The works in this series bring out the humbled faces of the people subjected to the extreme elements of nature. The sheer expanse and starkness of the topography and climate of the place seems unforgiving on the surface but is immensely gratifying in the spiritual sense. In the same way, this series is about unexpected revelations and connections. Ladakh revealed to Prabuddha a duality of contrasting qualities in terms of its people and its landscape. He was a patron of black and white photographs and almost always preferred this format while working on his projects. It observed that all of his photographic publications present only his black and white creations. In his commercial works, however, he did use colour, but sparingly. He had a unique style which did not rely on formal aesthetics and rules of photography or the fine arts. His interest did not lie in manipulation or pretension. Even when composed, his photographs exude honesty and simplicity. His shots were more like dialogues with his subjects with an active exchange between the subject and his inner self.
- Identifier
- ngma-16544
- Material
- Hahnemuehle Archival Museum Grade Paper
- Note
- Prabuddha Dasgupta was born to a family of artists in Calcutta on the 21st of September 1956, and grew up in a period of cultural turmoil in newly independent India. Prabuddha was immersed in an atmosphere of creativity from a young age - surrounded by sculptures, paintings, books, and the company of artists, musicians, dancers, writers, and filmmakers. He spent several years living on the grounds of the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, where his father was the director. Pursuing a deep love for the subject, he completed a Master's degree in history at Delhi University, but became disheartened by the state of academia and abandoned his plans for a future in academic research. Prabuddha began his career as a copywriter at an advertising agency and came by his first photography assignment in the late 1980s. In the decades that followed, he pursued a variety of commercial and self-commissioned projects, bringing to both a bold individualistic sensibility that very quickly established him as one of the most distinguished photographers in the country. Prabuddha's work has been exhibited worldwide, both in group and solo shows, and published in various books and magazines, including the Paris Review, Nudi (Motta Editore, Milan) and India Now - New Photographic Visions (Textuel, Paris). He has received several awards and grants including the Yves Saint-Laurent grant for photography, and his work is in the collections of many individuals and institutions like the Museo Ken Damy, Brescia, Italy, and Galleria Calra Sozzani, Milan, Italy. Prabuddha was in the process of publishing his last work, Longing, when he unexpectedly passed away on the 12th of August 2012.
- Pages
- 26 x 36 inches
- Published in
- India
- Type
- Photograph
