Artline

Chandigarh8217;s Rock Garden has been a favourite of many photographers, but Sclarandis8217; work stands apart. He has gone deep into the textures of the rocks and captured them in great detail. He spent hours, day and months photographing the Rock Garden in it8217;s myriad hues and textures. Last year, he completed his own perceptions of the Rock Garden, which he captured on more than 50 rolls of film and will ultimately select 70-80 photographs for the exhibition. 8220;I do not contrive any images, I just wait for things to happen. I see a deep concept in Nek Chand8217;s garden. Through his imagination, Nek Chand has transformed the Rock Garden. I started work on the Rock Garden about the same time as my work on Le Corbusier8217;s city, but I did not want to mix the two cultures. When I showed the work to a professor of Indology in Venice, he looked at the Rock Garden and said- this is India in the cosmos.8217; He kindled a spark in me. I began to envision and perceive in this way-far away from a child8217;s park. In the beginning Istarted with colour, but now it is all in black and white. In my case colour is not important. Black and white projects the substance better. For me it is all in black and white. For me it is the forms, substance and textures which provide the medium of my expression8221;.

Chandigarh is an expression of man8217;s creative genius, and Sclarandis though his own perception adds another dimension to it. He uses a custom made Italian Camera Silvestri and shoots 6 cms by 12 cms on a 3 x reel. The images have been shot in a horizontal perspective, they are interesting, powerful, and textural. Deeply inspired by Italian photographer Ugo Mulas, Peirgiorgio has practised to shoot architecture in a free way, no categorising. He follows a modern approach in photography. 8220;I am not an architectural photographer. I like to place people with architecture. The parameters are there but I like to go beyond them. I work on the basis of perception, for me personal interpretation is the focus8221;. I also admire the work of the French photographer-Bougat. The concept of space is very important for Piergiorgio. He has paid a number of visits to India in the past, after 1963 he was back again in 1970, 75, 80, in 82 and 84.

On these professional visits, Sclarandis studied and saw the city growing and took several shots each time. In between various assignments, he shot the first picture in 89 and the last one in 96. He then showed his works to one of the managers of the top International Art Galleria Le Stelline8217; in Milan, which is known to be very choosy and select. The first exhibition of the Gallery was an exhibition of Andy Warhol, and then of Cartier Bresson. 8220;Though I had shot more than 200 pictures I showed only fifty, after a strict selection. It was personal work and I wanted to show the best.8221; The fifty images presented by Sclarandis in his book Chandigarh-Le Corbusier in India, centered around the Capital complex, the Post Graduate Institute obviously was well received and the book which has resulted on Chandigarh is exceptional.

The Chandigarh series have been shot entirely in black and white, the monumentality of the scale of architecture is shown by the contrast in the smallness of human figures which are always part of the picture frame. All the pictures have been shot in natural light-no artificial light has been used. Sclarandis not only has a perceptive eye, but a great sense of composition and clarity. For Sclarandis in getting perfection, often the individual8217;s face is not important, only the spirit. In some pictures it could be just the silhouette, no personality. Sometimes he expresses himself simply through a portrait. A purist to the core, he refuses to compromise with any aspect of his work. Sclarandis is a truly enviable position.

His work is his life, and he also enjoys the luxury of not having to compromise on his life, and he also enjoys the luxury of not having to compromise on his art projects which he sponsors though his commercial assignment, such as the Chandigarh project. Back home in Italy he earns a living by doing commercial assignments for various companies. Prominently-one for the truck company Iveco, an associate of Ashok Leyland in India, for whom he did an International calendar. In Chennai he shot an Ashok Leyland truck as a part of the assignment. He also works for insurance and car companies in Europe. Sclarandis has covered a series of buildings in Rome, Florence, Venice, and South of Italy. Presently his is involved in an assignment on the residences and castles in the area he lives Piedmont.