VOA文化艺术2024--Spanish Scientist Uses Bacteria to Repair 18th-century Artworks

Spanish scientist Pilar Bosch has found a way to use bacteria to repair 18th-century paintings.

Bosch, a microbiologist, tells Reuters she got the idea for the method while considering possibilities for a paper toward her doctoral degree. During this process, she discovered someone else's paper that suggested bacteria can be used to restore artworks.

At around the same time, Bosch learned that her mother was struggling to find a good method for restoring 18th-century paintings. The paintings, by Spanish artist Antonio Palomino, sat in Santos Juanes - one of the oldest churches in the city of Valencia.

Bosch said her mother, Pilar Roig, noted¹ how difficult the restoration process at the church was. One reason was the glue used to remove the paintings from the walls in the 1960s. The substance was nearly impossible to remove completely.

"My mother had a very difficult problem to solve and I found a paper about bacteria used to clean frescoes³ in Italy," Bosch said. A fresco² is a kind of painting that often appears across a large wall.

Bosch added she decided⁴ to write her doctoral paper on the same subject. That was more than ten years ago. Today, she gets to work with her mother on the church restoration. They are using the bacteria method to remove glue from artworks. The $4.46 million project is being financed by local organizations.

The process involves feeding small amounts of the glue - made from animal collagen - to the bacteria. After a time, the bacteria begins to naturally produce enzymes⁵ to break down the glue.

The mother-daughter team then mixes the bacteria with a natural algae-based substance, called a gel, and places it onto the paintings. They say that after about three hours, the gel mixture is removed, leaving the paintings glue-free.

Bosch's mother, now 75, noted that in the past, restorers of artworks had to use traditional cleaning methods that "took hours and damaged the painting." She noted that several other relatives in the family also work in art restoration. Bosch agreed, saying the work "certainly runs in the family."

Bosch has also used her bacteria removal process in other restoration projects in Italy and Spain. And, she is now training other scientists to use a different kind of bacteria to clear walls of painted graffiti.

Words in This Story

restore - v. to repair something old

church - n. a building where people go to worship God

glue - n. a substance used to stick things together

graffiti - n. writings or art painted on walls and public places, usually illegally

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 fresco   

n.壁画；vt.作壁画于

参考例句：

• This huge fresco is extremely clear and just like nature itself.It is very harmonious.这一巨幅壁画，清晰有致且又浑然天成，十分和谐。
• So it is quite necessary to study the influence of visual thinking over fresco.因此，研究视觉思维对壁画的影响和作用是十分必要的。

3 frescoes   

n.壁画( fresco的名词复数 )；温壁画技法，湿壁画

参考例句：

• The Dunhuang frescoes are gems of ancient Chinese art. 敦煌壁画是我国古代艺术中的瑰宝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The frescoes in these churches are magnificent. 这些教堂里的壁画富丽堂皇。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 enzymes   

n. 酶，酵素

参考例句：

• It was said that washing powders containing enzymes remove stains more efficiently. 据说加酶洗衣粉除污更有效。
• Among the enzymes which are particularly effective are pepsin, papain. 在酶当中特别有效的是胃朊酶、木瓜酶。