Work on 250 paintings from Venkatappa Art Gallery and Government Museum to be taken up first.

Hundreds of heritage paintings, some more than 300 years old, at Bengaluru’s Venkatappa Art Gallery and the Government Museum will be restored to their former glory.

Officials have sought the advice of art consultants to consider the 17th and 18th century museum collections for conservation. Of the 750 paintings in the gallery and the museum, at least one-third, which were sourced nearly 60 years ago for the collections, have considerably faded, aged and even damaged.

“Around 250 paintings from the gallery and museum will be taken up for conservation to restore their glory and extend longevity. Professionals from INTACH Chitrakala Parishath Art Conservation Centre (ICKPAC) made an initial study and submitted a status report with details of conservation,” said C.G. Betsurmath, Commissioner, Department of State Archaeology, Museums and Heritage.

The works selected include drawings, paintings, ivory and plaster of Paris works of artist K. Venkatappa, who was court painter of the then Mysore royals, Mysore and Thanjavur art works, Deccani and Rajput paintings, Rajasthani miniatures of Malwa, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Bundi and Mewar, Rajasthani paintings on cloth, the deft brushes of Bundelkhand, the distinctive Basohli paintings of Jammu and Kashmir, the pictorial art of Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, original oil on canvas Malva painting, the Sikh paintings of Punjab, the South Asian Mughal works and Persian miniatures.

In 2014–15, Rs. 17 lakh was approved for protection of the paintings. “We are getting the amount sanctioned again for this financial year for going ahead with the ICKPAC’s remedy suggestions. The total cost is yet to be finalised as the work will be taken up in phases,” he said.

Though delayed, H.T. Talwar, Director, Archaeology, Museums and Heritage Department, said the conservation efforts would take off soon.

This will be the first time these old paintings will be refurbished. On the importance of the paintings, Mr. Talwar said, “Our gallery and museum boast nearly 15 celebrated painting styles that have adorned the royal palaces of India.”

Artworks to be restored include

‘Epic Ramayana’ done in Mysore style on a 7ft X 7ft canvas with 41 depictions of the Ramayana

Rare Krishna-Rukmini series playing Pagade (game of dice) in the darbar

Portraits of Krishnaraja Wadiyar and his son-in-law Lingaraja Urs.

QUOTES: 

C.G. Bethsurmath, Commissioner, Department of State Archaeology, Museums and Heritage: Nearly 250 paintings from the Venkatappa Art Gallery and the Government Museum are going to be taken up for conservation soon.

H.T. Talwar, Director, Archaeology, Museums and Heritage Department: These heritage-value paintings are precious, as they are priceless, only that they are placed without much fanfare at the museum and gallery.

Madhu Rani K.P., Director, ICKPAC: We have examined in situ 72 paintings and 17 prints at the museum, 32 art objects of Mysore and Thanjavur paintings at the gallery, including some of the best works of painter K. Venkatappa, and suggested conservation remedies that would take nearly 15 months.

Time and human negligence have taken a toll: ICKPAC

The INTACH Chitrakala Parishath Art Conservation Centre (ICKPAC), which has done the initial study on these artworks, says the paintings of historical significance have been ravaged by time and negligence.

“Presence of dust and dirt, high humidity (leading to water stains and fungal growth), improper storage, presence of insects, abrasion of the paintings due to mishandling etc., are a few factors for deterioration,” said Madhu Rani K.P., Director, ICKPAC.

The group had examined 72 paintings and 17 prints at the Government Museum as well as 32 art pieces at Venkatappa Art Gallery.

The ICKPAC will now individually determine the conservation effort required for each object. “Every art object will be approached differently, depending on the material and the techniques used. The paintings would require an estimated 12 to 15 months for treatment,” said Ms. Rani.

Cannons to be sent for conservation

The Government Museum recently added three cannons to its collection and they will soon be sent to the Regional Conservation Laboratory, Mysuru, for conservation. “Two were found near Tipu’s Palace during excavation for Namma Metro work. Another one was found during the work on a building of Bangalore Medical College and Research Centre a few months ago,” said H.T. Talwar, Director, Archaeology, Museums and Heritage Department.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ranjani Govind / Bengaluru – August 31st, 2015

Four personalities of the City — District Co-operative Union President H.V. Rajeev, Journalist Amshi Prasannakumar, Kannada Sahitya Parishat Mysuru President M. Chandrashekar and Beautician Uma Jadhav — will be conferred ‘Sri Raghavendra Ratna’ award at ‘Raghavendra Mahadarshana’ book release function organised under the aegis of Sri Raghavendra Prakashana at Rotary Hall on JLB Road in city on Aug. 31 at 11 am.

