New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has acquired a rare 19th-century portrait featuring an enslaved person, helping restore a young, mixed-race boy who was painted out of history — figuratively and literally — for over 100 years. Instances of painterly corrections that hide previous versions of the design are referred to as pentimenti, from an Italian phrase meaning “to repent”. Some intriguing instances of pentimenti include the famous Madame X by John Singer Sargent, whose initial dress was too scandalous, leading the artist to cover it up. The Venetian artist, Palma Vecchio, had to give his Woman at the Window a complete makeover for her ample bosom. Busts of Napoleon’s son were painted out of several paintings after he lost power and he became unfashionable.

Sibaprasad Karchaudhuri’s artistic oeuvre is marked by a sense of fluidity that is consistent with his diverse influences and practices. The exhibition, The Dream of an Idiot (on view at Emami Art till September 30), curated by Ushmita Sahu, highlights the convergences and the experimentations in the artist’s works, including tapestries, prints, drawings and paintings.