Paintings suffer from the same elements and forces to which many objects are subjected.
Improper construction and inferior materials, poor painting techniques, aging and deterioration, environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and light, accident, disaster, vandalism, well-intended but poorly designed and executed restoration all may contribute to a painting's condition. The well-trained and experienced UMCA paintings conservators must address all aspects of a painting, the structural as well as the more obvious cosmetic or aesthetic components of the work of art. UMCA paintings conservators encounter conditon problems such as warped and split panels, torn canvases, tented water damaged paint layers, cleaving and flaking paint, blanched, oxidized, and degraded surface layers, and deteriorated and aged canvases. Recognizing the cause or source of structural and cosmetic problems is an important part of determining a proper course of treatment for paintings. UMCA paintings treatments are thoughtfully designed for the individual work of art with a strong emphasis on minimal intervention with the maximum results.