Professor Richard Ernst, the 1991 Nobel Prize, Chemistry winner, who
we had the honour to host at the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai in 2013, would
have been 90 today, if he was alive. Dr Ernst was born on this day, 13 August,
1933 in Switzerland. Unfortunately, he passed away on 8 June, 2021 in the very
city - Winterthur, outside Zurich, Switzerland, where he was born.
Prof Ernst was a frequent traveller to India, particularly because of his
love for the Thangka paintings. Although, science was his first love, Dr Ernst
was equally in love with his second love, Art – evidenced in his collections
and research on the Tibetan Thangka paintings. In that sense he was an
exception to the “Two Cultures” concept, which CP Snow articulated.
In April 2013, just two months after I assumed the charge of Director
of Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, I was privileged to host Dr Ernst at the Nehru
Science Centre. He was on a visit to the TIFR and we used the opportunity to
request Dr Ernst to spare his precious time to interact with the school
students at Nehru Science Centre, which he so very kindly agreed. He delivered
an outstanding lecture to an over packed auditorium with several more students
sitting in the adjoining hall witnessing the event on a close circuit TV that
we had to organised for an additional 200 plus students who had turned up for the
lecture in addition to the nearly 400 students who had already over populated
our auditorium. Dr Ernst mesmerised the students and had extraordinary patience
to take so many questions and patiently interact with students, a rare
attribute for a scientist of his high calibre.
Here is a link to a blog tribute which I had penned on 10 June 2018,
when he passed away. https://khened.blogspot.com/2021/06/prof-richard-ernst-1991-nobel-prize.html
This blog covers the scientific contributions of Dr Ernst and so also
touches upon his interaction with the students at the NSC Mumbai, while leaving
out his second love – Thangka paintings. Therefore, I will therefore be
confining this tribute to Dr Ernst and his love for the Thangka paintings.
Although Science was his first love, Dr Richard Ernst was equally in
love with his second love, Art, which is evidenced from his outstanding
collections, research and publications on the Tibetan Thangka paintings. In
that sense Dr Ernst was an exception to the “Two Cultures” which CP Snow spoke
about.
In a 1959
lecture by a British scientist and author C. P. Snow, titled "The Two
Cultures and the Scientific Revolution”, Snow articulated his thoughts about an
apparent divide that exists between the two main intellectual cultures of the
modern world: the literary or humanistic culture and the scientific or
technological culture. Snow observed that there was a growing gap between these
two cultures, with intellectuals from each culture often having little
understanding or appreciation for the other. He argued that this divide was
harmful to society, as it hindered an effective communication and collaboration
between scientists and those in the humanities and other areas of creativity.
In my
career spanning 37 plus years in the field of science museums, I have experienced
first-hand, this divide which exists between scientists and artists. As a
science museum professional and a science communicator I have been privileged to
interact with many scientists and fortunately for me I got another opportunity
to work and interact with artists when I was given an additional charge to be
the Director of the NGMA Mumbai for nearly six years. During this period, I also had an opportunity
to interact with many renowned artists at NGMA, Mumbai and this interaction and
experience has made me to affirm to the Two Cultures, which C P Snow spoke
about, with no disrespect to either the scientists or the artists.
Dr
Richard Ernst is an exception to the “Two Cultures”, like our very own scientist
Dr Homi Jahangir Bhabha, who was both a scientist and an artist and a great art
connoisseur who helped TIFR collect and build some of the best collections of paintings
and other art works. Post my retirement, I am engaged, in a way, with creative
people in the field of arts and humanities at the CSMVS where I am currently
working as the Advisor. Among the nearly 70 thousand plus encyclopaedic collections
of objects which the Museum has, couple of the collections are the famous Thangka
Tibetan paintings, which are on display in the Tibetan gallery of the museum. Whenever
I see these paintings at the Museum, I am reminded of Prof Ernst and his enormous
collections of the Thangka paintings and so also his study and research on
these unique paintings. In my tribute to Dr Ernst I had not written much about
his second love – Tibetan Thangka Paintings and therefore in this write up I am
briefly writing on his works as an artist or an art lover.
Sotheby’s
catalogue, “HIMALAYAS – The RICHARD R. & MAGDALENA ERNST COLLECTION OF
IMPORTANT TIBETAN PAINTINGS AND OTHER HIMALAYAN WORKS OF ART” published during
the Paris auction in December 2022, exemplifies the passion and love of Dr
Ernst for the Thangka paintings. The catalogue carries an excellent essay by Dr
Ernst, where he articulates his thoughts on how he fell in love with the
Thangka paintings. He says “Human beings are “collectors” by nature. They want
to preserve their glorious history forever. They try to leave indelible traces
of their past. But not everybody is a creative artist and most humans depend on
the creativity of others to design a worthy tombstone or a respectable monument.
Naturally, this is true also for me”.
Dr
Ernst’s interest in chemistry started with his curiosity to explore an old wooden
box full of chemicals, which his grandfather had stored in their attic in their
old house away from people. It ended in a disaster when the young tried
experimenting with the chemicals leading to an explosion. Fortunately, no one
was injured. This disastrous beginning of experimenting with chemistry,
however, did not deter him from the subject, rather it kindled an interest in
chemistry for Ernst. He quotes “Fortunately, our house and I survived (from the
explosion), nurturing my decision to study chemistry at ETH Zürich. In
particular, spectroscopy became my preferred tool of exploration. My thesis
advisor suggested that I acquaint myself with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR),
an upcoming analytical method that was “worth investing a lifetime”. And the
rest is history, winning Dr Ernst the coveted Nobel Prize singularly in
Chemistry the details of which I have described in my blog whose link has been
shared above.
