KCET to air ‘The Painter’s Voice’

“The Painter’s Voice: The Restoration of Two Master Paintings,” Oscar-winning director William Friedkin’s documentary film about the conservation of two animal portraits currently drawing crowds at the J. Paul Getty Museum, will air exclusively on KCET Monday at 9 p.m.

Known for films such as “The Exorcist” and “The French Connection,” Friedkin has turned his attention to Getty conservators Mark Leonard and Tiarna Doherty’s painstaking work on near life-size paintings of a rhinoceros and a lion by 18th century French artist Jean-Baptiste Oudry.

The rhino, “Clara” -- an Indian beast imported to Europe by a Dutch sea captain who turned her into a celebrity -- is the star of the museum’s exhibition, “Oudry’s Painted Menagerie,” including objects inspired by “Claramania.”

-- Suzanne Muchnic