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On 7th to 11 th June 1993 the Association
of Restorers, in cooperation with the Archives of
Historical Art Technology (AHVT) and the National Gallery
in Prague, organised the international Symposium on the
Technology of Art Works of the Central European Region
and the Czech Restoration School.
The symposium took place in the historical buildings of
the Early Gothic St Agnes Convent in the Old Town of Prague
which house part of the collections of the National Gallery
and also its Restoration Department. The papers delivered
at this symposium or presented in the form of panels are
printed in this 3rd issue of TECHNOLOGIA ARTIS. Thanks
to the Association of Restorers, which won the financial
support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic
for this event, the continuity of the publication of this
periodical has been assured and the range of authors expanded
so that it now includes a number of foreign countries.
Because of the considerable length of some of the papers
read it was necessary to shorten some of the texts and
also to select illustrative material with regard to the
set size of the volume. We also apologise to several authors
whose papers, due to the extent of the documentary material,
have had to be transferred to the 4th issue – brief information
on these papers appears in the sections "From the
material of the AHVT". The fourth issue of TECHNOLOGIA
ARTIS will concentrate more on abstracts and book reviews.
The result of many consultations and discussions during
the symposium is the observation that the chief value
of this international periodical should be brief reports
on the results of research, wherever and in whatever form
they were published. The Archives of Historical Art Technology
therefore appeals to authors, publishers, specialised
schools and studios, museums, galleries and cultural heritage
institutions all over the world to send us their publications
containing technological analyses of historical art works
for reviewing. We should also welcome cooperation in the
form of the sending of actual reviews, as the main facts
on research work can best be judged by research workers
from the land in which the art works originated.
The Prague symposium started a new tradition of gatherings
devoted only to historical art technology, separate from
museum and conservation problems. This specialisation
is useful for more marked utilisation of facts ascertained
for the expertise and artistic classification of works
of art. This will also gradually create a wider international
community because the Archives of Historical Art Technology
considers, in keeping with its Statute, all participants
and contributors as its members.
The Editorial Board and Organisation
Committee of the Symposium
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The Organisation Committee of the
Symposium thanks all those who helped to realise the symposium,
especially on the technical and organisational side. We
therefore thank the Secretary of the Association of Restorers,
Ms Véra Fuxová, and all members of the Association who
played a direct part in the preparation, also the
President of the Archa Cultural Trust, Ms Lýdie Stohrová,
and the photographer of the Academy of Fine Arts, Mr Pavel
Paul. Because there were many names and tue would not
like to leave anyone out, we express our thanks to entire
institutions, i.e. the National Gallery in Prague, the
Institute of Building Information and the Academy of Fine
Arts in Prague; in particular we must thank the Ministry
of Culture of the Czech Republic and the Minister himself,
PhDr Jindřich Kabát, who personally patronised the entire
event.
(From the opening of the symposium)
»The restoration of works of art uncovers something of
the sense of creative art... Theory and technology determine
correct or incorrect approaches and procedures in restoration
activity, but they cannot represent the important of the
knowledge of the internal possibilities of the creative
artist and the restorer, his ethic and moral experience.
All knowledge developed by repeated recognition is experience
in the truest meaning of the word, in other words the
path which culminates in abiding knowledge. It again brings
us up against the problem of practice – and here we can
learn something from Aristotle, who does not form the
concept of practice in opposition to »TEORIA«, but in
opposition to »SKILL« in preparation. If we perceive this
Aristotleian theme as the difference between »TECHNÉ«,
which is the knowledge by which the art of preparation
is governed, and »FRONÉSIS«, which is the knowledge governing
practice, then we are forced to admit that practice does
not mean merely acting according to certain rules and
applications of knowledge, but also the overall professional
attitude to the world.«
Petr Siegl, President of the Association of
Restorers
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