Art is a skein running through time; the closest thing we have to a window into the past. Great men and women once stood upon this plane and created masterpieces over hours of painstaking diligence and with the use of immeasurable talent. The evolution of artistic styles over centuries, the solemnity that standing in the presence of a beautifully made sculpture or a painting from the past evokes; these are things that both art connoisseurs and novices share.
To most artists, creation is the foremost route of expression. However, an increasing number are now finding joy in art restoration and conservation; a process that restores old and fading masterpieces to the zenith of their former glory and preserves them. At some of the best colleges in India for fine arts and around the world, a growing majority of students inclined towards art seem intrigued by art restoration. What does it entail? And how does one go about turning their passion into a career?
What is Art Restoration All About?
With artefacts in museums and outside ranging from centuries to millennia in age, the elements they are exposed to exact a toll on their appearance. While they might look pristine on the surface, paintings often develop cracks and creases over the years, sculptures are prone to having vulnerable points that can snowball into major damage if left unchecked, and manuscripts require delicate handling to protect them from light, humidity or chemical damage. This is where art conservators come in. Aiming to restore a piece of art or prevent damage to it in the future requires an understanding of the science behind what could potentially degrade the artwork.
Prominent Examples of Art Restoration in India and Abroad
At the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, or INTACH as it is commonly known, art restoration occurs across the country on a much larger magnitude than just individual artworks. To give you a sense of scale, their recent projects encompassed the restoration of a defunct boat repair workshop in Cuttack and conversion into a maritime museum reflecting the rituals and trade of the time. They also oversaw the scrubbing of gaudy enamel paints (which were later additions) from a temple in Mandi to reveal the original vision of the makers and unearth previously hidden carvings. With India being one of the wealthiest countries in the world from a cultural perspective, and possessing art spanning many diverse eras, there is a repository of untouched artworks that need attention. INTACH and other restoration houses across the country face an uphill task to document, restore and protect them from further exposure to contaminants.
When it all comes together, art restoration is a magnificent sight to behold. As Julian Baumgartner, second-generation art conservator of popular YouTube channel Baumgartner Restoration puts it, “Restoration and conservation are ever evolving fields. Techniques that were used 100 years ago but fell out of favour 50 years back are now being revisited.” His videos make for engrossing viewing and are certain to make you a little more enamoured with the joys of reinstating the aesthetic grandeur of artworks that have taken a fair amount of abuse from the elements. The other side of the coin is infamous, with botched restoration projects often displayed on meme pages on social media.
How Does One Go About Becoming An Art Conservator/Restorer?
There is a dearth of skilled art restorers and conservators in India, and the career has begun to attract interest despite being an unconventional choice. If you’re in two minds about whether this is a legitimate career option for you, I would first recommend acquainting yourself with what a day in the life of an art restoration expert looks like. In addition to the aforementioned channels, there are plenty of live restoration projects on YouTube, worldwide online resources from the International Institute for Conservation and American Institute for Conservation among many others, and museum pages. Try talking to conservation and restoration experts to get an insight into the demands of the profession.
You must know that art conservation and restoration differ ever so slightly, with the former focused on preserving the original artwork – which might even involve cleaning up restoration attempts – and the latter seeks to restore an artwork’s original appearance and is more of an aesthetic concern.
Next, there are training courses focused on art restoration ranging from certificate courses, diplomas, and Masters degrees that you will require to pursue a career in it. These vary in length and expertise depending on where you are pursuing them from but you will have plenty of options all over the world as well as in India. Formal training will instil in you the technical aspects of art restoration, such as making materials from scratch, learning how an object deteriorates and how you can halt that process, how to prevent humidity, light and pest damage, and many other science-based methods to help conserve priceless artworks.
You can follow this up with an internship or fellowship at a place like INTACH to deepen your understanding of conservation concepts and solidify the theory you have learned with hours of practice and observation. Once you feel secure about your talents as an art restoration expert, you can set out to seek a job either as a freelance operator or allied to one of numerous restoration and conservation organisations in the country.
Conclusion
A career in art restoration is an unorthodox but intriguing choice for those interested in artistic pursuits and in stabilising a relic so that future generations may experience it first hand. This blog serves as a brief overview of the steps one must take in order to become an art conservator/restorer. For a more detailed breakdown of the exact demands of art restoration and its relevance as a career option today, as well as precise details on the courses you can pursue in India and worldwide, reach out to one of our career counselling experts here.