An elderly woman has unintentionally destroyed a valuable piece of artwork after she decided to “restore” the painting herself.
The painting was a 19th-century Spanish fresco titled Ecce Homo by painter Elias Garcia Martinez. It was donated to a cultural centre in the town of Borja, Spain, by the painter’s granddaughter, according to the Telegraph. The centre reportedly holds an extensive archive of regional religious paintings.
The woman, a neighbour of the church reportedly in her 80s, thought she would save the church both time and money by restoring the painting herself.
The Telegraph described the restoration as: “a botched repair where the intricate brush strokes of Martinez were replaced with a haphazard splattering of the octogenarian’s paint. Years of carefully calculated depth of expression simply washed out by copious amounts of red and brown.”
Local politician Juan María Ojeda told the Noticias de Navarra news website that the woman who attempted the restoration “had a hard life.” He also added that it would be “very difficult” to recover the painting.
According to Yahoo News, the elderly woman reportedly realized she was ruining the painting and turned herself in to authorities. Ojeda added, “she had gotten out of hand.”
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Find an example of art (any medium) that has made a significant difference in history. This could be an art movement, an art style, or a specific art piece. Tell us about the history and how it impacted the art world.
