Photographer OP Sharma, shining light of the darkroom
Once in a while comes a show that transports viewers from the real world to the sublime and works as a time machine. ‘OP Sharma & the Fine Art of Photography (1950s-1990s)’, presented by the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts and Art Heritage at the Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi, fits the bill perfectly.
Sharma was born in Agra of pre-Partition India in 1937 and graduated in science from Lucknow University. It was here that he found his calling as a photographer and first learnt how to make prints that were a perfect replica of the negative. Since then, he has always done all his darkroom work himself. In 1958, he shifted to Delhi and started teaching photography at Modern School. By 1980, he was directing the department of photography at Triveni Kala Sangam with his wife, the late Chitrangada Sharma, who was an acclaimed artist-photographer.
The exhibition, on view till October 3, is curated by Sukanya Baskar in collaboration with Rahaab Allana. Featured are a seminal collection of classic silver gelatin prints, besides nuanced montages. Interestingly, these have been developed through experimentation and a juxtaposition of myriad effects, including photograms, collage, multiple exposure and solarisation.
The section that dwells upon his iconic film photography deserves a special mention. Sharma was introduced to the hallowed portals of Indian cinema by the late actor Sajjan Lal Purohit. However, accompanied by Chitrangada, Sharma worked on only four feature films as a still cameraman. These included the 1971 film ‘Do Boond Paani’, a social drama about water crisis; ‘Siddhartha’, an Indian-American period production released in 1972; ‘Chhupa Rustam’ (1973), a Bollywood caper with iconic stars like Dev Anand and Hema Malini; and the 1978 film ‘Shalimar’, known to be the first Indo-American production in Indian cinema, starring Dharmendra, Zeenat Aman, Rex Harrison and Sylvia Miles, amongst an ensemble cast.
Among the 150 iconic black and white photographs on display, one can see candid portraits of actors Shashi Kapoor and Simi Garewal from ‘Siddhartha’, a dewy-faced picture of Dimple Kapadia, a beaming shot of the late Ashok Kumar holding a cigarette and Zeenat Aman.
A man of fine taste and an enthusiast of Hindustani classical music, Sharma has had several trysts with stalwarts of the time, such as Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali saab, Begum Akhtar and more. His interest in poetry led him to make acquaintances with renowned poets and writers of Urdu and Hindi, including Sumitranandan Pant, Agyeya, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, amongst others. Their photographs at the exhibition narrate the saga of a life brimming with cultural interactions and lifelong friendships with the artistic fraternity of India.
Some of these never-seen-before photographs reveal the sheer creative genius and technical prowess of the master photographer’s oeuvre and his love for the science and technique behind a good print. Sharma played a seminal role in shaping the discourse of photography in post-Independence India owing to his dedicated and unrelenting pursuit of excellence by not just being a practising photographer, but also as a fine teacher, collector and patron of our artistic landscape.
Sharma’s legendary work spanning over 50 years led to the emergence of many photo clubs and salons across cities like Indore, Nainital, Kanpur and more. He was also instrumental in the birth of the Amateur Photographic Society of Agra in 1959, the Foto Arte Group in 1968 and the India International Photographic Council in 1983. His work has occupied the place of pride in numerous national and international exhibitions, such as at the US-based Oregon State Fair; the Brazilian Gallery of Famous Artists and so on.
It is thanks to OP Sharma that August 19 was declared as World Photography Day in 1991.
