Monsoon Care of Paintings

Monsoon is the time when life starts afresh, but it is also a time when things go stale and moldy! Molds, or fungi are a form of life too, after all! Looking into this tricky seasonal problem affecting paintings, Chinha team decided to consult a seasoned practitioner. Vineel Bhurke presents the useful tips which surfaced in a detailed conversation with Mumbai based senior artist Prakash Waghmare.

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How to care for paintings during monsoon? What are some of the major factors that affect paintings?

First, let’s clarify that paintings are affected by moisture and that is more likely during monsoon but can happen during any season if proper care is not taken. The most important factors affecting paintings are either biological, – such as microbial growth – or environmental, – such as temperature and relative humidity. Fungus growth on painting surfaces is the most common problem. It is aided by the relative humidity around the painting. It could be atmospheric humidity or seepage or leakage from the adjoining damp walls. Hence even though it is more likely during monsoon, it could happen during any season. That’s why professional art collectors use all-season air-conditioned warehouses for long term storage of paintings, wherein it is set at temperatures between 18 to 20 degrees Celsius and a low range of relative humidity. Keeping the atmosphere of the storage area cool and dry is crucial.

Do all paintings respond in the same way to atmospheric humidity?

Not really. A lot depends upon the medium used. Oil colour paintings take more time to dry fully as compared to acrylic paintings. If a painting is not fully dried before storage or before onset of monsoon season, it is likely to get fungus. As oil is a slow drying medium, this aspect needs special attention for oil paintings.

A possible reason making oil paintings more susceptible to fungus is that the oil itself is a biological material which can be used by fungus as food. Whereas in the case of acrylic paints, the material is chemical or plastic which can’t be used by fungus as food. Moreover, the diluent used for oil paints is oil, whereas for acrylic colours, it is water. So, acrylic paint dries quickly as compared to oil paint, making it less vulnerable to fungus growth. Poster colours are relatively cheaper to use. Can be used with handmade paper soaked in water. That way, the colour gets thoroughly absorbed into the paper which prevents fungus growth.

Some colours such as Black and Cobalt blue seem to be prone to fungus attack as compared to other colours, for some unknown reasons, probably linked to their chemical composition.

That means, once we ensure that a painting is fully dried, it is safe for storage, right?

Not so fast. Let me clarify. Another important factor in storage is ventilation. Paintings must be stored in a well-ventilated room. Lack of ventilation can cause fungus problems.

Fine, but where does the fungus come from?

Fungi are microbes which spread through spores of microscopic size. Spores can harbour the dust particles. Intermittent surface cleaning / dusting is needed to avoid the spread of fungus spores. Thorough dust cleaning before onset of monsoon helps prevent the spread of fungus to new areas during monsoon. There are two types of fungus: Surface level and Deep layer. The first one can be easily cleaned by a moist cotton cloth. The deep one is difficult to clean and may cause damage to a painting. Damaged paintings need elaborate restoration treatment.

Once dried and cleaned, wouldn’t it be good to cover them with plastic sheet for proper storage? That would prevent dust and moisture too!

Again, no. It is intuitive to think that wrapping in plastic would be a good way to keep the dust away from paintings. However, it is not the best storage method because it restricts ventilation around the paintings and ultimately supports fungus growth inside the wrapped plastic if humidity is high and fungus spores are already present within the wrap. Instead, a thin cotton cloth can be used for covering the paintings, which allows ventilation.

So, it’s three things – Drying, Cleaning, and Wrapping. Isn’t that all?

No, that is not all. Even the way a painting is kept also affects the storage. One way is to store paintings is to stretch them on a stretcher frame and then cover them with a thin cotton cloth or they can be kept open at a dry place. Another way is to roll the paintings and keep the roll covered. A rolled one is better protected than a stretched one as its surface is fully covered, but care needs to be taken to avoid developing folds in the canvas which can lead to damage to the painted surface. However, in both cases, the painting must be fully dried after completion.

Somehow this tells me that even the artists must take certain precautions while painting, to ensure that their paintings are well preserved later. Am I right?

Yes, absolutely. Let’s talk about what care must be taken by an artist. In fact, it starts with the canvas itself, because canvas is cotton which is a biological material. When an artist uses a canvas roll, it is necessary to ensure that it is fully dried before use. A freshly manufactured canvas roll may have moisture in it, which comes from the canvas priming process. A newly bought canvas roll should be opened and kept open for few days before use, to ensure that the moisture in it is fully gone. While painting, texture white or gesso are used for canvas priming. It is necessary to wait until it dries sufficiently before starting painting.

So, these rules apply everywhere, right?

Not equally at every place. Location has a major impact on the storage of paintings. Weather varies from place to place. Mumbai being a coastal city, has high humidity throughout the year whereas Delhi has relatively low humidity throughout. Dry weather would suppress fungus growth even if spores are present on the surface. Similarly, temperature has a definite impact on fungus growth. In general, low temperature in storage would result in good preservation and less fungus growth. In a coastal location such as Mumbai, nearness to the sea also plays a vital role in painting care. If the place is facing the sea or seashore, a white layer of salts accumulates on the paintings, which comes from the sea breeze. Intermittent cleaning is required in such cases, not just during monsoon but throughout the year.

You mentioned salt from the sea breeze. Does quality of water used for painting affect its storage and preservation?

Any excess salts such as those in hard water are to be avoided. However, I don’t insist that one should use distilled water. In short, the water for painting should be of normal drinking quality.

Are there any modern materials or methods available that can simplify things?

Anti-fungus treated canvases are available, both imported and of Indian origin. These have a visible yellow coloured chemical coating. However, I have seen that those type of canvases also can catch fungus in Indian weather especially at coastal locations. Korean scientists have conducted extensive research to prevent fungus damage to paintings. However, there is no fool-proof method to protect paintings especially those stored near seashore.

What are the possible reasons for cracks or flaking on painting surface?

Primarily, cracking is likely if the paint is thick and has not been fully dried before storage. Also, sometimes some artists use double or multiple layers of paint of different types such as acrylic followed by oil etc to achieve certain visual effects. In such a case, if the first layer is not fully dried before applying the second layer, then some moisture may get caught in between and cause problem later. Another reason for cracking in the case of oil paintings is excess use of turpentine for dilution of the colour. The ratio of oil and turpentine is crucial.

Is it true that stale bread was used to clean the painting surface in olden days?

There are some old-world ideas such as to use sliced potato or bread to clean the painting surface however in the present times it is not recommended as the colour materials and canvas making process have changed. Even human saliva is supposed to prevent fungus growth, but it is impractical to cover an entire painting with it. Regarding use of bread, rubbing it over the painting surface is likely to cause damage because the breadcrumbs would stick to the surface and catch fungus in no time. So, it is better that we abandon such old ideas for good.

Ultimately, keeping the paintings dry and well-ventilated is the key to long term storage. And the location makes a critical difference too. Sometimes I wonder whether that might have been the reason why Vasudev Gaitonde moved from Mumbai to Delhi. My studio apartment faces a rivulet in Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai. I enjoy Mumbai rains and love this place so much; I don’t want to change the location. That’s how I have learned to take every precaution right from painting phase to intermittent cleaning and to storage phase.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

I am sure our readers would have learnt a lot from this!

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That was Prakash Waghmare in conversation with Vineel Bhurke.

Prakash Waghmare is an alum of J J School of Art and a senior artist based in Mumbai, with over three decades of experience as independent professional artist.   

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Disclaimer: Photographs used in this article are reproduced from the original sources for representational purposes only.