Raghu Rai stuns with new show

Ethereal clouds. Eerily life-like rocks. Exquisite women. Prepare for an assault on more senses than the visual when you encounter the 45 black-and-white frames hung across the gallery walls.

‘Rocks, Clouds and Nudes’ is a collection of largely unpublished photographs by ace lensman Raghu Rai. Don’t expect his iconic shots of the old Delhi skyline or his power portraits of Indira Gandhi: This is photography at its purest.

Discover a woman’s innermost secrets in the contours of a lotus leaf. Share the reverie of an emaciated sadhu perched atop the rocks at Hampi. Feel the lump in your throat as gnarled old hands lace with tiny fingers. And, for the first time in Delhi, let your eyes linger over Rai’s female forms – drenched in water, draped in sheer fabric, juxtaposed with pottery and marble.

This is a show that demands time and attention. If one speaks to you, you could even take it home. But be warned, it could be the conversation piece that evokes silence.

Rocks, Clouds and Nudes opens at 6 pm, Feb 7, at Gallerie Romain Rolland, Alliance Francaise, 72, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi.
Telephone: 24651445, 9871381167.
On view till Feb 15, 11 am to 7 pm.
Prices on request.