Even in this modern world of Photoshop, CGI and Instagram filters, not just anyone can call themselves an artist. When amateurs try to restore traditional masterpieces, things often go wrong. The latest viral art goof comes from Valencia, Spain, where The Guardian reports that a private art collector had a copy of a painting of the Virgin Mary by the baroque artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo cleaned -- to disastrous results.
Even after two attempts, the private restorer had trouble fixing this Murillo (left). https://t.co/7vCcMpw64T pic.twitter.com/imiGXad0o1
— James Gurney (@GurneyJourney) June 23, 2020
According to The Guardian, the collector hired a furniture restorer for the job -- which clearly may not have been the right choice. Two separate attempts, both photographed for posterity, left the once breathtaking image of Christ's mother looking more like the results of one of those paint-and-sip parties.
"A Spanish collector was horrified after he had his Murillo cleaned and retouched by a 'furniture restorer,'" snarked one Twitter user. "But why would you use one, when you know there are plumbers, dental technicians and forestry workers crying out for this kind of work?"
A Spanish collector was horrified after he had his Murillo cleaned & retouched by a 'furniture restorer.' But why would you use one, when you know there are plumbers, dental technicians and forestry workers crying out for this kind of work? pic.twitter.com/OeObeY2QCq
— Arts & Auctions (@govauctionnews) June 23, 2020
This isn't the first time someone in Spain has tried to fix a classic artwork and ended up with a very different result. Back in 2012, a Spanish woman named Cecilia Gimenez took it upon herself to repaint a fresco of Christ called "Ecce Homo" ("Behold the Man"). The resulting before-and-after photos went viral, made the town a tourist attraction and created a meme dubbed Potato Jesus.
And in 2018 -- also in Spain -- a 16th-century wooden figure of St. George was restored to look more like a blank-faced Nicolas Cage, or maybe Woody from Toy Story.
The BBC notes that there's no law in Spain forbidding people from restoring artwork, and cited a statement from the country's Professional Association of Restorers and Conservators, which called this latest incident an act of "vandalism."
But one Twitter user felt that the classical-turned-cartoony image might be just right for this difficult year, writing, "a botched art restoration in Spain (Immaculate Conception painting by Murillo) feels on par for 2020."
a botched art restoration in Spain (Immaculate Conception painting by Murillo) feels on par for 2020 pic.twitter.com/C8IKon1OuB
— kaye (@kayeisme) June 23, 2020