Hey folks, since many of you asked; the white dot in the eye was not paint or a glint. It was a chip in the paint layer that was filled in and retouched. It looks odd that the eye has no flint or highlight, and at one point it may have but was lost during another cleaning. I’d love to add one but injecting narrative into the painting isn’t my job and so as much as it cries out for a highlight- I’m not the artist and as such cannot add that. Bummer I know but thems the breaks.

So when is this documentary getting an Oscar? Best thing I've seen in 5 years.

"Put up with a five part series." Listen, Julian, I'd watch a 20 part series if you put one out, these potato chips aren't gonna eat themselves.

I understand most clients want to keep their privacy, but if there's ever a client willing to share their reaction I'd love to see it. Question as well: Have there ever been paintings that you refused to conserve? What circumstances would cause you to refuse a painting?

Imaging being the client and watching this. Mans built a table especially for this painting.

My heart exploded with affection when he mentioned eating potato chips in bed at 3am watching his videos. He knows us.

Julian: *thanking us for watching a 5 part series* Also Julian: *giving us fans the best film of the summer*

Client: "Excellent work! Would you like the payment in cash or check?" Julian: "You owe me one soul."

Julian: *makes hydraulic table and reads thousands of pages to fix painting* also Julian: eye scary :o(

“Put up with a five part series” as if I haven’t been eagerly waiting for each episode.

This could've been a 27 part series and we would eat it up.

Julian: So you can stay up at 3am, sitting on your bed, eating potato chips, binging on your favourite art conservation videos Me: YOU DON'T NEED TO CALL ME OUT LIKE THIS! *munch a potato chip*

Julian: *says something educated* Me(someone who doesn't know what's going on a lot of the time):*nods head* Yes, of course.

I've got to say, your commentary especially during the retouching process was excellent. In the past you have always done an excellent job of explaining the process and your decision-making. But this time I also felt like we were given a view of how you feel while retouching. Telling us about how you focus on something fun first and leave a 'cherry' and the end of your work made me realize how much you love your job and made me feel like I love it too. Thank you again for what I'm sure was a very lengthy restoration which I bet took an equally long time to record and edit. You've provided myself and many others a view into a line of work that we may have not gotten to see otherwise. To be frank, this series is in my opinion on par with some of the things I've seen from the Smithsonian. You are not just showing us your work and the pieces you are working on. You're taking us on a journey.

I feel emotionally attached to this painting and this series lmao , I don’t want it to end .

10:40 did he just acknowledge all those „staying in bed, eating potato chips“ comments 😂

Julian, dressed as Gandalf: Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship The crowd: *crying uncontrollably*

Before restoration: This painting has been defiled by bad conservationists After restoration: This is my baby now, look how beautiful it is

“Put up with” is the wrong phrase. “Enjoyed” is more like it. True craftsmanship my friend. Absolutely brilliant.

Julien: "Final video in this series... really I promise" Also Julien: EPILOGUE

The retouching needs to be invisible...just like your internet trafick Julian.... you did it again

I love that this chanel created a comunity with inside jokes and attachment to paintings we’ve never seen IRL

me every time julian shows us the finished product: dang he really just did that.

10:40 i can HEAR him smiling. how dare you call all of us out like this.

Me: I'm gonna catch this ad this time. "The retouching really does need to be invisible... you know.. just like your internet traffic." *Shocked* Got me this time!

"It's not like using a layer of polyurethane" Julian, don't even joke.

imagine: a youtube channel 100yrs from now, whose videos are dedicated to checking up on all of Julian’s restored works, ‘where are they now’ style

Julian really said we “put up with” a five part series like we wouldn’t have watched the entire process in real time, completely absorbed

Anyone else want a “Julian reacts to botched restoration paintings” video? 👀

Julian outing himself as an Anime fan in the middle of a classical art restoration is legendary.

It's 2023, it's my birthday, I'm 60 yrs old today. I'm bingeing this series, and as many more as I can listen to! I love this man, his voice is truly what I see! Julien, thank you so much for this! Have a great day, I am!

Julian: The eyes are the super-focal point of the painting. Me: but that nose

previous conservator: *skins painting and removed wood* julian: *building machinery and a backing system and trying to give the eyes a soul* “and you did this, for what?”

Me to myself, spraying krylon clear coat onto my quarantine paint-by-number: "Now, spray a second coat from a height to achieve that crystalized effect"

"Even ExpressVPN can't keep you safe from... grossness" I feel personally attacked.

I wanted to say that i loved sooo much that kind of, vulnerable moment around "the eye" thing. Its nice to know a bit of what is passing trough your mind while you work. How you cope with the anxiety that such responsibility provokes. You even give us life lessons! With that being said, man, what a GREAT conservator you are. I mean, AMAZING. Such a true passion can be sensed from not only every one of your proyects, but even every one of your words! I truly admire you Julian!

