Still-life chronicles of a curfew

As a photographer, used to finding subjects in an external environment, the forced isolation in the time of Covid-19, starting with the Janata curfew on 22 March, has had its share of revelations for Rohit Chawla. “There is now a heightened sense of visual stimuli and one is beginning to notice form and design in the sheer randomness of the mundane within my Goan home," he says. With Chawla’s major retrospective, spanning 10 galleries at the Bikaner House in Delhi, postponed, he started photographing still life in his house—with subjects ranging from his pets and family to the fruits and fish in his kitchen. He started this exercise on 22 March, when he shot an image every hour, ending with a 9pm image of the cows that had settled outside his home. These are unchoreographed, spontaneous images, maintaining the purity of what he saw and perceived. “It’s sort of a diary of what a creative person does in the time of lockdown," he says.

The image is reminiscent of still-life renditions by impressionist painters. The white frangipani flowers were placed in a makeshift vase by the bedside in the morning, when was the photo taken. “One can see the pristine poetry of form. Even the usually offending wires seem to be participating in a ballet of sorts,” says Chawla. (Photo: Rohit Chawla)

A snapper, meant for lunch, caught his attention and was immediately placed on a platter. The shot was taken at around 12.30pm; the fish then found its way into the cooking pot. (Photo: Rohit Chawla)

Chawla’s wife, Saloni, makes the most of the curfew with some leisurely reading on her laptop. Seen in the background is a painting by Maite Delteil—Chawla’s favourite artist. (Photo: Rohit Chawla)

The pets in the house could sense a certain ennui during the curfew, as they didn’t have the luxury of outdoor walks. “We have two cats and two dogs. They are the best of friends but the cat bullies the dog, Marco, who is only two months old. Here, they can be seen in the kitchen, looking extremely bored,” says Chawla. (Photo: Rohit Chawla)

A self-portrait taken at around 7pm, as the evening light was dying out. It has been shot against a simple white wall at his home in Assagao that is a backdrop to most of his portraits, including the recently-exhibited Goa Style series. (Photo: Rohit Chawla)