St Petersburg University restorers preserve the memory of World War II
On the eve of the 80th anniversary of Victory in World War II, Nikolai Kurganov, Director of the Centre for the Study, Preservation, Restoration and Update of Cultural Heritage Objects at St Petersburg University, Assistant Professor at St Petersburg University, together with Associate Professor Vladimir Torbik, Head of the Department of Restoration at St Petersburg University, restored a sculptural high relief. The relief was installed on the building of the St Petersburg University Institute of Chemistry in memory of the University students, lecturers, and staff who died during World War II.
The relief was created in 1987 using funds earned by students. It was executed in the plaster moulding technique with imitation of the bronze and patina surfaces. Nowadays, after almost 40 years, the original appearance is distorted, and in the year of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in World War II, the experts from the University began to restore the monument.
In order to restore the overall appearance of the high relief, they carried out a complex of delicate works: cleaned the surface of dirt, removed streaks of construction paint, strengthened the surface, and made up for the loss of the original paint layer.
According to Nikolai Kurganov, the memorial is a reminder of the tragic events of the mid-20th century. ’Each such monument is a reminder that all of us are a part of a common history. True creativity is only possible in times of peace, and creation itself brings immortality,’ the restorer concluded.