
CHANDIGARH, Nov 2: One might say Nature has preservation in photography. That is what one might glean from the US Kaleidoscope, an exhibition of photographs that opened at the Museum of Fine Arts on Tuesday.
Under the aegis of the Department of Fine Arts, Punjab University, the US Kaleidoscope is a photographic study of the United States by Subhash Sapru. Wielding a Nikon N50 mounted with 24mm, 35-80mm and 70-300mm lenses, Sapru8217;s work can be broadly classified in three sections. Firstly, the wonderous beauty of quot;natural relicsquot; as seen in the study of the Grand Canyon.
One of the studies, Complexities of Nature, with the gnarled remains of a dead tree peeking out of the corner of the photograph, is a statement by itself. In the foreground, the shadows of the rock formations, which appear various Indian temples, hint the master catch with the lenses. The virgin white clouds add to the study8217;s meaning.
Secondly is the manifestation of Man, his creation, although not always, with a care for Nature. Sapru8217;s Road to Future is a catch on a speeding Ford Taurus, of a tunnel in Pennsylvania. Like a sci-fi movie, the study8217;s unique characteristic is a psychedelic experience, in green. Beautifully captured.
Rhythm would be the third section of Sapru8217;s prize collection. The silhouette of a male caught between dark area, against the salmon-races waterfall in Gallery of Art, Washington, is soothing and enrapturing. Further studies that would belong to this section are the likes of the lonely, silent veterans sitting by a restaurant. The photo brings out the side-effects of the times, the elderly abandoned in a hi-tech world. Sapru used Kodak medium speed film.