Alumna Update: Nikita Shah
Nikita Shah is a 2019 scholar who pursued an MSc in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage (Paintings) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). She is currently is a trainee conservator – Advanced Professional Programme at the University of Amsterdam/Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg.
Having finished the first part of her Master studies, she reflects on her time spent at the UvA.
On a warm summer morning in September of 2019, as I walked through the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam tunnel on my first day of class, I had this overwhelming feeling of being amongst the Great Masters, both literally and figuratively. Ateliergebouw, the building that houses the University of Amsterdam’s Conservation and Restoration studios, also houses the Cultural Heritage Agency of The Netherlands (a place where one can read all the big conservation scientists with their state-of-the-art machines under one roof) and the Rijksmuseum conservation studios. Just being in the presence of renowned conservators, scientists, and researchers in the field of art conservation was at first quite intimidating but also really inspiring; this opportunity would not have been possible without the generous grant from the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation.
Figure 1 – Nikita outside the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (Image Courtesy – N van der Meer)
The Conservation and Restoration Programme at the UvA is a unique and interdisciplinary programme combining arts and sciences. The Paintings Specialisation cohort that I am part of, consists of six students chosen from a wide background of disciplines and nationalities. The programme has been designed meticulously with equal emphasis on research and hands-on exposure/experience. On the first day of our programme, each of us were assigned a painting from a museum collection - ranging from the 16th-18th centuries - which we had to research, diagnose, and treat by the end of our Masters. In addition to workshops and practical lectures on different conservation treatments, we took several other courses that complemented our investigative journey with the painting. Imaging and Documentation, Organic Chemistry, Art Technological Source Research, Science for Conservators and Preventive Conservation were some of the courses which helped me understand the materials and the condition of my painting.
Figure 2- Nikita after removing multiple layers of varnish from the painting she was treating during the programme. The painting is from the collection of the Catharijne Convent Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands. (Image courtesy - L Hebert.)
Paintings are composite works of art made up of different layers with each layer having different functions and properties. They are also materially diverse, with artists using whatever was available to them locally, making their conservation a challenging task requiring knowledge of art history as well as science. A very important aspect of the programme was learning by doing. To understand how paintings were made in different centuries across Europe, we made a lot of reconstructions using “historically accurate” material and techniques. This was supplemented by field visits to different museums across The Netherlands and looking at the original paintings upon which the reconstructions were based. This helped me deepen my understanding of European art history and appreciate paintings at a whole new level.
Figure 3 – Nikita making a reconstruction of an Italian panel painting (Image Courtesy – N van der Meer)
I was constantly jumping between the past and the present, reading about art, artists, materials, and art treatises highlighting the techniques that would have been used to paint; and how to identify and analyse these materials in the present, with the technical and analytical tools provided to us. Sometimes it is as non-invasive as photographing the painting in different radiations (ultraviolet, visible light, infrared or x-rays) and sometimes it is more complicated and invasive as taking microscopic samples from the painting and putting them through a scanning electron microscope or a gas chromatography chamber.
Figure 4 – Nikita taking samples from a painting for cross-section analysis (Image Courtesy – N van der Meer)
During an internship in the summer break, I was introduced to the world of structural conservation of canvas paintings. More specifically, the lining of paintings which involves adhering a secondary canvas on the back of the original degraded paintings to give it more support and stability. This conservation treatment has been in use since decades with a multitude of adhesives (Eg: wax mixed with resin, flour with animal glue, synthetic acrylic adhesives) and diverse application techniques using heat, moisture and/or pressure. Studies over the years have shown that some kinds of lining adhesives are not suitable for paintings in the long run and adhesive impregnation into the original can cause a physical and aesthetic change in the nature of the painting. Thus, newer lining techniques that do not cause dramatic changes in the original painting and remain reversible over time are being researched and developed. My current area of research is testing the mechanical and chemical behaviour of different kinds of linings.
Figure 5 – Nikita preparing a painting to be Mist-Lined (Image Courtesy – K Seymour)
One of the most important takeaways from the course I have had is, to question and justify everything that is done to an artwork. The aim of a conservation or restoration treatment is not just to make an artwork look pretty, but to stabilize it in such a way that it will survive for the next few years. This involves a molecular level understanding of both original materials in the painting, and the conservation materials added to a painting - how they will interact together over time and how they will interact with the environment they are put in. Temperature, relative humidity, and light exposure are three things that museum professionals around the world are obsessed with as these factors have a significant impact on the survival of artworks.
The programme at UvA has helped me build a logical method of thinking. I have been exposed to a wide variety of conservation techniques under the tutelage of leading experts in the field. I have developed an ability to set up experiments and not just analyse data but be able to interpret it and translate it to working practice. These acquired interdisciplinary skills will be extremely helpful for me when I return to India not just in the conservation of our rich cultural heritage but also in the dissemination of conservation education in India.
Cover image courtesy - J Vetro