During
one of his early travels in 1968, from California back to his home in
Switzerland, Dr Ernst and his wife began their tryst with the Thangka
paintings. His wife Magdalena and Dr Ernst were exploring the market of
Kathmandu when they first encountered the Thangka paintings in a store. It was
love at first sight for Dr Ernst who says “I was struck by their fantastic colourfulness”.
Although Dr Ernst was initially unaware of the spiritual messaging that these
paintings carried, and his love for these paintings was primarily because of
the vibrancy of the rich colours - the chemistry of which was a major
attraction to the scientist in Ernst, it did not take long for Dr Ernst to understand
and appreciate the socio religious spiritual messaging that the Thangka
paintings carried.
Thangka
Paintings serve as a window in to the spiritual realm of Buddhism, which was
one of three main religions of the world that originated in India, a land where
Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism was born. Thangka paintings are a
distinctive form of religious art originating from Tibet, which hold a profound
significance within the realm of Buddhism. These intricate and colourful scroll
paintings serve as more than mere artistic creations; they are windows into the
spiritual and philosophical world of Buddhism. With their intricate detailing,
vibrant colours, and portrayal of deities, mandalas, and sacred scenes, Thangka
paintings play a significant role in conveying Buddhist teachings and guiding
practitioners on their spiritual journey.
The Thangka
paintings have a rich history that dates back centuries. They have served as
instructional tools for conveying complex Buddhist spiritual concepts to a
large population using vibrant visual means. In monasteries and homes, these
paintings became tangible manifestations of Buddhist philosophy and devotion,
allowing practitioners to connect with the teachings of Buddha on a visual
level. Thangka paintings are not merely artistic creations; they are
meticulously crafted visual representations of Buddhist beliefs. Every element
in a Thangka holds symbolic significance, often rooted in the teachings of the
Buddha. Deities, bodhisattvas, and mandalas are rendered with precision to
convey specific qualities and attributes. The symmetry and geometry within the
paintings reflect the cosmic order and the interconnectedness of all things –
central tenets of Buddhist thought. One can witness the reverence that the Buddhist
monks and the followers of Buddhism have for these paintings at the Himalayan
Gallery at CSMVS, where two of these paintings from the collections of CSMVS
have been displayed. Incidentally the National Museum, New Delhi and also Bihar
Museum, Patna also have a large Thangka Paintings in their collections.
Dr Ernst fell in love with these paintings primarily because of the rich and vibrant colours, chemistry to Dr Ernst, embedded in these paintings that lend them their unique aesthetic beauty. But then deeper study and understanding helped Dr Ernst learn the significance of these paintings for Buddhists and very soon he became a collector of Tibetan scroll paintings, whose passion he carried all through his life.
Dr Ernst established from
his research findings of the study of the Nepal and Tibet Thangka paintings
that Nepalese paintings contain a green colour, which is a mixture of indigo
(blue) and orpiment (yellow) pigments, while Tibetan uses malachite which is a
bright green pigment. Although there were some objections to the study of these
paintings using Raman Spectroscopy by some sections of the art conservators –
due to the risks of using Raman spectroscopy is that holes can be burnt into
the painting if the laser power is too high, Dr Ernst, convinced the conservators
that the holes created during the object examination are so small that if he
looks at another area and then returns, he can't find the holes again. Later in
his career, Dr Ernst established a lab for investigating the Thangs paintings
in his home. Dr Ernst has delivered many lectures around the world on the
Thangka paintings to art audience shedding new light into these paintings.
Ernst's
collection of thangkas is one of the most important collections in the world.
It includes thangkas from all over Tibet, as well as from other parts of Asia.
The collection is on display at the Ernst Museum in Basel, Switzerland. Ernst's
interest in thangkas was more than just a hobby. He believed that thangkas were
important works of art that deserved to be preserved and studied. He also
believed that thangkas could play a role in promoting understanding between
cultures. His collection serves as a valuable resource for scholars and
students of Tibetan Buddhism and helps us to remind ourselves of the importance
of cultural preservation, more so when Tibet is now under the control of the
Chinese and there is a heightened fear of this culture getting lost once and
for all.
Dr Ernst
has also authored several essays and books on Thangka Paintings. His book, Thangkas: Tibetan Sacred Art, is a “comprehensive
overview of thangka painting”. It covers the history, symbolism, and techniques
of thangkas. In his scholarly article “Arts and Sciences. A Personal
Perspective of Tibetan Painting”, Dr Ernst highlights the “relationship between
the arts and the sciences from the standpoint of a scientist and passionate art
lover”. He says that these “two playgrounds of human creativity have much in
common and have cross fertilized each other over centuries”. He has subjected
his own collections to scientific study and analysis of pigments and also the
dating.
Dr Richard
Ernst truly defied CP Snow’s concept of “Two
Cultures”, which is exemplified in his interest in thangka paintings, which
ultimately led to his appreciation for beauty, his love of learning, and his
commitment to cultural preservation. His collection of thangkas is a lasting
legacy that will continue to inspire and enlighten people for generations to
come.
CSMVS Collections of Thangka
