Latest news with #VittorioSella
Mint
3 days ago
- Mint
From K2 to Kangchenjunga: How Vittorio Sella's pioneering work changed mountain photography forever
For many years, I had looked at books, magazines, websites and blogs, searching for photographs taken by Italian Vittorio Sella. Over the course of time, these photographs became like familiar friends—and often, on seeing a mountain image on Google, I knew it was a Sella. But nothing prepared me for the enormity of the moment when I visited the exhibition, titled Vittorio Sella: Photographer in the Himalaya, which opened at Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata on 8 August. Delhi Art Gallery (DAG), in collaboration with Victoria Memorial, is showing for the first time in India a collection of 78 Sella prints from his expeditions around Kangchenjunga in 1899 and the Karakoram in 1909. To see the original Sella prints—some of the panoramas are over 10ft in length and meticulously stitched together—is truly a revelation. The stupendous details in the ridges, icefalls, glaciers and scree slopes in the images shot well over a hundred years ago is mindboggling to say the least. A pioneering mountain photographer of his generation, Sella set a benchmark in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In an era when photography was mainly confined to the realms of a studio in controlled conditions and the emphasis remained on documentation, Sella took the large-format studio equipment to the lofty heights of the Himalaya and the Karakoram, creating images that went far beyond mere documentation and are valued today for their aesthetic beauty and composition. Sella was born in the small town of Biella at the foot of the Italian Alps in 1859. The family was wealthy and his father owned a textile mill. He worked for some time in the family business before his passion for mountains and photography got the better of him. He was inspired by his uncle Quintino, who was a keen mountaineer and the founder of the Italian Alpine Club. Sella started climbing in the Alps. The story goes that one night in 1879, while attending an opera in Biella, Sella noticed a clear night sky. Dressed in his formal clothes, he rushed up the mountain to his small tent where a camera was mounted for such eventualities and took a brilliant panorama of Mont Mars. Sella started out by using the large plate 30x40cm Dallmeyer camera that he carried with him to the field. The camera itself weighed around 40 pounds and each glass negative around 2 pounds. Along with this there was a heavy tripod to support the equipment. Sella carried much of this equipment himself as he climbed up steep mountain heights. Later as technology evolved, he switched to the smaller Ross and Co. cameras around 1893 and finally towards the end of his career, he also used one of the first hand-held Kodak cameras. When Sella started out, it was the era of the wet collodion photo process—where the glass negatives had to be coated and developed on site, a daunting task. Later around 1880, the dry gelatine plate was introduced. It allowed photographers to leave their mobile darkrooms and work with higher exposure speeds and better sensitivity and process the plates back home. Many of Sella's later prints were the conventional silver gelatine ones. Sella was possibly one of the first photographers to include human figures in his mountain landscapes to provide a sense of scale, a technique which many modern photographers also follow today. Sella climbed extensively in the Alps from 1880-93. Some of his notable climbs were the first winter ascent of the Matterhorn in 1882, the first winter ascent of Mont Rosa in 1884, and the first winter traverse of Mount Blanc in 1888. He also looked further afield and made three expeditions to the Russian Caucasus in 1889, 1890 and 1896. On the first expedition, Sella and his team made an ascent of Mount Elbrus (5,642m), the highest peak in Europe. Sella photographed mountains in four continents—the Alps in Europe, Mount St Elias in North America in 1897, Ruwenzori in Africa in 1906, Kangchenjunga in Sikkim and Nepal in 1899 and K2 and the Karakoram in 1909, in Asia. It is pertinent to point out Sella's relationship with two towering personalities: the British lawyer and explorer Douglas Freshfield, who was president of the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club, and the Italian nobleman, Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, who became Sella's patron. Knowing Sella's reputation as a mountain photographer, Freshfield invited Sella and his brother Erminio on a landmark expedition around Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, in 1899. In a letter to Sella, Freshfield wrote, 'Could I hope to get you to bring your equipment and experience…but I should like to see those great peaks and go around