Prof. Bhashyam Swamiji of Yoga Narasimhaswamy Temple, Vijayanagar, Dr. V. Bhanuprakash Sharma, cultural patron K. Raghuram, former member of All India Handlooms & Textiles Corporation G. Ravi will be the chief guests.

For details, contact Mob: 99648-86981.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Brief / Saturday – August 29th, 2015

As an eight-year-old, Ravindra Katoti visited harmonium artiste Rambhau Bijapure with his parents. When he heard Bijapure’s mesmerizing music, Katoti decided he had found his calling.

“My brother used to learn the flute from him (Bijapure). It all began with a casual conversation. While we were at his house in Belagavi, he asked me what I would like to learn. And, just like that, I said, ‘Harmonium,’ ” recalls Katoti.

Now, 38 years later, Katoti contributes to popularising harmonium solo concerts through the Harmonium Habba in Bengaluru. Its ninth edition, held on June 28, saw a Hindustani solo (on the harmonium) by Sudhir Yardi, while R Paramasivan played Carnatic compositions and old songs from the Gubbi Veeranna drama company. The event ended with Colours of Harmonium, an exploration of Hindustani classical, light classical and devotional genres by Ravindra Katoti.

The annual fest is organised by the Bijapure Harmonium Foundation, set up by Katoti, as are a few more concerts and lecture demonstrations round the year. BHF has also brought out audio recordings of the harmonium, a DVD titled Learn to Play Harmonium, aimed at beginners, and a documentary on the maestro it is named after.

The foundation’s efforts to project the harmonium as an independent instrument have paid off. “Earlier, people would be astonished if you mentioned a harmonium concert, even though the violin, sarangi and many other instruments have featured as the main ones in concerts for ages. Now, at least, people are aware,’’ says Katoti.

Before he shifted base from Belagavi to Bengaluru, he found that Bengalureans were largely unacquainted with the instrument. “When I was called, performances where the harmonium took centre-stage were few and far between,” he says.

But he has witnessed people gradually develop a taste for it. “It has been 13 years since I started the foundation, and slowly I find them supporting my cause,” shares Katoti. Solo performances even have dedicated listeners these days, he says, adding, “This is an instrument that originated in France and is thriving in India,” he says.

Harmonium is a global instrument, Katoti declares. It lends itself to many genres: Hindustani, Carnatic, devotional, light-classical and even Western.

An A-grade All India Radio and Doordarshan artiste, Katoti has played in venues across India and the globe. “In places like Pune, Mumbai and Kolkata, people come from a rich cultural background and it’s always a pleasure to perform in these cities,” he says.

Concerts abroad—Europe, US and the Middle East—are another question altogether. People patronise a variety of arts, and the audiences there are far more disciplined. “Unlike in India, they listen to the concert rapt in attention and complete silence,” he says. But this makes it harder for artistes like him to gauge their response.

Scholarships and awards have punctuated Katoti’s musical journey. He was awarded a three-year scholarship by the Karnataka Sangeet NrityaAcademy in 1986. In 1993, following his brilliant performance at South Central Zone Cultural Centre’s Yuva Sangeetotsav held at Ujjain, the then Maharashtra governor P C Alexander honoured him for his top-notch performance. The following year, he was conferred the title of Sur Ratna by Bhatkande Lalitkala Academy, Raipur. He also has a doctorate in commerce from Karnataka University, Dharwar.

On the question of how he wants to further his guru’s legacy—who passed on five years ago—he says he wants to “continue doing what he is doing: teaching and performing”.

This apart, he wants to mark Bijapure’s birth centenary year, 2017, with harmonium concerts across the country. He remembers his guru as, “someone who taught me the gist of music, with harmonium as the medium”.

Though known for his gaayaki style of rendition, where the musician uses the instrument to achieve a human voice-like quality with the music, he has also shared the stage with the greats of Hindustani music, including Gangubai Hangal, Bhimsen Joshi and Pandit Jasraj.

Ask him how different playing independently and accompaniment are, and he responds with, “When you accompany someone else you follow the other artiste’s thoughts; when you perform solo, you play out your own thoughts.”

And the art of accompaniment cannot be taught, he believes. “You can teach them how to play, but accompaniment is their prerogative. It has to be habituated.”

Katoti has also composed his own music, for bhav geets and devotional songs, besides two raga maalikas. This is an entirely different ball game, for “you have to keep in mind the lyrics and the musicians who will sing or play it.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Chetana Divya Vasudev / August 08th, 2015