An exhibition that paints photographer O.P. Sharma’s portrait

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. At the Shridharani Gallery, located within the Triveni Kala Sangam, Delhi, one can see a black-and-white print of a rather vulnerable-looking Dimple Kapadia. Incidentally, this was the actor’s first-ever photo from Bobby, clicked accidentally at Prithviraj Kapoor’s studio in Mumbai.

Another striking photograph—almost akin to a painted portrait—is of art historian Geeta Kapur, looking down in a sombre mood. It’s interesting how the portraits on display paint rather different personas— softer, more intimate—of well-known personalities. These are part of 150 vintage prints from O.P.

Sharma’s archive, which is on view for the first time ever till 3 October. These images were produced in the dark rooms of Modern School Barakhamba Road, where he taught photography from 1958-2000, and the Triveni Kala Sangam, where he directed, 1980 onwards, the Camera Art Institute with his late wife, Chitrangada. Within these darkened spaces, Sharma would work like a scientist, experimenting with various methods of photography that led to remarkable results—from salt prints to complex montages created by combining different techniques.

A print of Kashmir’s Dal Lake, for instance, shows his experiment with tone separation, creating grey, black and white tones. The result is a haunting image of the place. The exhibition, presented by the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts and Art Heritage, also brings to the fore the rather unique life and times of the photographer himself.