A theory on the eye retouching: When I was in mortuary school, we had a class called “Restorative Art”. It covered facial structure, damage repair, color theory, cosmetics, etc. One thing they taught us was that in life, we we focus on the eyes. In death, we focus on the mouth. When preparing a body, I always saved the mouth for last. I think you save the eye for last for the same reason. Once you get that right, your focus is pulled towards it and you can miss other smaller things.

Julian: Makes a restorative art channel for other people in the community to come together and see different techniques The comments: 👁👄👁 w e s t a n. We don’t know what’s happening but w e s t a n

We all were literally watching paint dry throughout a 5-part series, and I can't wait for more.

About the eyes, I know that in some Asian painting styles, you leave the eyes for last - especially on dragons and possibly for other mythical figures? I've seen/heard about this with both traditional Japanese tattoos, and chinese watercolors. Because once you add the eyes, you give the drawing life - and you don't do that when it's not fully formed. Also, consider the Daruma figurines. They are made with their eyes blank, and one paints the first eye when making a wish or a goal. They then paint in the other when it comes true.

I like that you can see how long the retouching took by tracking the healing of the wound on the knuckle of his thumb.

it's kinda adorable how Julian thinks a 5 part series is enough and we wouldn't sit here for a 15 part series on the same shit

I'm not fat. I just have a high molecular weight.

This did not feel "slow" or "longwinded." It was fascinating, and I watched the entire process in complete awe. Beautiful, amazing work.

Me encountering dried duct tape residue yesterday... “I need a dulled scalpel!” (then scraping and thinking that the previous person addressing this metal windowsill was a FOOL to use something that was not easily reversible)😆

I want one more part to this series: the client reaction.

Julien: *says something profound and inspiring* Me: Please don't be an ad. please don't be and ad. please don't be an ad.

10:41 No! You're wrong! It's 3PM and I'm laying on the COUCH eating potato chips xD

"So you can stay up till 3am, sitting in your bed, eating potato chips, binging on your favourite art restoration videos" Julian truly knows who he is catering to ♥

I desperately want to see the client's reaction to this painting. I feel emotionally attached to this painting right now. So, Could you maybe be do a follow up video telling us what the client thought and your final thoughts on this painting?

5 part series. 30 part series. Doesn't matter. We love it all and will happily sit through each and every video you make, Julian!!!!!

The way he said “sitting in you’re bed at 3am eating potato chips” was PAINFULLY accurate.

Julian: "procrastinating the hard work" Me: if Julian Baumgartner procrastinates WHO AM I not to?!

Julian: This is the last video, I promise. Me: [sad noises]

I only discovered Julian today and watched a couple of his painting restorations / conservations with interest. Part 1 of this was next up and when I saw the state of the piece I was intrigued to see how he could possibly do anything with it. So now here I am over 2.5 hours later; The chemistry, the science, the engineering, the ingenuity, the suspense, the surprise, the artist, the resolution... hands down the most engrossing and mesmeric thing I have watched in forever. Aside from everything I just said, I'm speechless.

As I lay here in my hospital bed (non covid), this finale gave me a real reason to smile. The artistic skill, passion, OCD(?).... are so evident in this series both in the video production and the outcome of the deep, rich, beautiful painting. I could listen to his voice for hours! Thank you for the time and care you put into sharing your work with all of us.

I need a tee-shirt that says "Fully Reversible"

Julian: "Its the last one, i promise." Me: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

It's 2 AM, I'm eating a buttercookie and binging my favourite art conservator. And it really crumbles. My God.

Did I intend to watch these videos to go to sleep? Yes. Did I instead stay riveted for 2 1/2 hours watching all 5 parts? Absolutely! Amazing job Julian, as always!!

julian: *thanks us for watching a 5-part series* me, an essential worker who can now only relax by watching these videos: no, thank YOU KING

What I find impressive over and over again: The deep passion and love shown in this videos. I don't know if “impressive“ is a good term, but this is what stuck ne on the channel: Someone who not only loves his profession but also the art he is working at. It is a bit like a doting mother to her child: “Oh sweetie, that must hurt. Let me kiss it better and put this fully reversible band aid on it“

I usually pride myself on being able to call out when Julian is about to segue into an ad, but I didn't see it coming this time. Props to him LOL

When is this guy getting his own TV show??? Seriously, I'd watch him for hours retouching painting and discussing the conservation of paintings, sculptors and so much more!

I'm not sure how you select the pieces you'll feature here on your KZfaq channel, but I for one would appreciate more long form series like this one. It's very satisfying to see you put a horrifically damaged painting back together, and over a few episodes I start to get emotionally invested in the painting- more so than with the one-off episodes. This series has convinced me that you should have a Netflix show.

"put up with" a 5 parter? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. WE LOVED IT. This turned out so amazing. The entire time I was like "jfc how much does a restoration like this cost to get done?!" because the amount of work is absolutely insane

I never though at restoration could have me on the edge of my seat! I never knew it was so fascinating! I also never realized just how involved and complicated it was! You do an remarkable job of narrating and explaining what you are doing and why and you make it so interesting! I have a deep respect and admiration for you and your Craft. I love your work ethics.