Kangchenjunga…I have thought so for 20 years…perhaps it has got too late!" The Kangchenjunga expedition encountered bad weather and extreme snowfall on many days. Sella was undaunted. He put his heavy tripod and 40-pound plate camera in the 3ft of snow on the Zemu glacier in North Sikkim and shot what was eventually recognised as one the finest photographs of Siniolchu (6,888m). Freshfield later described Siniolchu as 'the most superb triumph of mountain architecture and the most beautiful snow mountain in the world". The DAG exhibition has two prints of Siniolchu besides images of Kangchenjunga and other satellite peaks of the range. The expedition completed the circuit of the mountain crossing the high Jongsong La, around 6,045m, from Sikkim into Nepal in extremely difficult and snowy conditions. Sella's three major expeditions were with the Duke of the Abruzzi, who had a passion for mountains and the desire to climb the highest peaks in the world. The duke also wanted to document his expeditions and with this in mind, he invited Sella to accompany him to Alaska, Ruwenzori and finally to the Karakoram. In 1897, the duke along with Sella and his team summitted Mount Saint Elias in Alaska. In 1906, the duke asked Sella to accompany him to the Ruwenzori mountains in Uganda known as Mountains of the Moon. On the Uganda expedition along with the ascent of Mt Stanley, the fourth highest peak in Africa, Sella photographed the exotic vegetation, rainforests as well as the indigenous people of the region. Sella's last major expedition was to the Karakoram in 1909, at age 50, where he produced some of his finest work, including K2, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrums, Muztagh Tower and Chogolisa, all of which can be seen at the exhibition. There are some magnificent panoramas of the range from the Baltoro glacier. The climb of Chogolisa set a new altitude record of 7,498m, which remained unbroken until the British expedition to the Everest in 1922. Unfortunately, the duke was forced to turn around just 150m below the summit due to bad weather. Interestingly, Chogolisa remained unclimbed for 66 years until an Austrian expedition summitted the peak in 1975. Sella's photograph of the duke and his guides climbing the Chogolisa icefall with enormous seracs about to topple over their heads remains one of the classics of mountain photography. Sella returned to Biella in 1909 after the expedition and focused his energies on selling his prints and photographs. A large collection of his work was bought by the National Geographic Society in 1912. He was also made an honorary member of the American Alpine Club in 1938. Sella continued to climb in the Italian Alps, the Grand Paradiso ranges and in 1935, at the age of 76, he made one last attempt to climb the Matterhorn but was unsuccessful. Sella died in Biella in 1943 at the age of 84. In his memory, the Italian Alpine Club set up Rifugio Vittorio Sella, an alpine hut, in the Grand Paradiso National Park. One of the peaks in the Ruwenzori range of Africa on Mount Luigi di Savoia was also named Sella peak in his honour. In November 2019, I trekked to the Pangpema base camp of Kangchenjunga at 5,130m in Nepal, where Sella had climbed up to a grassy shelf and shot his magnificent panorama of Kangchenjunga and the glacier. In Sella's footsteps, I struggled up a steep slope trying to reach the viewpoint. The Nepal earthquake of 2015 had reduced the hillside to a jumble of rock and scree and the going was hard. As I looked out over the glacier and the base camp below to the lofty heights of Kangchenjunga on that clear autumn morning, what was most startling was the absence of snow on the glacier. In around 120 years, the snow covered glacier below Kangchenjunga had been reduced to a wasteland of rock and rubble. In these turbulent times of extreme weather patterns, glacial lake outbursts and climate change, Sella's photographs stand as testimony as to what the great glaciers and mountains of the Himalaya and Karakoram looked like many years ago. The legendary American landscape photographer Ansel Adams was a great admirer of Sella's work. In an article in the Sierra Club Bulletin in 1946, Adams says, '…we are amazed by the mood of calmness and perfection pervading all of Sella's photographs. In Sella's photographs there is no faked grandeur; rather there is understatement, caution, and truthful purpose…Sella has brought to us not only the facts and forms of far-off splendours of the world, but the essence of experience which finds a spiritual response in the inner recesses of our mind and heart." At Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata till 7 September, 10am-6pm. Closed on Mondays and public holidays. Sujoy Das is a Kolkata-based trekker, mountain photographer and co-author of Everest, Reflections on the Solukhumbu.
