Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Spanish Pensioner Botches Ancient Artwork

A bumbling Spanish pensioner has caused a furor in her local parish by attempting to restore a prized piece of artwork.

Cecilia Gimenez, who is in her 80s, took a brush to a fresco of Jesus Christ that has held pride of place in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza for more than 100 years.

The amateur painter was reportedly upset at the way the fresco had deteriorated over the years, and took it on herself to "restore" the image.

Unfortunately, Gimenez' efforts were... less than successful.



"Excellent job, Maud.  Now we have a few Picassos over here that could use a bit of touching up..."

As BBC Europe commentator Christian Fraser notes, the once-dignified portrait by Elias Garcia Martinez now resembles 'a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic'.

At some point, Gimenez realized she was out of her depth and contacted a local city councillor for advice.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

Ironically, the local art preservation society had just received a donation from the painter's granddaughter, which they had planned to use to restore the original fresco.

Click here for story



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