Different Strokes

In all these cases a coat of paint hides what was previously done and all that was originally painted or drawn disappears from sight. Occasionally, not for long. Some opaque oil colours become transparent with time when they start to dry with the result that their refractive index rises and more light enters the area where this happens. The result is that it is possible to see whatever exists under the layer of paint that is now transparent. A shadowy tree can emerge, an altered leg or arm, a figure where previously there was none, an altered hairstyle or the hint of faces superimposed by trees. Like ghosts of the hidden past they emerge to show where the artist changed his mind or made a mistake. Indian artists call them ‘ghost images’ but the technical word is pentimento (plural pentimenti). The word originates from the Italian verb ‘pentirsi’, which means to repent or to change one’s mind.

Gums and glues used in water-based paintings do not become as transparent as oils do. The emergence of pentimento in such paintings is infrequent but it exists. This probably also happens because the covering layer of paint is not opaque enough to hide the alteration. The detail of a Jamini Roy tempera painting demonstrates the point. Several of Amrita Sher-Gil’s paintings have instances of pentimenti, making it apparent that she continuously altered elements in her paintings. Siesta (a two inch band near the trees), Woman Holding Fan (alteration around the face), Hillside (trees moved around) are a few examples. Perhaps Sher-Gil was a passionate and impetuous painter much as she was a woman, which is probably the reason why she impatiently moved her paintings around.

Pentimento exists under the paint layer and no attempt should be made to remove it. It is also an indication of the authenticity of a painting and the intricacy of the creative process.

The author can be contacted at rupikachawla@expressindia.com