By JIN NAGANUMA/ Staff Writer
July 20, 2023 at 15:33 JST
The newly restored artwork “Ghosts” is returned on July 19 to the Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels in Higashi-Matsuyama, Saitama Prefecture. (Shota Tomonaga)
HIGASHI-MATSUYAMA, Saitama Prefecture--A painting from a series that depicted the Hiroshima atomic bombing has been restored by repairing damage and removing stains.
The work, titled "Ghosts," is the first part of "The Hiroshima Panels," a 15-part set of paintings depicting the city’s devastation after the atomic bombing.
The 1.8-by-7.2 meters work depicts survivors dragging a burned-out skin. The figures are almost life-size.
"The Hiroshima Panels" is a series of 15 paintings on "washi" paper using "sumi" ink and colors. It was created by husband and wife artists Iri (1901-1995) and Toshi Maruki (1912-2000).
The series "plays a major role in conveying the memories of the war,” said Yukinori Okamura, a curator at the painting’s home, the Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels in Higashi-Matsuyama, Saitama Prefecture.
“The restoration has historical significance," he said.
Over its 70-year life, the painting suffered deterioration and damage. It spent 40 years on display but was neither behind glass nor enclosed in a protective container.
The artwork was consigned for restoration to the Institute for Conservation of Cultural Property of Aichi University of the Arts in late 2021.
Restorers repaired the damage and also cleaned and brightened it.
The work was completed on July 19 when the painting was returned to the Maruki Gallery.
The painting is now on display to the public.
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