Monochrome landscapes and abstract photographs come together in new exhibition

Legendary American lensman Ansel Adams erstwhile said, “Landscape photography is the ultimate trial of the lensman — and often the ultimate disappointment.” It is simply a enactment that sums up the quiescent brutality of the genre, and 1 that Chennai-based lensman Srinivasan Periathiruvadi relates to immediately. “The situation with scenery photography is that it requires a batch of patience,” helium says. “You person to deliberation astir composition, what to include, what to permission out.”

Srinivasan has been photographing the wilderness since 2005 and has shown his enactment successful respective solo and radical exhibitions. This week, helium returns to The Folly, Amethyst with a caller assemblage of monochrome landscapes titled Mountains and Mugil, that were shaped implicit years of travelling done high-altitude terrains successful Kashmir and Ladakh. His person Jayanand Govindaraj volition grounds a bid of abstract photograph that research intentional camera question alongside.

Srinivasan’s photographs distil mountains, clouds, and airy into thing astir meditative, inviting viewers to dilatory down and enactment with the soundlessness betwixt forms.

“I chose monochrome due to the fact that it’s a challenge. Today, millions of colour images are made connected phones each minute. Black and achromatic strips each of that away, and it leaves you with lone tones, light, and form. I wanted to experimentation and spot however radical respond to that connected the walls,” helium says. 

On show are 17 monochrome landscapes, each printed by Srinivasan himself — a last measurement helium treats arsenic portion of the originative process alternatively than an afterthought. “For me, capturing, processing and printing are each arsenic important. A photograph isn’t finished until it’s connected paper,” helium says. 

Fourteen retired of the 17 photographs were changeable connected a integer achromatic camera — a instrumentality that captures photographs lone successful achromatic and white. “There’s nary colour accusation astatine all,” helium explains. “Most radical sprout successful colour and person it later, but this camera records lone tones, similar the aged black-and-white movie days. It forces you to deliberation astir airy precise differently.”

If Srinivasan’s images pursuit stillness, Jayanand’s publication to the show, leans into movement, abstraction and a small spot of deliberate blur. A lensman since 1962 — agelong enough, helium jokes, “to person changeable everything from household birthdays to 7 continents’ worthy of wildlife”. 

For Jayanand, the displacement toward abstraction began conscionable earlier the pandemic, erstwhile helium encountered the Field of Light installation astatine Uluru successful Australia — acres of illuminated bulbs that helium was compelled to photograph without a tripod. “I had to rethink everything,” helium says. Back home, helium kept experimenting astatine night, chasing the mode plants, shadows, and passing airy could dissolve into painterly streaks. What emerged is Pairs — a bid of abstract photographs placed broadside by side, sometimes intelligibly linked, sometimes barely, nudging viewers to find the speech betwixt them. 

Though abstraction is his existent preoccupation, Jayanand’s instincts were shaped implicit decades of photographing surviving subjects. The displacement to non-literal imagery did not erase that history; it sharpened it. “Photography isn’t astir sharpness oregon equipment,” helium says. “It’s astir what you consciousness erstwhile you look astatine something.” It is simply a enactment of thought helium returns to often. For him, the constituent is not method perfection but affectional resonance.

Together, Srinivasan’s monochromes and Jayanand’s abstractions marque a bully statement for slowing down and looking deeper astatine landscapes, astatine light, and astatine the instinct down the shutter. In a satellite saturated with colour and speed, the accumulation makes a simple, astir old-fashioned demand: intermission agelong capable for the representation to conscionable you halfway. 

Mountains and Mugil and Pairs volition beryllium connected show astatine The Folly, Amethyst from November 21 to 23, from 10am to 7.30pm. Entry is free.