Gaze most poetic | Shambhu Shaha's 'An Artscape and a Poet'
An exhibition of Shambhu Shaha's iconic photographs of Rabindranath Tagore offers a glimpse into Santiniketan's cultural history
The Musui Art Foundation at Tokaroun in Santiniketan is presenting An Artscape and a Poet, an exhibition of rare archival photographs by pioneering Indian photographer Shambhu Shaha. Running until July 25, the exhibition brings together 50 photographs taken between 1935 and 1941, many centred around Rabindranath Tagore during the final years of his life.
The Musui Art Foundation at Tokaroun in Santiniketan is presenting An Artscape and a Poet, an exhibition of rare archival photographs by pioneering Indian photographer Shambhu Shaha. Running until July 25, the exhibition brings together 50 photographs taken between 1935 and 1941, many centred around Rabindranath Tagore during the final years of his life.
The exhibition is organised by eminent sculptor K.S. Radhakrishnan. “I see archival material as living history. It is as much a source for artistic learning and inspiration as the world around us,” he says, adding that preserving authentic photographic archives has become increasingly important in an era shaped by digital manipulation and rapidly circulating edited visual imagery. The exhibition also continues Tokaroun’s longstanding engagement with memory, archives, photography and the artistic legacy of Santiniketan.
The photographs, originally too small and fragile for conventional display, have been digitally enlarged and paired with contextual captions and texts. Among the highlights are images of Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to Santiniketan and intimate portraits of Tagore that reveal a more vulnerable and contemplative figure than his familiar public image.
Shaha’s daughter, renowned scientist Chandrima Shaha, believes her father’s gentle temperament shaped the photographs. “Most of the time, Tagore was unaware that he was being photographed,” she says. “My father was a very soft, non-intruding person.” She also recalls his love for candid observation, describing how he sought to capture “the soul of Kolkata’s streets” and moments that could “tell their own story”.
Born in Midnapore in 1905, Shaha became known for documenting Santiniketan, Calcutta and everyday life with unusual sensitivity. Presented as part of the international Bicentennial of Photography celebrations, An Artscape and a Poet offers a rare glimpse into Santiniketan’s cultural history through the lens of one of India’s most significant early photographers.
—The exhibition is on at Tokaroun, Santiniketan, till July 25
