Art & Artistry, a two-day exhibition of black-and-white photographs of Satyajit Ray, was recently held at the Amway office in Calcutta (Oct 9-10). The exhibition brought together rare images of the maestro taken by Hirak Sen, a leading film photographer and Ray associate.

Sen’s camera captures the celebrated director at work: directing, scripting, composing music and so on. The photographs are a testimony to the pleasure a true artist derives in the course of creating a masterpiece, be it a film, music or a work of art. Ray looks busy, even tired, in some of the frames. But what comes through is his dedication and love for filmmaking, as in the angled shot of Ray reclining on a white chair, left hand slightly raised, explaining a sequence to an actor, who stands, student-like, in rapt attention.

A significant aspect of Sen’s work is his dexterous use of light. For instance, there was the beautiful side-shot of Ray playing the piano, a cigarette dangling loosely from the corner of his mouth. A single shaft of light streams in through the window, illuminating the corners of the room with a muted radiance. Sen also uses the lens to seize a few candid moments. In one photograph, Ray is seen sitting in his study, his feet up on a cluttered work table. Here, Sen’s choice of an informal setting has a purpose. The idea is to offer a glimpse into Ray’s inner world. What is remarkable about this image is Sen’s ability to penetrate a deeply personalized space without being intrusive.

Some of the stills were mounted intelligently. Take the two photographs that show Ray with his hands raised above his head (pictures). The images appear similar because of Ray’s posture as well as the setting. But a closer inspection of the two faces reveals subtle, yet significant, differences. In the first frame (left), Ray, dressed in a coat, shirt and a cap, looks composed while in the second, a younger Ray is visibly perturbed, even disappointed, about something (a particular shot gone wrong perhaps?). His eyes reflect his unhappiness.

The collection had quite a few insipid stills though. Some, such as those of Ray in an official gathering or those of him smiling politely at the camera alongside his beaming wife, appear contrived. Colour photographs of his son’s latest film project also found a place in the exhibition for some inexplicable reason.