European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 9, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Morally. March 9, 1987 the stars and stripes Pago 9 Vatican photograph show portion of tie Sist Fae Chapel fac a by Michelangelo Rigel the Del Pulc Sibyl before Kofl and after Middle restoration Effort. Artists ask Pope to suspend restorations new York not As debate intensifies Over restoration of Michelangelo s Sisline Chapel in the Vatican is Well known american artists have petitioned Pope John Paul ii urging i pause in the project. In a similar petition they have also urged suspension of the restoration efforts begun in j977 on Leon Ardas Lait supper Fresco Ai the Santa Maria Delle Grazie Church in Milan. The artists include Robert Motherwell George Segal Robert rain Schenberg Chislo James Ron quist Susan Rothenberg enc Fischl and the late Andy Warhol who had agreed to join the petitioners just before Bis death on feb. 22. In the petitions whose texts Are virtually identical the artists acknowledge the Noble purpose or the restorers and recognize their extensive but they propose the pause As a precautionary Mea sure suggesting that it would allow for a thorough analysis of the work so far and an Opportunity to review All of he options the idea for the petitions was conceived by a new York dealer in contemporary Art Ronald Feldman who has developed a scholarly interest in Leonardo s work and has written an article exploring his imagery. Repealed visits to Ibe last supper Fresco in Milan Penman said inspired doubts in him about what he Calls the Radical surgery of the restoration there. He was dissatisfied with responses to letters he wrote to the restorers. Then he read an article expressing Sec Ond thoughts on the sistine Chapel restoration. The article was written by the chairman of the department of Art history at Columbia University professor James seek who had originally been in favor of it. I Felt Here were some real issues Here said and i started calling up artists to get their re actions. 1 found them uneasy yet afraid to speak out because they lacked expertise in restoration. But we All fed that a great Many questions should be raised about these italian restorations. It s very dear for instance. That Here is no real scientific panel to discuss and assess the Mother will said thursday hat White he had not seen the sistine or Leonardo restorations he had signed the petitions because he had looked at color reproductions and had talked with friends and associates about the work. From the reproductions i be seen of the Sisline restoration it looks funny to me he said. The colors strike me As sentimental and in sculptural in a Way that much Tiangelo s other work does t i have a gut feeling Hal it in t he had also seen some Inopia or under drawing for the frescoes in an exhibition at the metropolitan museum Motherwell added and in terms of painterly logic the cleaned Michelangelo does t seem to grow naturally out of Segal too said he had Only seen reproductions of i Efimm Ilc rut 4tarrino for Ftp Ali in t of to when i saw it earlier Ana there seems to have been a loss of that. They May have thrown the baby out with he dirty Bath on thursday or. Rosalba Tardito in charge of the last supper restorations was travelling and could not be reached for comment in Milan. In Rome Wal Ter pcs Cali Secretary of the Vatican museums said he had not yet seen the artists petition on the Sisline Chapel and could not comment on it directly. But As to the idea of pausing for analysis per Segati said we pause very often whenever we see the need to do fur ther research analysis studies or trials but we do not we any reason to pause right he said Hal the first significant pause look place when the project was begun in 1980, and that six months were spent determining that an intervention was necessary and perfecting the restoration technique. Other major pauses for analysis had taken place each time the scaffolding was moved roughly at nine month intervals he said. Although the last supper restoration was under taken in an urgent Effort to save what was left of the decaying Leonardo Fresco there was no such need in the Sisline Chapel. The colors and surface of the Michelangelo paintings according to the Vatican have been dimmed by centuries of grime. But. Unlike the Leonar do Fresco More experimental in technique than Miche langelo s work hey Are essentially in very Good Condi Tion. Meanwhile Beck now a highly vocal opponent of the sistine restoration has become embroiled in a pub Lic debate with Gianluigi Colalucci who is directing the project for the Vatican. In a recent letter to the Rej Lorer published in the left of Center italian newspaper la Republica Beck urged Calm study and More conservative will you go Down is the Man who destroyed the subtlety of Michelangelo s Sisline ceiling 1 he asked. Beck charged Colalucci with the indiscriminate re Moval of a Secco passages and veils of tone applied by Michelangelo the term a Secco refers to the making of corrections and additions on lop of the Basic Fresco after the wet paint on wet plaster has dried. In the past Colalucci has held that Michelangelo was Well trained in the techniques of Fresco and used a Secco Only to a mini Mal degree on the ceiling. But in a newly written and As yet unpublished article Beck cites passages from an Early Michelangelo biographer Ascanio Conditi to disprove these assertions. According to Conditi Beck notes when Michelang Elo was first offered the commission to paint the Sis line ceiling he sought to withdraw because painting was not his an 1 and he wrote in a letter to his father Ludovico at the time he was actively working on the ceiling that painting the Fresco was not his proves Sion. Docs this sound like a master who was in absolute control of the medium arid who would never need to make corrections Beck asks. His article goes on to question whether there is scientific proof that Michelangelo did not apply some of the layers thai he says the Vatican restorers Are removing. In rebuttal of the Vatican thesis he cites a further passage by Conditi that tells How Pope Julius a who commissioned Michelangelo s work was impatient to see the results even though it was imperfect not having had the final what was the final layer Beck asks if not the glue size Oil varnish Louch ups or whatever most of which is being speedily wiped away director of platoon wins pre Oscar Honor los Angeles a Oliver Stone won the annual directors Guild award traditionally a Harbinger of the oscars on saturday night for his direction of the brutal Vietnam War film this is really a Cinderella Story to night said Stone who based his script on his own experience As a sol Dier in the Vietnam War and spent 10 years struggling to find backing for the film also nominated were Woody Allen for " Hannah and her James Ivory for a room with a View Randa Haines for children of a lesser god and Rob Reiner for stand by Al the Guild s new York banquet. Academy award Winner Elia Kazan received the . Griffith award the group s highest Honor. Only 18 other directors have received the award for out standing achievement and lifetime contribution to Kazan won oscars for his direction of gentleman s agreement and on the waterfront " his other films include East of Boomerang and a Streetcar named Only three limes has the Winner of the directors Guild award failed to win the Oscar. Last year was he whopper when Steven Spielberg got the Dag s top prize for the color purple but was t even Itomi Iuliu d for the Academy award. The Oscar Well to Sydney Pollack for out of
