'Difficult to publish work on Michelangelo Antonioni'

Kolkata, September 20: Ace photographer Nemai Ghosh breaks into a smile as he is reminded of being the link between two of world cinema’s greatest auteurs-Satyajit Ray and Michelangelo Antonioni. Despite his famed repertoire and laurels, Ghosh still finds it difficult to publish his work. Famed for his still photography work with Ray for over two decades, Ghosh has come out with exclusive photographs of the filmmaker that portray his skills as a painter. Ghosh, the Padma Shri recipient, captured Antonioni while painting in a visit to Rome in 2006. He was invited at an exhibition of Antonioni’s paintings to mark his 94th birthday on September 29. Ghosh documented the “L’Avventura” (The Adventure), “La Notte” (The Night), “The Passenger” maker’s little known tryst with the brush. The photos are being showcased at the ‘From Films to Paintings’ exhibition at the Harrington Street Arts Centre here till September 26. “I have been holding onto these pictures since 2006. I have some 100 to 150 photographs of Antonioni and his wife Enrica,” Ghosh told IANS at the iugural of the exhibition on Saturday. “The 19 photographs in the exhibition will eventually form a book. I want to publish more but who will publish them? It is difficult to find publishers,” he added.  (IANS)