VALUES AND OPINIONS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON WALL PAINTINGS AND THEIR RESTORATION: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Abstract

AbstractThis paper presents results from a pilot study researching values and opinions of the general public regarding medieval wall paintings in Danish churches. It also addresses restoration issues, focusing primarily on the retouching, reconstruction and overpainting of images. The data have been obtained from questionnaires returned by 179 subjects. These were not representative of the Danish population in general, with women outnumbering men (65.4% versus 34.6%) and with high church attendance (48% 'regularly', 25.7% 'frequently') as the differentiating characteristics. The major finding of this study was that in this group, it was important to understand the pictorial content (58.7% 'very important', 35.2% 'important') and the narrative substance (rated as the highest value by 60.9%). The significance of these preferences for professional considerations regarding image integration is discussed. It is concluded that survey studies of this type provide a useful tool in shaping the dialogue between conservators and the general public.