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A labour of art

Eight years it took to get it all perfect. Eight years in which experts worked diligently, with the very latest technology, to save the genius of Raja Ravi Varma and Amrita Sher Gil from the ravages of time.

And now, eight years down, 20 paintings, 20 works of art, stand resurrected. As completely as is possible.

"The paintings were in advanced stages of deterioration when we got them," said Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage director general O P Agarwal, the man in-charge of the project, "All had cracks, flaking, shrinking or fungal infestation."

The restored paintings of Ravi Varma -- born in a royal family in Kerala, he was among the pioneers to take up oil painting in the country -- include Veena player (1885), Melody (1885), Portrait of a maharaja and Lady in moonlight.

Sher Gil's Professional model, Young man with apples, Hill men (1935), Hill women (1935), Fruit vendors (1937) and Two girls (1939) were the other works to which INTACH gave a fresh lease.

The paintings, most of them part of private collections, were first put under ultraviolet rays to detect the natural changes, and also the effects of previous efforts at restoration. Then they were analysed using infrared photography to see whether the artist had done anything before starting to paint.

In the next stage, the works were examined using a method called microscopy to choose the exact pigments that had to be used while restoring. After this, the experts set out to diagnose the damages and decide the treatment.

"In case of canvas cracking," said Agarwal, "another lining of canvas was provided, cracks were filled and the pigment consolidated. Finally, it was varnished."

The major problem with Ravi Varma paintings, Agarwal continued, was that of previous improper restoration. In the Veena player, for instance, it took a lot of trouble to identify the original paint underneath. Extensive repainting had to be done to make it match the surrounding area.

In Melody, the cotton canvas had turned slightly brittle and was torn at the edges. And the Professional model had developed cracks, the painting layer almost separating from the canvas support -- a trouble which was typical of all the Sher Gil works of 1936-37.

Young man with apples had 'cleavage' cracks in the paint layer, creating potential areas of flaking. In Portrait of a gentleman fungus infestation had occurred on the back of the canvas's loose lining. The varnish layer had darkened and discoloured.

An exhibition of the restored paintings is currently on at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. It displays the process of restoration through visuals and texts, together with photographs of the paintings before and during restoration.

Agarwal said the INTACH centre in Bhubaneshwar has developed expertise for conserving palm-leaf manuscripts. The centre is the only one of its kind in Asia.

"We will be sending a team of experts to Sri Lanka in April to assist the island nation in preserving its manuscripts," Agarwal said.

Another INTACH centre in Lucknow, the Indian Conservation Institute, has successfully undertaken major works in conserving manuscripts, miniature paintings, textiles and other forms of art, he added.

UNI

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