Agnese Chiari Moretto Wiel, who oversaw the restoration work as the historical-artistic director on behalf of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, shared with us her first impressions of the important conservation project, which lasted two years.
The restoration of Tintoretto’s Crucifixion in the Sala dell’Albergo at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco has now been completed after two years of work. The painting will be unveiled to the public on April 12, just before Holy Week, in the presence of the bishop and local authorities. This significant restoration, covering 65 square meters, was carried out by the C.B.C. (Conservazione Beni Culturali) with funding from Save Venice and support from Arnold M. Bernstein. We had the opportunity to meet Agnese Chiari Moretto Wiel, the artistic director overseeing the restoration, to discuss her initial impressions. These insights will be further elaborated in a conference scheduled for May 15-16 at the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, where the restoration results will be presented to the scientific community.
The Crucifixion is the largest canvas Tintoretto painted for the Scuola Grande, dominating the back wall of the small, though precious, Sala dell’Albergo, where the Scuola Grande’s governing body once met. Completed in 1565, the painting was paid for the following year. The theme of the Crucifixion appears frequently in Tintoretto’s sacred art, but this is the first time he approached it on such a grand scale. The central figure of the crucified Christ is pushed forward, surrounded by the grieving Marys, creating a dramatic focal point. The dynamic composition unfolds with multiple episodes, creating a sense of motion, like a wave. Light plays a crucial role in coordinating the visual effects, with a bright yellow area creating a void around the cross, isolating Christ’s body in its pain. The artist’s skill is evident in the robust figures and the delicate, fleeting appearances of other characters, marking a high point in Tintoretto’s religious narrative.
The painting, an oil on canvas piece, is 700 square feet large, standing over 16 feet tall and 40 feet wide. Its exact location of creation remains unknown. The canvas was previously restored in 1673 and on other occasions over the centuries, including being rolled up for safety during World War I. In the 1970s, it received significant restoration work by Antonio Lazzarini. The current restoration, conducted on-site to avoid further trauma, began in 2023 with non-invasive analyses, including UV and infrared photography, to identify issues and damage. This diagnostic work revealed the underlying drawing and the useful grid technique artists use when scaling up from small to large formats. The restoration team, consisting of six restorers, carefully cleaned the painting using gentle solvents, a delicate and irreversible process. After removing overpainting and patinas, they focused on aesthetic restoration, retouching areas of loss and abrasion. Critical areas were identified in the central and lateral sections, achieving a good aesthetic reading and restoring the correct tonal relationships, which enhanced the composition’s depth. A layer of protective varnish was the final touch in revitalizing one of the masterpieces of 16th-century Venetian painting.