Time of India
08-08-2025
- Time of India
VMH displays earliest photos of Himalayas for the 1st time in India
1 2 Kolkata: The beauty of the Himalayas, captured in lens at the turn of the 20th century before rampant "development" scarred the foothills and triggered tragedies like the flash flood at Uttarkashi on Tuesday, is on display at the Victoria Memorial Hall. These earliest high-altitude photographs of Kangchenjunga and K2 have never been displayed in India before. The collection of photographs of the Sikkim Himalaya and the Karakoram ranges were clicked by Italian Vittorio Sella, a pioneer of mountain photography. Recorded over a hundred years ago and significant both historically and artistically, the images continue to evoke a sense of wonder that Sella himself must have felt. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The exhibition 'Vittorio Sella: Photographer in the Himalaya' is possibly the largest collection of Sella's Indian views outside the Vittorio Sella Foundation. It is presented by DAG and curated by distinguished British explorer and author Hugh Thomson. DAG chief executive officer and managing director Ashish Anand said, "Last year, in Histories in the Making, we looked at how early photography was used as a medium for documenting India's ancient monuments between 1855 and 1920. We now move from India's built to its natural heritage. Sella (1859-1943) was a pioneer both as a photographer and as a mountaineer. Combining the two accomplishments, he brought mountain photography into the modern era. He travelled and climbed in many parts of the world, including India, where he clicked some of the most iconic images of the Himalaya." The exhibition at the VMH Durbar Hall will be underway for a month. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
08-08-2025
- Time of India
Earliest photographs of Himalayas on display for the first time in India at Victoria Memorial Hall
KOLKATA: The beauty of the Himalayas, captured in lens at the turn of the 20th century before rampant "development" scarred the foothills and triggered tragedies like the flash flood at Uttarkashi on Tuesday, is on display at the Victoria Memorial Hall. These earliest high-altitude photographs of Kangchenjunga and K2 have never been displayed in India before. The collection of photographs of landscapes and panoramic views of the Sikkim Himalaya and the Karakoram ranges were clicked by Italian Vittorio Sella, a pioneer of mountain photography. Recorded over a hundred years ago and significant both historically and artistically, the images continue to evoke a sense of wonder that Sella himself must have felt as he gazed upon these majestic peaks. The exhibition 'Vittorio Sella: Photographer in the Himalaya' is possibly the largest collection of Sella's Indian views outside the Vittorio Sella Foundation. It is presented by DAG and curated by distinguished British explorer and author Hugh Thomson. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata DAG Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Ashish Anand said, "Last year, in Histories in the Making, we looked at how early photography was used as a medium for documenting India's ancient monuments between 1855 and 1920. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Premium 1 BHK at Mahindra Citadel – Coming Soon! Mahindra Citadel Enquire Now Undo We now move from India's built to its natural heritage. Vittorio Sella (1859-1943) was a pioneer both as a photographer and as a mountaineer. Combining the two accomplishments, he brought mountain photography into the modern era. He travelled and climbed in many parts of the world, including India, where he made some of the most iconic images of the Himalaya." "The pioneering early photos of the Himalaya by the Italian master photographer Vittorio Sella have become famous and influential throughout the rest of the world but have never, until now, been exhibited in India. This ground-breaking show from DAG will display his extraordinary images from the early 20th century as he travelled up into remote areas of the Karakorum and Kangchenjunga to take huge plate glass negatives and celebrate the glory of the high mountains," said Thomson. The exhibition at the VMH Durbar Hall will be underway for a month. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Yahoo
Frozen in time: Rare early images of the Himalayas from Italian pioneer
