a company based in Israel which is occupying Palestine and committing genocide so people are rightfully disappointed when a creator takes their sponsorship
Julian, we love your channel and we understand your need for sponsorships in the videos, but PLEASE inform yourself on who you are getting the sponsorship from. BetterHelp has been known to use scammy practices and they WON'T help you with your mental health
Not sure if this applies here, but I know of a content creater who has to keep doing sponsorships (for a genuine service, not scams like betterhelp) for a company for a year due to a contract - maybe it's something similar here. I sure do hope julian isn't _this_ oblivious to the background of his sponsors.
@@maxz8807 if this is the case, he can always rescind the contract. He would lose the money, but I'd prefer that over being sued for fraud.
@@maxz8807 I think that if you don't stand squarely behind giving s sponsor space in your videos, a contract can maybe be terminated.🤣
I'm glad people on this channel know this. I see so many content creators promote them and don't see enough comments like this.
These comments don’t match what is going on in video. Hm
Kit adds a nice interesting spark and balance.
So awesome seeing Kit back!
cant wait for part 2 ❤
I almost waited to watch this until after pt 2 came out... but that didn't happen
Hi, Kit! So nice to see you again!! Being all snarky and awesome.
Its nice to see you working with kit and also see the pre conversation with the piece owner
Being in Kyiv, Ukraine, in war, under rocket fire, among pain, tears and losses, watching your videos is like a sip of a pure and soothing remedy, it’s like gaining hope that much can be restored and in the end beauty will prevail! I watched all your videos several times! Wishing you a successful completion of the restoration of such a complex case and looking forward to the next videos!
Great to see Kit back in the loop.
So glad to see Kit back! The scraping being a main feature was a delight for me but probably not for you 😂
It will be very interesting to see how they resolve this problem.
Kit is back!!! ❤
Oooh,it's a treat getting to not only see Kit but to hear Kit as well! I hope she stays having a big part in this.
Wow, massive undertaking. Julian, you and Kit are courageous!
KIT!!!!!! So happy to see her again, we've missed u!!!!
I may be completely wrong, but isn't that Theodoor van Thulden's 'Allegory of Time Revealing Truth'? If so, there's plenty of references in books and online to its original state. Wouldn't that nullify the mystery?
I believe you're right but it's definately copy, artist unknown.
Thank You Julian, Thank You Kit... On of your best and the anticipation of Part 2 is WONDERFUL!!!..TM
I am always thrilled when there is a new )ulian video but despondent to realize there is a part two and I have to wait! This from a person who now binge watches whole series. The wait thing is not at all appealing! That being said, I am on tenterhooks to see Part Two.
I'm so glad to see Kit is still around!
It was mind boggling at how much damage someone did to the painting, I’m so looking forward to seeing this picture come back to life, thank goodness this artist has painted so many pictures along this theme that they can use his other works to make this picture come alive and tell the story he had tried to capture.
I have really enjoyed your series on others involved behind the scenes of art conservation, but I'm also super stoked to see you back to conserving art. Super excited to see Kit back as well and getting more involved. Thanks for sharing; these videos are always a lovely watch, educational, and calming.
Julian, introduction with the client, Kit in action, incredibly challenging restoration project....I am so overly excited!!! Can't wait for part 2 and/or subsequent episodes! Hopefully we get to see the client's reactions to the finished work at the end and can't wait to see a face reveal for what you came up with for the mysterious lady🎉❤
Glad to see Kit is still there and joining you on a piece that needs a TON of work.
Welcome back Kit, we missed you!
Thanks for the video. Can't wait for part 2.
>Better Help 💀
my thought exactly....
im gonna skip this one
@@twotruckslyrics I use the SponsorBlock browser extension to skip it. Not affiliated, just suggesting it because it works.
Yep, skip this one and quite a few other ones. I'm so disappointed to see them as sponsor here.
@@twotruckslyrics The ad or the video? No reason to skip his work. It's not his fault if they're being shady behind the scenes and he doesn't know about it.
Scraping and cleaning/removing varnish really is the most satisfying
I'm still at the beginning of the video, but the painting looks like Time Reveals the Truth, by Theodoor van Thulden. He will probably use this image as a reference, it will look fantastic!
Loved seeing Kit again.
I wish just ONCE he would go through the COSTS of restoration. I took a painting of mine to just have it CLEANED and was FLOORED by the quote I got. About a 10x14 painting from the twenties that wasn't all that dirty and they wanted over TWO GRAND!
I look at the work and the time and think "that must cost a fortune." I dreamt of doing conservation work like Julian's when I was a teenager and I love being able to watch someone actually do it.
