Art restoration and conservation requires a lot of precision. There are several platforms within the field that require reconditioning and open opportunities for professionals to explore some new piece of work. SHIBAJI ROYCHOUDHURY tells you more
Art has been an inseparable part of human life and culture since the dawn of civilisation. The spectrum of art is, indeed, vast and unlimited, beginning with the cave paintings of the early man, encompassing the Harappan art forms, adorning the Gupta period, Greeco-Roman art collection and continuing right up to the famous painters /sculptors like Tagore, Jamini Roy, Nandalal Bose, Gaugain, Rodin, Picasso, Van Gough, Salvadore Dali to name a few.
“Art restoration and conservation are two separate fields which cater to the maintainence and revival of art works. While restoration deals with reforming, cleaning and modifying the piece of art which is in rags and ruins to its original state, art conservation on the other hand emphasises on preserving the antique art item by using various techniques like documentation, frequent examination, cleaning, preventive care and other treatments. Both fields may be different from each other, yet, their eventual goal is to preserve or revive a masterpiece in a way that it doesn’t lose it’s original texture,” Dr CV Anand Bose, vice-chancellor, Delhi Museum Institute says.
Nature of Work
Being an art restoration entails not only removing flaking paint from paintings, re-touching and painting over some parts but it is a specialised field which requires some degree of scientific knowledge especially of chemistry and primarily of painting and art history. If one is working with other medium like sculpture, manuscripts, photographs or textiles, then one needs to have specialised knowledge in those fields. Art restoration is a time consuming. One needs to work slowly and go over minute details.
Skills Required
One needs to be good at painting (or other art forms like sculpting, handling textiles, manuscripts or photographs) primarily to work as an art restorer. One also needs to have a good knowledge of art history. Most art restorers work only in those fields in which they know a lot about. So the same art restorers do not work in widely varying fields like art objects from different ages and cultures. “Art restoration and conservation is at a much better stage in the West. It is advisable that students should spend sometime in various museums and galleries in the world, do internships and free lance work in order to have a better understanding of their field. It also helps in getting trained under some of the best professionals around the globe,” Dr Bose tells you.
Job Prospects
With the art industry booming and Indian art making a name for itself worldwide, the art industry is evolving in the country. More art galleries are coming up and with it art restorers and art conservers are coming into demand. “A lot of art museums and galleries hire art restorers and conservers to figure out if a masterpiece is real or fake, which includes, if it is from the time that it claims to be and if the item has the signature traits of the artist who is claims to belong to,” Dr Bose states.
There are also several other platforms where art restorers can find work. “There are auction houses which employ art restorers for the same kind off work. India museums are also rapidly hiring professionals to help their curators who lack specialised skills to handle and maintain masterpieces. libraries also employ such professionals in order to preserve their manuscripts as well as other items that they may have,” Dr Bose says.
Art restoration courses or degrees in fine arts from India also make one eligible to work as art restorers in other countries.
There a wide quantity of Indian art objects stored in other parts of the world and which thus require specialised knowledge about Indian art in order to be restored better but one can also specialise in non-Indian art in India and work in other countries.
Remunerations
The remuneration varies widely. Some institutions employ art restorers on a project-wise basis. The job may not be a regular one but based on individual projects. Private collectors also employ art restorers primarily on this basis. However, some institutes also permanently employ art restorers and pay them monthly salaries. “There is no steady source of income or a monthly salary package. The remuneration in this field various from project to project depending on the item. However, since art restoration and conservation is such a specialised field, the pay package of for every project is generally very good, it is in the multiple of lakhs,” Dr Bose says.
Where to study