Row over whitewashing of century-old murals at Kolkata’s government art college

The 170-year-old Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata (GCAC), has found itself at the centre of controversy over the whitewashing of century-old Rajasthani murals on the college building.

The Rajasthani motifs — painted in a repetitive, matrix formation on the arches of three floors — are believed to have been commissioned in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Ernest Binfield Havell and Abanindranath Tagore were heading the institution and actively advocating to revive the Indian Style of Art in art education.

However, the whitewashing of the murals has led to widespread protests in West Bengal’s artist fraternity, including among renowned names of the GCAC alumni.

“The GCAC building is over 120 years old and has been under repairs. Cracks have appeared in the three main arches of the building where the murals had been painted. We had to prioritise the repair of the college building,” Chhatrapati Dutta, principal of GCAC, told The Hindu.

He claimed that a misunderstanding by the Public Works Department (PWD) had led to the whitewashing of the mural as part of the repair works in the arches, but he added that the paint used in the whitewash is currently in the process of being removed.

According to the principal, the mural is a wall painting of Rajasthani motifs and not a fresco, as many people have claimed. “There is no documentation of exactly when the mural was painted but it is assumed that it was done during Havell and Abanindranath’s time,” he said.

“A part of the mural was already damaged over time, and some of it was damaged by the whitewashing. However, we are currently in the process of reversing the whitewash,” he said. Mr. Dutta further said that the administration will try to do justice in the restoration of the parts of the murals that have been whitewashed.

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised by members of the alumni association over the erasure of a part of the institution’s history.

“The alumni were kept in the dark about this decision despite the college principal serving as the Chairperson of the alumni association. The fresco they have whitewashed is part of the institution’s legacy and has been here even before we were born,” renowned artist and president of the GCAC Alumni Association Hiran Mitra said. He was a student at the institution in the 1960s.

“The college administration is claiming that the whitewashing has been done as part of restoration work by the PWD but it has caused more damage to the mural than good. They have even scraped it off in parts,” he added.

Meanwhile, protests have erupted among current students of GCAC who are demanding to fill vacant posts including for a teacher for the specialisation titled “Painting Indian Style” and for a librarian.

“There has been a crisis concerning the recruitment for these posts for a long time now. The students’ concerns are valid,” the GCAC principal said. He added that appointment of faculty members involves approvals at various levels, and thus takes time.

“Yearly sanctions of visiting faculty have to be renewed. We are working on the appointment for the vacant faculty post. As for the post of librarian, we are trying to make an interim appointment by roping in a librarian from another institution on additional duty,” Mr. Dutta said. Soon, a retired librarian would likely be appointed for the long term, he added.