LAKE FOREST, IL — Every time Ishwar Laxminirayan walks through the doors of the Lake Forest Public Library, he can’t help but be in awe of the artistic images that greet visitors upon their arrival.
For Laxminirayan, the library’s executive director, the set of 12 nearly 92-year-old murals that grace the library’s walls and rotunda not only speaks to the love of the fine arts that has long been part of the Lake Forest community but also the uniqueness of the murals and the library space itself.
But ever since water damage began to compromise the murals in recent years, library officials have worked toward restoring the works of art —eight of which are on canvases and the remaining four which are painted directly on the walls. But after the Library Board of Trustees voted last month to spend up to $266,000 to restore and repair the murals, work will soon begin to bring them back to their original glory.
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A total of $233,000 will be used for repairs while another $30,000 will set aside for contingencies that may come up. The repairs will be done at no cost to local taxpayers but will be covered by The Friends of the Lake Forest Library.
The process will take between 6-8 weeks, Laxminirayan said, and will not only repair the damage created by water in recent years but will help to ensure damage that may not be seen by the naked eye from getting worse.
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The most recent repairs were made to the murals in 1997. But around 2017, library officials began to notice damage to the murals, mostly caused by water. Workers found that the damage had been created after the library’s dome had leaked, causing water to seep into the murals themselves, doing damage to a collection of art that has become a treasured part of the library by visitors and Lake Forest art lovers alike.
“Over time (the collection) has become a source of great pride and love,”Laxminirayan told Patch this week. “So I would say there is a great interest in these pieces of art.”
Four bids were submitted for the work and the board voted to go with the lowest qualified bid, which came from Parma Conservation, a Chicago-based art restoration company that trustees said showed the most promise in properly repairing the murals.
The work is expected to begin in February, the library’s executive director said, when restoration will begin to preserve the murals for generations to come.
Laxminirayan said that once the work is completed, the visual impact will be dramatic. In addition to repairing the water damage, the murals will be cleaned, removing dirt, dust, and grime that has built up over time. Once the restoration, repairs, and cleaning are complete, Laxminirayan said that visitors will see a dramatic improvement in the beloved artwork.
The murals were created by Russian artist Nicolai Remisoff and have been part of the library’s ambiance since 1932. The murals, entitled “Poets and Artists of Antiquity” represent artistic homages to Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and Homer.
Laxminirayan said that the works of art are unique from what one might typically expect to find inside a public library. But the love of them among residents represents a passion for artistic creation, making the collection even more special, he said.
Because of the amount of time that the murals have been on display, former residents who return to Lake Forest after years away will make their way back to the library to again see the artistic impressions that help make the library what it is.
Many of the visitors not only return but bring back their children and other families who may have never seen the murals that are painted in areas around the library — including the building’s rotunda and dome.
Laxminirayan said that the library may install a web camera in the library to allow community members to track the mural restoration project in real-time. The library is also considering using the restoration project as an educational opportunity in which students can come in while the repairs are being made to learn more about the murals and the meaning depicted in each of the 12 works of art.
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And as long as Laxminirayan has been affiliated with the library, even he can’t get over how the works of art change the surroundings of an already unique public setting.
“It’s like walking into this hallowed space, this sanctified space that you immediately respect” Laxminirayan told Patch this week. “You say, ‘Wow, what a privilege it is to even to be working here’ and you realize what a great community asset this is for a young child who walks through those doors.
“It’s that feeling of awe and wonder as they walk through, they realize they are entering this (space) that has so much history, so much art that this community has worked to preserve for the past 90 years and that they intend to preserve for the next 100 years.”
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