Big Cracks
 

At an auction recently there was a beautiful street scene by a listed Russian artist. From the distance I was at (approx 50 ft.) I could see huge cracks in the paint. Because the piece sold for a few K I assume it is restorable. What causes a painting to crack like that? Iv'e read that lean over fat will crack, is there any other pitfalls to be careful of?

BTW this particular painting was late 19 C. There was also a beautifully done winter scene (early 20 C.) with the same affliction.

Also curious if anyone knows the restoration process for this.

Sandy:

One thing is for certain - all oil paints will experience some level of cracking in their lifetimes. It is inevitable. It is the extent of the cracking that you want to control by constructing the painting so it adheres to sound principles of fat over lean, avoiding excessive medium use, etc.

As to how a conservator fixes a crack, I would like to know that too. :)