Oh my, Kit's face and skin tone makes me look at that portrait and say she could have been the model way back then!! I just love the two of you working together and informing us how restorations really work! Wow ☺️
Love seeing kit, she is such a delight, she lightens you up a little bit with her sense of humor
a quiet skill I've noticed comparing this video to an older video I've watched recently, your cinematography skills have skyrocketed! I'd love to see a behind the scenes someday, how you set up the cameras and do time lapses and such
Super excited to see how this turns out!!😊
Im looking forward to seeing how you create the face 😊. Your videos are so interesting. It's great to see Kit.
Part one of ten? Seriously, what a huge task, your energy and work ethic are an inspiration.
Julian and Kit you are awesome for working on such a challenging project. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
I've recently gotten my portrait art returned to me, still being in highschool and whatnot, and i took your advice with the eyes being the most important part, starting there and making sure to emphesize on them. My art teacher complimented it so much, saying she could feel the soul & emotion in the drawing, something she mentioned others couldn't do easily and I couldn't be happier. Many others having complimented it as well. Basically, thank you for teaching me unintentionally, the importance of the eyes of a person across many of your videos. You're a great teacher, again, even if unintentional. I bet this face will be no different from your usuals, a masterpiece without straying away from the original artist's vision as much as physically feasible. Also YAY!! A thumbnail with pink arrows! Julian, you are spoiling us, TWO videos in a row with vibrant pink arrows?? (This one's more akin to a smidge cooler light carmine imo, but I obviously could be wrong. I'm not a color expert, nonetheless, very pretty choice.)
This is what I love in every aspect of life. Including the arts. Find something or someone and make it better. Whether I am baking,, fixing up an old, sorry looking piece of furniture ive found at a thrift store, helping someone, helping a pet. Help make it better. At this point I here you say the same thing. The opportunity to make it better. Much Love. Have a wonderful, helpful week. ❤
I'm fascinated by this project and can't wait for part 2. And yes, it's great to see Kitt again!
Yeah...Kit is back. It's so nice to see her work with you. Thanks.
It's so satisfying seeing you and Kit work parallel to each other and at the same time. Also welcome back Kit!
Yea! Kit is STILL here! 🎉
THAT painting! 🙉 🤔 🙈 🙊
Very much looking forward to seeing the continued process of this. Also wonderful to see Kit!
Loved this first part, Kit, Yourself and the Owner, can't wait for the second episode...
Lovely to see and hear you Kit ,the Ironperson challenge of Conservation
Very worried about the Betterhelp sponsorship of your channel after all the negative press they have had lately. ALLEGEDLY
Absolutely fascinating,I’ve only recently started watching these videos only because it is so interesting to see how you resolve all these overwhelming situations!
I am so excited to this! LOVE seeing Kit and the owner!
Never clicked on a video this fast
Same 😊
Dammit I’m in second! You beat me by 9 seconds
Me either. Fascinating isn't it?
@SenorTucano hahah, I actually saw a post on Instagram about the video, and then showed up here
Never skipped an ad this fast.
More Kit, please! She's hilarious, and it's so awesome to see her develop professionally!
Wow! What a challenge. I felt the same way when Kit said glad you volunteered ,..lol I am looking forward to part two to this face off.
So glad to see kit back!
I took an art history class on the Renaissance and my professor was French and the way she said Craquelurer was awesome.
But… dont we already know what it should look like ? Theodoor van Thulden, Allegory of Time Revealing Truth
I found that too. Because you you and I do research. Julian spends weeks scraping but can’t do a 3 minute Google reverse image search? Aggravating.
@@dougl945 I'd guess that he knows, he's just stringing us along. Given his passion and experience in this field, he probably identified it on sight. If he doesn't know? Yes, quite aggravating. 🧐😆
cant wait to see this one ! great seeing Kit again !
Glad to see Kit again!
What a challenge! For all we know, the face could be scarred or bruised, or have any other detail besides just the immense challenge of trying to faithfully bring together a face and a facial expression without photographic evidence of the original.
If you reverse search the image on Google. The original painting is literally on there with the face
Nice to see Kit again. She really adds value to the videos.
I love this style. Teamwork and the owner in the studio. Keep up the good work, guys!
I adore this. I love seeing the owner and Kit!
Yay! Kit’s back. It’s great to watch someone else learn so you can learn along with them. That face is terrifying - it must be very close to the line between restoration and creation
what face???
This looks like it’s going to be a thrilling project! I just watched a very interesting video about how Washi kozo is made.
Do please post a link to the video, Nina! Thanks in advance
I just love this channel so much! Thanks for sharing Julian
I'm loving the two-person job!