Centuries-old Christian statuettes given staggering and garish "restoration"

[ASparkle]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/spain-church-statues-restored-paint-ranadoiro-asturias-colour-jesus-mary-st-peter-a8529141.html

The makeover was completed by villager Maria Luisa Menendez, in the hamlet of Ranadoiro in the Asturias region where the statues have been kept in the local chapel. Priest Arturo Garcia admitted he gave her permission.
She said: “I painted them as best I could, using what I thought were the right colours. The neighbours liked them too.”
But officials and art-lovers have expressed outrage at what has been allowed to happen to the historic artefacts.
Genaro Alonso, the region’s principality’s education adviser, told Ede news agency, it was a “vengeance rather than a restoration”.
Luis Suárez Saro, who professionally restored the sculptures just 15 years ago, said he was baffled by what had happened.
“They’ve used the kind of industrial enamel paint they sell for painting anything and absolutely garish and absurd colours,” he told The Guardian. “The result is just staggering. You don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

I don't understand how these restoration jobs keep going to such ludicrously incompetent people, I'm fairly sure the majority of the Warhammer thread could do a better job of painting these statuettes.

[Col. Buggernuts]

More importantly, why does it keep happening in Spain? The monkey-face Jesus, St. Georgerghhghghhh and now this.

[Blueleaf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3p_VuPIS2c

When will these people learn.

[ASparkle]

Also the one in pink with lipstick and drawn-on eyebrows is supposed to be Saint Peter.

[RearAdmiral]

The reason it's consistently Spain that these happen in is Spain has a LOT of churches which house old pieces of artwork - the shitty restoration jobs are all done by amateurs that mean well even if they wind up completely fucking it up; they wind up doing it either due to people not properly securing the art or, in this case, giving permission.

The Ecco Homo fresco was done by an 83 year old in a town of less than 5,000, the botched Saint George was done by an art teacher. As long as spain keeps letting any random yahoo with a paintbrush near ancient artwork this is going to keep happening.

[ASparkle]

I wonder how much of it has to do with financial reasons, I know hiring painters for this sort of thing is very expensive, and I'd assume that holds true for professional restoration as well, but most of these incidents seem to be done by volunteers.

[Skerious]

Good fucking lord they look like Fisher Price toys