Art restoration and conservation is a challenging and painstaking process, especially when the art work is damaged by time. S. Madhan, an art restorer based in Tamil Nadu, will vouch for it, as he has restored 21 treasured paintings — all more than a century old — of legendary artist Raja Ravi Varma. Mr. Madhan had just restored a painting ‘Parumala Thirumeni’ sketched by Ravi Varma, now kept in Kottayam.
According to Mr. Madhan, the art restoration and conservation techniques have evolved over the years. There are two schools of thoughts in the sector — ‘integral restoration’ and ‘purist restoration’. The former allows additions to art works to restore the aesthetic appeal of a work, while the latter advocates only cleaning of art works and reattaching of original pieces which many have peeled off. His 15-year stint with the late V.N. Selvarehai, former senior conservator, National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property, brought him into the world of Ravi Varma paintings.
