Elderly woman destroys 19th-century fresco with DIY restoration

The Telegraph ^ | August 22, 2012 | Amy Willis

[beaversmom]

Three separate photographs of “Ecce Homo” by painter Elias Garcia Martinez show extensive damage caused by an elderly woman who decided the masterpiece needed a little refurbishment.

But in a time of austerity, rather than calling in a professional to complete the job, the unnamed woman attempted to restore the mural herself – at a devastating cost.

[beaversmom]

I know this is sad, but I haven't laughed this hard in a long time...especially the last line of the article.

[beaversmom]

[cuban leaf]

That’s Jerry Garcia.

[cuban leaf]

At least he’s smiling in the last one. :-)

[GeronL]

was this her property?

[DemforBush]

AGH!!!

I know the woman meant well, but that is just..ruined. I wonder if there’s anyway the damage can be undone?

[GeronL]

lol. Why in the world would he be smiling? So the whole world will smile with him?

[muleskinner]

Nice work, Granma.

[JRios1968]

[Lancey Howard]

The amateur restorer said she had undertaken the project "with good intentions" but...

LMBO!!!
Spoken like a real scumbag liberal!

[cuban leaf]

“So the whole world will smile with him?”

Well, didn’t he want to buy the world a Coke? Jerry, I mean.

I’m assuming this is satire. Either that or it was malice. Or the lady is insane, literally. Seriously. Look at it.

[sportutegrl]

You should read the comments on the site:

"Mr. Bean revisited."

"The mouth looks like my blow up doll."

[beaversmom]

LOL!

[muleskinner]

The superiority of the Impressionism movement is revealed therein.

"Picasso is my hero", she said.

[brytlea]

I guess because I’m an art lover, especially old art, I just can’t find any humor in this. I always hate when old art is destroyed. And I don’t think this can be restored. I can’t imagine the horror the granddaughter of the artist felt. Yeah, the end product is pretty funny looking, but it’s like laughing when someone drops a fine piece of old china. Not really funny since it can never be replaced. But I know lots of people would say, hey it’s just stuff. I sort of wish I could feel that way, maybe it’s a healthier attitude.

[christx30]

Just because you’re currently being nailed to a cross doesn’t mean you gotta be all gloomy about it. Hang in there, baby!

[faucetman]

This is what you get when you hire an amateur to do a job requiring a professional.

Picture 1. Pre Obama economy

Picture 2. Economy when Obama takes office

Picture 3. Obama economy 4 years later. A complete transformation, EPIC FAIL.

[HamiltonJay]

Professionals I am sure can repaint the piece, but its going to be costly. At this point its basically going to be a replication when its done.

[beaversmom]

My 6 year old said, “It kind of looks like it. She tried her best.”

[PowderMonkey]

Arrrrgg! Gut wrenching. My grandfather's paintings are on display in art museums throughout Spain. Several in my personal collection were beginning to deteriorate like the one in the article. Solution? Clean and preserve so that qualified technicians supported by major institutions can attempt restoration in future years.

[CSM]

Hahahaha! OK, that made me literally LOLs.....

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

What the?? Is this a joke?

[GeronL]

lol.

Who owned this thing and why was she allowed to do this?

[Joe 6-pack]

From the looks of the degradation in the earlier photos, it appears this is secco fresco, and not buon fresco. The repairs should be *relatively* easy by a competent restorer.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

You know I was wondering if she’s a lib. If you’ll notice it looks like a burka she painted on, trying to make Jesus look like a muzzie woman.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

You know I was wondering if she’s a lib. If you’ll notice it looks like a burka she painted on, trying to make Jesus look like a muzzie woman.

[Northern Yankee]

Just because you’re currently being nailed to a cross doesn’t mean you gotta be all gloomy about it. Hang in there, baby!

"Always look on the bright side of life...."

[logitech]

I think everybody is being too hard on the old gal. It’s obvious she’s not finished.

[beaversmom]

You started me up all over again! I’m crying again.

[apillar]

I’m laughing so hard at the restored picture I can hardly see through the tears! It looks like a furry hobbit type creature!

[beaversmom]

I’m glad I’m not the only one!

[BillyBonebrake]

How one person got away with this is testimony to the problems churches in Europe are facing. Nobody is going to church anymore, staff are limited and underfunded, and well gee whiz church treasures are vulnerable to neglect and destruction. This is a sad harbinger.

[WinMod70]

Well, at least she has a can do attitude. Surely she’ll get better over time.

[freedomlover]

This sort of reminds me of an Antiques Roadshow episode where some guy brought in some fairly large piece of furniture (an armoire or secretary?) that he had refinished and was very proud of it. The problem was that his refinishing had cut the value of the piece IIRC tens of thousands of dollars.

Still I think this one takes the cake. Looks like the Sea Hag in an Eskimo hat.

[cvq3842]

A terrible tragedy. It would not be much worse if she had just covered it with graffiti.

[Flightdeck]

“with good intentions”

This story is the perfect microcosm of the liberal voting populace. Then again, there ARE libs who actually intend to destroy the American way.

[windcliff]

LOL

[WXRGina]

I know this is sad, but I haven't laughed this hard in a long time...especially the last line of the article.

I laughed hard and loud, too, and I'm an artist! :-)

[Deb]

Its Chia Pet Obama!

[Charles Martel]

Looks like the Sea Hag in an Eskimo hat.

I was thinking more along the lines of: "Alice the Goon with a nose job".

[Sax]

Looks like that Rowlf dog from the Muppet Show.

[newzjunkey]

[a fool in paradise]

Who does she think she is? Banksy?

[Califreak]

Is that Janet Napolitano?

[decal]

The additional jelly roll on the bottom is a nice touch...

[decal]

And the eyes, they follow you everywhere now - mastery, I tell you.

[Daffynition]

Maybe she's not finished yet.

[Daffynition]

[dead]

She totally fixed it!

[beaversmom]

You’ve got me started all over again. Why did you have to do that!