Painting Narratives : Mural Painting Traditions in the 13th-19th Centuries
PAINTING NARRATIVES: Mural Painting Traditions in the 13th-19th Centuries
23-27 January 2008 Chennai & Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India
Organised by the Madras Craft Foundation & DakshinaChitra Under its Project Director, Dr. David Shulman, Hebrew University, Israel And in association with INTACH Indian Council of Conservation Institutes, Lucknow & Centre for Plants, People & Ecosystems, Chennai
The Madras Craft Foundation (Chennai, India) with its project director, Dr. David Shulman of the Hebrew University (Jerusalem, Israel) and collaborating partners the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Indian Council of Conservation Institutes under its Director-General, Dr. O. P. Agrawal and the Centre for Plants, People & Ecosystems, Chennai is organising an international seminar and public forum on the much-neglected mural painting traditions from the 13th to the 19th centuries.
International seminar 23-26 January 2008 Venue : DakshinaChitra
The seminar - titled Painting Narratives: Mural Painting Traditions in the 13th -19th Centuries - will primarily focus on the traditions of South and Southeast Asia and concentrate on the paintings as narratives in evolving political and aesthetic traditions. The seminar will be held between 23rd and 27th January 2008 at DakshinaChitra.
Public Forum 27 January 2008 Venue : Hotel GRT Grand Days, Chennai
The international seminar will conclude with a Public Forum on the Issues of Conservation. The forum - scheduled for 27 January 2008 - will concentrate on important conservation issues surrounding the paintings, including that of interpreting the murals for the public at large.
Exhibitions and Live Demonstrations Celebrating the Painting Traditions of South India 25 December 2007 - 2 February 2008 Venue : DakshinaChitra
The seminar will be complemented by exhibitions at DakshinaChitra on kalamkari, pattachitra, shadow puppets & Tanjore paintings and live demonstrations by Kerala mural painters.
For more information, follow the links below
International Seminar
Seminar details Schedule Panels Speakers Trip to selected mural sites in Tamil Nadu
Public Forum on Conservation
Exhibitions & live demonstrations Celebrating the painting traditions of south India
Follow up activities
Contact us
International Seminar : Seminar Details
PAINTING NARRATIVES : Mural Painting Traditions in the 13th-19th Centuries
23-27 January 2008 Chennai & Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India
INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR : SEMINAR DETAILS
The Madras Craft Foundation (Chennai, India) with its project director, Dr. David Shulman of the Hebrew University (Jerusalem, Israel) and collaborating partners the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Indian Council of Conservation Institutes under its Director-General, Dr. O. P. Agrawal and the Centre for Plants, People & Ecosystems, Chennai is organising an international seminar and public forum on the much-neglected mural painting traditions from the 13th to the 19th centuries. The seminar will be followed by an optional five-day trip to various mural sites in Tamil Nadu.
Background
The murals of India form the point of departure for the seminar, with an emphasis on the murals of South India which are the most neglected. However, since these traditions spread over land and sea to China and Southeast Asia, it becomes necessary to widen the scope of study to include relevant traditions in these international areas. In all these countries the early mural traditions (from the 5th to the 11th centuries) have been well studied. However, here scholarship stops.
Very little attention has been paid to the later painting traditions of South India except for the recent attention to the British-influenced 'company paintings' of the 18th and 19th centuries. The rich mural traditions from the 13th to the 19th centuries have received only minimal scholarly attention, at least in India. The paintings are threatened with destruction through negligence and actual desecration, both by the public and, unfortunately, the very persons entrusted with their care owing to their ignorance about the true value of these paintings. To cite an example, in a major repainting exercise at the famous Meenakshi Temple at Madurai (Tamil Nadu), an important series of Nayak murals from the 16th century were recently painted over with cement paint. As a result, they have been permanently lost.
The proposed international seminar would bring the proper perspective and publicity to the significance of the works under focus in order that the owners/trustees of the paintings understand both their value and their historical importance as chapters in evolving art traditions. The works also need to be interpreted and signage appropriately arranged so as to inform and educate the public. Issues of conservation need to be addressed so that public buildings can begin to conserve their treasures.
The 13th to the 19th centuries also witnessed ample cross-pollination of ideas and art across Southeast Asia and the rest of the Asian continent. A cross-cultural exploration and discussion would serve to shed light on newer ways of seeing mural paintings from all relevant traditions in the same time period.
