Black and White Magic

Richard Bartholomew (1926-85) was one of the finest art critics of the country. He watched a new nations tryst with modernism as closely as he did a thoughtful Ram Kumar in his Gole Market Studio...

Pioneering art critic Richard Bartholomew was a closet photographer. His son Pablo brings the frames to light

Richard Bartholomew (1926-85) was one of the finest art critics of the country. He watched a new nations tryst with modernism as closely as he did a thoughtful Ram Kumar in his Gole Market Studio or an animated FN Souza in his New York apartment,or MF Husain leaning on a chair in Old Delhi. While Bartholomew the critic,and even the artist,was well known,not many knew about Bartholomew the photographer. His rolls of film remained tucked away until 1986 when his photographer son Pablo decided to sift through them and exhibit some at an exhibition. The intention was to keep his art in the public mind, recalls Pablo,as he looks at an old poster announcing that exhibition held over 20 years ago at Shridharani Gallery in Delhi and Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai.

A lot has changed since. Now Pablo has a lot more negatives to lay his hands on negatives which,when developed,look like poetry in chiaroscuro,which recall the sensuousness of ordinary moments,which display the art,the unintentional choreography,of everyday life. I only went through 4,000 negatives for the earlier show,now I have 17,000, he says,as he readies to put up a new exhibition of Bartholomews work and release a book that will feature 58 images. Titled A Critics Eye,this isnt just a sons ode to his father. It is also a testament to a bygone era,to a moonlit night in Old Delhi,c. 1956,which Bartholomew turns into something surreal,in which light reflected in ditchwater becomes truly numinous. He takes you to mist-wrapped Mussoorie,c. 1964,in which a row of sleeping rickshawpullers would have you wonder if they had been painstakingly choreographed. There is his summer studio in Almora,

c. 1957,which despite being black and white somehow recalls Van Goghs bedroom in Arles in all its yellow-and-blue glory. He takes you to a classroom tent in Gujarat and to Narinder Place on Delhis Parliament Street. Now,the building has been replaced by the DLF Centre, says Pablo,his gaze shifting from the book to the frames on the walls.

Suspended on white walls are pictures of a young Pablo often sharing frame with brother Robin. There is Bartholomews wife Rati sleeping on the floor,sitting on the edge of a bed,wrapping a sari an intense intimacy pervading them despite the casualness of it all. We were not conscious of the camera. It was part of our lives, recalls Pablo.

Perhaps,it was the same unobtrusive approach that allowed Bartholomew to catch artists in their least self-conscious moments. Bhupen Khakhar seems to be in the middle of a gig with a mike in his hand in a picture taken in Delhi in 1970. In the absence of any notes by Bartholomew,Pablo banked on memory and his fathers friends to provide approximate dates.

Some of the images were displayed last year at Sepia International,New York,and in Christies South Asian and Modern Contemporary Art Catalogue,but most are being exhibited for the first time. And as the exhibition moves from Photoink,Delhi,to Chatterjee & Lal,Mumbai,later this year,Pablo is already looking at giving his dads writing a renewed place through a publication. For now,though,the focus is on the exhibition that opens today.

The exhibition at Photoink is on till February 28

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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Black and White Magic

Richard Bartholomew (1926-85) was one of the finest art critics of the country. He watched a new nations tryst with modernism as closely as he did a thoughtful Ram Kumar in his Gole Market Studio...

Richard Bartholomew (1926-85) was one of the finest art critics of the country. He watched a new nations tryst with modernism as closely as he did a thoughtful Ram Kumar in his Gole Market Studio...