Some day I just want to appreciate my job like Julian does.

Him: Adding the medium to fill in the gaps. My half asleep brain: Ah yes we must caulk the painting.

Julian: So you can stay up until 3 AM, sitting in your bed, eating potato chips, binging on your favorite art restoration... Me: How did he know? 👁👄👁

Imagine the guy in the picture sitting on a cloud looking down onto Julian’s master workmanship. ☁️

It never ceases to amaze me, the way you thoughtfully bring these pieces of nearly lost art back from the brink of utter disaster. Beautiful work.

"Thank you for putting up with a 5-part series". You say that like I didn't enjoy every moment of table-building, wood-panel sanding, honeycomb sandwich-making, dirty-painting cleaning, paint-retouching BRILLIANCE.

Julian: **Completes a months-long conservation.** Me: We did it!

I like it when he sits down and talks directly to the camera

Anyone else feel like Julian has become their life mentor?

My sister called while I was watching this. Sister: Hey, could you look up BLANK. Me: Sure. I'm just watching a guy fix a painting. Sister: ........Baumgartner?

YOU’RE thanking US for “putting up with” this 5-part series?? You got it backwards, my friend. This was wonderful!

I'm a artist myself and honestly this is so satisfying seeing a person take care into every detail of a painting, it's makes me feel proud of who I am knowing there are people like him that will maybe one day take care of one of my artworks. Keep up the good work!

10:41 how dare you expose us like that! (Also I love how you can hear him smile as he says it)

Yup, that there man's got himself a pickle jar full o' resin.

"The conservator I am now is a better one than the conservator I was before this painting arrived at the studio." I got chills when you said this Julian. As heartbreaking and challenging as 2020 has been for me, I am grateful for the woman I am now, and still yet the woman I will be when we emerge after it. May we all look for the hidden gifts within the challenges laid before us this year ❤ And thank you Julian for taking us along on this wild 5 b part ride. I can't wait to go back and rewatch it all again!

Love the pickle jar! My grandma would approve.

“Really, I promise, there’s nothing after this.” Well that was a lie.

"nobody's gonna know what you were doing at 3am, though, i would recommend you vacuum up your bed" JULIAN-

Noticed Julian’s been giving a more in-depth explanation of his work. Made me feel like a virtual apprentice 💯

I love how Mr. Baumgartner says that we put up with a 5 part series. How could we not enjoy "putting up with" a wonderful series? This channel gives we art lovers a whole new appreciation into conserving the masters we often wish we could emulate. Well at least I wish I could. Thank you Mr. Julian for sharing your knowledge and love of conservation. These may not be teaching videos but I know I have learned things I shouldn't do when I paint something for friends. No shellac, use high quality paints and brushes, and to simply enjoy the process of what I try to paint. It may not be perfect but as long as I enjoy it that is all that matters.

Please do more of these in depth multi-part videos. I'm a tradesman, and while I'm not dealing with literal art, I treat my profession like artwork. This fuels my passion to constantly learn and grow myself and my skills. Thank you

When my son (who is one of the "cool kids") was 14 he showed me your channel. He LOVES it. He just turned 16 and your videos are among his favorites. When your part 4 went up and came into the room and he said MOM, did you SEE, there is another one, we have to watch it now. I love that he appreciates art and that you bring it to life for him the way you do. Thank you.

"So you can stay up till 3am, sitting in your bed, eating potato chips, binging on your favourite art restoration videos" - He just called out everyone and it doesn't feel good :(

Back here after “Part 7” was posted. So much for this being the final video of the series.. So glad it wasn’t!

10:39 "Staying up until 3am eating potato chips and binge watching your favorite art restoration videos" I have never been so truthfully called out in my life

PUT UP with a 5 part series?!?! Each one of them is a blessing

There is a moment in all your retouching scenes where it goes from “yup, lots of dots” to “omg it’s so smooth!” and I eagerly await that moment each time because it is so so satisfying. ETA: also your life lessons are on point.

You said you "thank us to put up with 5 part series"? There is no need. it's sooooooooooooooooo worth to watch :D

When I need a psychological re-grounding, I watch this or people saving seals from plastic waste on the Namibian coast. Both give me a wee bit of hope. Oh, and that varnish at the end is amaze-balls. It's like French-polished wood, only better.

"it's the last one I swear" you say that like we're mad, I don't want this to end!

Best way to start the day: with a Baumgartner Restoration video

Your videos are seriously such a perfect storm...The ASMR parts, the soft narration, down to the whole philosophy of what you do. It’s so caring, and I guess it’s late and hearing retouching and fixing reconciled with the preservation of a little damage is making me have feelings...it’s like each painting is a little person being taken care of, and it’s very gentle and nice and it makes me very happy u_u

I love how he managed to show us all of his work while keeping a certain mystery upon how he enjoys it