Objectives
The objectives of the seminar & public forum are:
To create an international interdisciplinary platform for anthropologists, art historians, conservationists, artists and communicators to explore and create a momentum for the study, documentation, interpretation and conservation of selected mural painting traditions of the 13th - 19th centuries;
To explore - through expressions in select paintings in China, South and Southeast Asia - the route, cross-cultural inspirations and adaptation of ideas emanating from and moving towards India;
To address issues of conservation, including ways to create awareness of the heritage value of the murals among the owners/trustees of the paintings and the public;
To disseminate the results of the research and the seminar through a special website set up for the purpose; a publication; and, through special meetings and follow-up with trustees/ owners and the government to work out a program of interpretation of the murals for the public; and,
To create a digitally documented database on the murals of Tamil Nadu, in particular, where study and scholarship have been most neglected
International Seminar : Schedule
PAINTING NARRATIVES: Mural Painting Traditions in the 13th-19th Centuries
23-27 January 2008 Chennai & Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India
INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR : SCHEDULE
23 January 2008 Time : 4 p.m. onwards Venue :DakshinaChitra, East Coast Road, Muttukadu, Tamil Nadu 603 118
Welcome Address
Introductory lectures
Welcome dinner for delegates
24 January 2008 Time : 10.30 am - 05.00 pm Venue :DakshinaChitra, East Coast Road, Muttukadu, Tamil Nadu 603 118
Panel One
: Historical Precedents and Their Relationship to Later Murals
Panel Two : Murals of the 13th-17th Centuries: Interpreting Mural Traditions and Their Role in Communication and Popular Art of the Period
05.15 -06.15 pm Film screening
25 January 2008
07:30 am - 03.30 p.m. Visit to Kanchipuram mural sites
Afternoon free
26 January 2008 Time : 10.30 am - 04.00 pm Venue :DakshinaChitra, East Coast Road, Muttukadu, Tamil Nadu 603 118
Panel Three : Cross-cultural Processes
Panel Four : 18th and 19th Century Mural Paintings during the Colonial Period
04.15 - 07.00 pm Optional visit to Mammallapuram
27 January 2008 Venue : Hotel GRT Grand Days, T. Nagar. Chennai 600 017
09.30 am - 01.00 pm Public Forum on Conservation of Mural Paintings
Exhibition on Conservation of Mural Paintings By INTACH Indian Council of Conservation Institutes
Exhibition on the Documentation & Conservation of Nayak Mural Paintings By Centre for Plants, People & Ecosystems, Chennai
27 January-01 February 2008
Departure on five-day trip to various mural sites across Tamil Nadu including Tiruvannamalai, Vriddhachalam, Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Tiruvayaru, Chittanavasal, Pudukottai, Auvudiyarkoil, Azhargarkoil, Madurai, Thiruparankumdram and Ramanathapuram.
International Seminar : Panels
PAINTING NARRATIVES : Mural Painting Traditions in the 13th-19th Centuries
23-27 January 2008 Chennai & Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India
INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR : PANELS
Panel presentations and discussions at the seminar will focus on the following areas:
Panel One : Historical Precedents and Their Relationship to Later Murals
This panel will lay the foundation for the seminar.
Panel Two : Murals of the 13th-17th Centuries: Interpreting Mural Traditions and Their Role in Communication and Popular Art of the Period
This panel will include presentations on the mural paintings of different regions and address issues of style, materials, themes, political background and narrative intent of the paintings.
Panel Three : Cultural Processes of Dissemination, Adaptation and Exchange of Ideas
An exploration of the cross cultural processes of dissemination, adaptation and exchange of ideas, as referenced through mural paintings will be the subject of this panel.
Panel Four : 18th and 19th Century Mural Paintings during the Colonial Period
This panel will address the changing forms, legends, content, audiences and style in both temple and vernacular traditions.
Issues of Conservation
Issues surrounding the conservation of mural paintings in India will be addressed at a public forum scheduled for 27 January 2008 at Hotel GRT Grand Days, T. Nagar. Chennai 600 017.
