ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the imitative retouching of easel paintings as practised in the early twenty-first century. The most creative aspect of retouching is the act of problem solving – working out the means to obtain an appropriate result through patience, informed decision-making, and excellent colour-matching skills. Retouching is a delicate and constant balancing act between the conservator’s technique, proper selection and handling of materials, and sensible decisions on what and how much to retouch. It may be beneficial to apply an isolating varnish that is distinct in solubility from the retouching medium so that unsuccessful attempts at retouching may be reworked or removed without disturbing the varnish layer. By understanding how the refractive indices of pigments and the binding media in which they are dispersed effects gloss and transparency, it is possible to gauge how well a particular medium may work for a given retouching problem.
