Mughal Miniature painters are known for their fine skill in portraying elaborate detail, their dexterity, the product of an elaborate painting process passed down by several generations of artisans. From the preparation of the paper to the concoction of pigments to the fine lines that land on the page, skill is carried out as ritual within this art form and discipline. When we examine the living tradition of Mughal miniature painting and marvel at techniques passed down over time in ateliers, the process of creation reveals itself as a form of preservation and even as a repository of history. 

In celebration of the culmination of the exhibition What the Camera Didn’t See, TRI Art & Culture welcomes Keerat Garcha, Conservator at Kolkata Center for Creativity, to sit down with master Mughal miniature painter, Riyaz Udding of Pink City Studio in Jaipur. Together, the two engage in a conversation and demonstration that explores creation as conservation through the lens of Mughal miniature techniques. We’re taking a proverbial peek into the Pink City Studio atelier to uncover the process of preservation embedded in and conducted by traditional creative formats.