A couple of years back I was in a
gallery and the owner of the place, as he was selecting a few of my canvas
works began conferring with me: He asked “Morgan, please how can I be sure that
these paintings would last for a long time, at least enough time for me to have
fully enjoyed them?” I was very curious to know why he had asked because he had
had amongst his numerous collections a few of my older works that are still in
great condition, even while I assured him of the durability of the paintings,
he just could not stop expressing his worries as he continued to point at some
works he had dug up from a certain heap of collections from the adjoining room.
I enquired to know why he was so concerned at this time.
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| 'Kitchen fresh' oil on canvas by Morgan Nwanguma |
My dear collector responded: “I
am not actually referring to your paintings per se, but I am worried about
every other new collection I take into my gallery”. He continued: “Just a week
ago I searched out among some of my favourite collections, a canvas from one of
the younger artists, but to my greatest disappointment, the painting that is
not up to two years of age was already peeling off!” He wanted to know why so
many paintings today hardly stand the test of time, adding that so many
paintings that were executed centuries ago are still hanging in galleries
abroad especially in Europe and America, and still looking very healthy.
To cut short the story of our
conversation, I had to allay his fears and explained to him what I thought was the
problem.
You see, I find so many faults in
the curriculum, or should I say – it could just be laxity on the part of the
lecturers who perhaps are too lazy if not selfish, to impart the right
knowledge to their students. Some people, including lecturers, frown at the
idea of staging practical demonstrations before their class for fear of leading
the class towards being one directional in their approach to practicing their
art, say for instance - painting. The argument is that when they (lecturers) do
this, the students will not be able to chart their own personal course or
style.