International Seminar : Speakers
PAINTING NARRATIVES : Mural Painting Traditions in the 13th-19th Centuries
23-27 January 2008 Chennai & Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India
International Seminar : Speakers
Project Director: Dr. David Shulman
Professor, Department of Indian, Iranian and Armenian Studies The Hebrew University (Jerusalem, Israel)
Dr. D.S. Baluswamy Department of Tamil, Madras Christian College (Chennai, India)
Theodore Baskaran Art historian (Chennai, India)
Dr. Claudine Bautze-Picron Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Paris, France)
Benoy K. Behl Art historian & photographer (New Delhi, India)
Stephanie Bogin Courtauld Institute of Art (London, UK)
Mary Beth Coffman-Heston Associate Professor Asian Art/Art of India College of Charleston. (Charleston, South Carolina, USA)
Maya Telev Dayan The Hebrew University (Jerusalem, Israel)
K. T. Gandhirajan Professor, College of Fine Arts, Government of Tamil Nadu (Chennai, India)
Dr. John Guy Senior Curator, South and Southeast Asian Art Victoria & Albert Museum (London, UK)
Dr. Jyotindra Jain Professor, School of Arts & Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, (New Delhi, India)
Mr. K.U. Krishnakumar Principal & Chief Instructor, Institute of Mural Painting (Guruvayur, Kerala, India)
Brigitte Majlis Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum (Cologne, Germany)
Dr. Rachel Milstein Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, The Institute of Asian and African Studies, Hebrew University (Jerusalem, Israel)
Dr. M. D. Muthukumaraswamy Director, National Folklore Support Centre (Chennai, India)
Dr. R. Nagaswamy Archeologist (Chennai, India)
T. Satyamurthy Formerly Superintending Archaeologist, Archeological Survey of India, Chennai Circle (Chennai, India)
Dr. Mira Seth Author, Indian Painting: The Great Mural Tradition (New Delhi, India)
Sistla Srinivas Assistant Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Andhra University (Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India)
P.S.Sriraman Assistant Superintending Archaeologist, Archeological Survey of India (Chennai, India)
Dr. S. Suresh Archeologist (Chennai, India)
Sybilla Tringham Courtauld Institute of Art (London, UK)
Trip to selected mural sites in Tamil Nadu
Trip to selected mural sites in Tamil Nadu
27 January - 01 February 2008
The seminar will be followed by an optional trip to various painting sites across Tamil Nadu including temples and palaces at Tiruvannamalai, Vriddhachalam, Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Tiruvayaru, Chittanavasal, Pudukottai, Auvudiyarkoil, Azhargarkoil, Madurai, Thiruparankumdram and Ramanathapuram.
Public Forum on the Issues of Conservation
Public Forum On Issues of Conservation
Date: 27 January 2008 Time: 09.30 am - 01.00 pm Venue: Hotel GRT Grand Days, T.Nagar, Chennai
The international seminar concludes with a Public Forum on the Issues of Conservation that will concentrate on important conservation issues surrounding the paintings, including that of interpreting the murals for the public at large.
Collaborating partners for the public forum include,
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Indian Council of Conservation Institutes under its Director-General, Dr. O. P. Agrawal, and, ~ Centre for Plants, People & Ecosystems, Chennai represented by Dr. D. Narasimhan & members of the Nayak Mural Painting Digital Archive Project (2005-06): Dr. Baluswamy, Principal Investigator, Mr. K. D. Gandhirajan, Lead Researcher & Mr. M.V. Bhaskar, Post-production In-charge
The public forum will include case studies, overview of problems and possible solutions followed by discussions.
Exhibitions on documentation and conservation of mural paintings (organized by the Centre for Plants, People & Ecosystems, Chennai & INTACH respectively) will be on display.
Dakshinachitra gratefully acknowledges the sponsorship of Hotel GRT Grand Days, T.Nagar, Chennai in providing the venue and refreshments for the Public Forum.
Speakers at the Public Forum include:
Dr. O.P.Agrawal Director General, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Indian Council of Conservation Institutes
Arvind Kumar Centre Coordinator, INTACH Mural Painting Conservation Research and Training Centre (Tripunithura, Kerala, India)
Ms. Madhurani K.P. Centre Coordinator, INTACH Chitrakalaparishath Art Conservation Centre( ICKPAC) (Bangalore, India)
Ms. Mallika Mitra Senior Conservator, INTACH Indian Conservation Institute - Orissa Art Conservation Centre (Bhubaneswar, India)
Dr. D. Narasimhan, Dr. Baluswamy, Mr. K. D. Gandhirajan & Mr. M. V. Bhaskar Centre for Plants, People & Ecosystems, Department of Botany, Madras Christian College (Chennai, India)
Mr. S. Subbaraman Honorary Advisor, INTACH Chitrakala Parishath Art Conservation Centre (ICKPAC) (Bangalore, India)
Mr.Ashok Kumar Uphadhyay Senior Conservator, INTACH Indian Conservation Institute (Lucknow, India)
Exhibitions and Live Demonstrations
Exhibitions and Live Demonstrations Celebrating the Painting Traditions of South India
25 December 2007 - 2 February 2008 Venue :DakshinaChitra
The international seminar - Painting Narratives: Mural Painting Traditions in the 13th -19th Centuries - will be complemented by exhibitions & workshops on kalamkari, pattachitra, shadow puppets, Thanjavur and Mysore paintings and live demonstrations by Kerala mural painters.
