Victoria Memorial Hall calling the shots but Art restoration is still in its infancy in India
Despite our growing penchant for indigenously produced art, there are only a handful of recognized art conservation experts, Kolkata’s Victoria Memorial Hall (VMH) is possibly the sole institution where one can learn a thing or two about art and culture restoration.
Recently a life-size oil painting, titled ‘Jaipur Procession’ which is believed to be the second-largest in the world has meticulously been restored by VMH staff. Currently, on display, this painting is from 1876 by Russian painter Vasily Vereshchagin and freezes a moment in the Prince of Wales’ tour of the Indian subcontinent. The pomp of the royal visit — the painting shows the prince seated on a bedizened elephant, followed by a large retinue — is as evident today as it was when the canvas was painted.
Art restoration is a widely overlooked area in the country, but it is now catching up with dedicated training projects and centres coming up. Yet it is in want of experts.
Anamika Kala Sangam Trust (AKST) in collaboration with Tata Trusts Art Conservation Initiative organised a three-month training course on the conservation of oil paintings at the Kolkata Institute of Art Conservation (KIAC) from September to December 2021. The course was mentored by Sanjay Dhar, a leading art conservator-restorer.
As per the mentors, the programme was focused on contemporary techniques which can be applied in the conservation of canvas paintings, the interns were oriented with the science, art and ethics of conservation. The stress was on “critical thinking, on problem-solving, on figuring out what can be done safely given certain limitations.
The trainees were asked to make close scrutiny of frayed art pieces as Investigations don’t always require heavy equipment or expenses, and a microscope and ultraviolet or infrared imaging can be just as helpful. Demonstrations were made as to how the expensive cold-lining process can be replaced by innovative use of easily available material.
According to Dhar, “Around the world, conservators generally do the retouching. In India, artists do it. We taught the trainees various retouching techniques such as chromatic selection, where pure colours are applied in layers. In this technique, colours remain fresh.”
The first long-term course in conservation was also introduced around this time when the National Gallery of Modern Art set up a laboratory under conservator and painter Sukanta Basu.
Conservation war was taken up seriously in India only when the Calcutta Tercentenary Trust, created in 1989 and chaired by British high commissioners in India, assembled a project team of the best restorers from Victoria & Albert Museum, British Museum, the National Gallery, and several other institutions in the U.K. to train the VMH staff. The results show in the restored Jaipur Procession, to cite just one example.
Apart from VMH, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum Art Conservation Centre, Mumbai, is also credited globally for its upcoming premier facility for heritage conservation, research and training. It provides services to various museums, cultural institutions and private collectors.