Exhibitions on the Painting Traditions of South India
Exhibition of Shadow Puppets from South India Curated by Nilofar Shamim Haja, Maya Hemant Krishna & Keisham Rajumani Singh Arts Management Interns, DakshinaChitra 25 December 2007 - 2 February 2008 At DakshinaChitra (Religious Art Gallery)
Exhibition of Cheriyal paintings from Andhra Pradesh Curated by Ibha Kapur, Aruna Prasad & Wekowe-U Tsuhah Arts Management Interns, DakshinaChitra 25 December 2007 - 2 February 2008 At DakshinaChitra (Andhra Pradesh Weaver's House)
Exhibition of Kalamkari Curated by Jacopo Nordera, B. Sowparnika & Ramya Thyagarajan Arts Management Interns, DakshinaChitra 25 December 2007 - 2 February 2008 At DakshinaChitra (Art Gallery)
Exhibition of Thanjavur Painting Curated by Ranvir Shah, Prakriti Foundation With Meera Krishnan, V. Ramesh & Kamini Ravishankar 25 December 2007 - 2 February 2008 At DakshinaChitra (Ambur House)
Exhibition of Mysore Painting 25 December 2007 - 2 February 2008 At DakshinaChitra (Ilkal House)
Exhibition & sale of Kerala mural paintings 18 January - 2 February 2008 At DakshinaChitra (Calicut House and Putupalli Granary)
Exhibitions on Documentation & Conservation of Mural Paintings
INTACH Exhibition on Conservation By the INTACH Indian Council of Conservation Institutes 3 - 26 January 2008 at DakshinaChitra 27 January 2008 at the Public Forum, Hotel GRT Grand Days, T. Nagar, Chennai
Exhibition on the Documentation of Nayak Murals of the 16th & 17th Centuries By the Centre for Plants, People & Ecosystems, Chennai. 3 - 26 January 2008 at DakshinaChitra 27 January 2008 at the Public Forum, Hotel GRT Grand Days, T. Nagar, Chennai
Live Demonstrations January-February 2008
Kerala mural painters By senior students of the Institute of Mural Painting, Guruvayur Sponsored by Guruvayoor Devaswom At the Granary at DakshinaChitra
Follow up activities to Painting Narratives
Follow up activities to Painting Narratives
The proceedings, papers and results of the seminar will be complied into a book and published by 31 March 2008.
Papers and photographs from the seminar will also be posted on a special website.
An e-group will be set up for seminar delegates in order to facilitate continued contact among participants from different countries and to regularly follow the work of participants in the areas covered at the seminar
As a follow up to the seminar, meetings and programs will be organized for state governments, private institutions and owners/trustees of buildings containing murals in order to promote conservation. Special workshops on cleaning, conservation and building maintenance would be organized for mural trustees/owners and NGOs open to networking on this project.
Towards dissemination of information to the public, one experimental mural painting location will be identified for preparation of information in graphic form towards clearly interpreting the murals. On completion of one sample interpretation project, presentations will be made to the trustees of select temples and palaces in order to promote similar independent projects in their specific locations. Such projects could serve to enhance the tourism prospects of the selected sites. Copies of this project's visual documentation of their sites (in addition to other select mural documentation) would also be provided.
MCF and INTACH will continue to lobby with the government of Tamil Nadu and the Department of Culture, Government of India in order to get select murals in the list of priority cultural expenditure. Our success in this endeavour will serve as a telling evaluation of the seminar.
Contact - Details
PAINTING NARRATIVES: Mural Painting Traditions in the 13th-19th Centuries
23-27 January 2008 Chennai & Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India
CONTACT
For more information on the seminar & public forum, contact:
Anupama Sekhar Program Officer, Madras Craft Foundation-DakshinaChitra