Vittorio Sella was a pioneering Italian photographer whose work at the turn of the 20th Century shaped both mountain photography and mountaineering history. His rare images of the Himalayas remain some of the most iconic ever captured. A new ongoing show in the Indian capital, Delhi, called Vittorio Sella: Photographer in the Himalaya brings to life the breathtaking grandeur of the Himalayas through his lens. Curated by renowned British explorer and author Hugh Thomson and organised by Delhi Art Gallery (DAG), the show is likely one of the largest collection of Sella's Indian views. It features some of the earliest high-altitude photographs of Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain, and K2, the world's second-tallest mountain, captured over a century ago. Born in Biella, a town known for its wool trade in northern Italy, Sella (1859–1930) made his first ascents in the nearby Alps. "Throughout his career Sella made use of his skills in engineering and chemistry that the wool mills and his father had taught him," says Thomson. By his twenties, he had mastered complex photographic techniques like the collodion process, enabling him to develop large-format glass plates under harsh conditions. His panoramic images, crafted with technical perfection, earned worldwide acclaim. Sella's Himalayan journey began in 1899 when he joined British explorer Douglas Freshfield on an expedition circumnavigating Kanchenjunga. Any circumnavigation of the mountain also involved an incursion into Nepal, which was also a closed kingdom. While the team's climbing ambitions were thwarted by relentless rain, Sella seized the opportunity to capture pristine snow-dusted peaks. He experimented restlessly with technology, trying out telephoto pictures of Kanchenjunga. His images transported viewers to a world untouched by time. A decade later, Sella reached new heights - both literally and artistically - on a 1909 expedition to K2 with the Duke of the Abruzzi. His photographs of the world's most difficult mountain stand as a testament to his skill and resilience. Carrying a camera system weighing nearly 30kg, Sella crisscrossed treacherous landscapes, creating images that defined mountain photography. Jim Curran, author of K2: The Story of the Savage Mountain, calls Sella "possibly the greatest mountain photographer... his name [is] synonymous with technical perfection and aesthetic refinement". Sella was known for his extraordinary toughness, traversing the Alps at remarkable speed despite carrying heavy photographic gear. His makeshift camera harness and boots - three times heavier than modern ones - are preserved at the Photographic Institute in Biella. His clothing alone weighed over 10kg, while his camera equipment, including a Dallmeyer camera, tripod, and plates, added another 30kg - more than today's airline baggage limits. On the K2 expedition, Sella captured around 250 formal photographs with his Ross & Co camera over four to five months; on Kanchenjunga, about 200, notes Thomson. "By modern digital standards, this number is nothing extraordinary - and even in the last days of analogue film, it would equate to some eight rolls, what a 1970s photographer could have used in a single morning on a single mountain - but when Sella was photographing, this was a considerable number. "This meant enormous care and thought was given to each photograph, both because he had relatively few plates he could shoot." Years later, the famous mountaineer-photographer Ansel Adams would write that the "purity of Sella's interpretations move the spectator to a religious awe". High-altitude photography came with risks - many of Sella's most ambitious shots were ruined when humid conditions caused tissue dividers to stick to the negatives. Yet those that survived reveal a masterful eye, notes Thomson. "Sella was one of the first to recognise how tracks in the snow are as much part of the composition as the mountaineers who made them." Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
BBC News
09-02-2025
- BBC News
In pictures: An Italian photographer's earliest images of the majestic Himalayas
Vittorio Sella was a pioneering Italian photographer whose work at the turn of the 20th Century shaped both mountain photography and mountaineering history. His rare images of the Himalayas remain some of the most iconic ever captured.A new ongoing show in the Indian capital, Delhi, called Vittorio Sella: Photographer in the Himalaya brings to life the breathtaking grandeur of the Himalayas through his by renowned British explorer and author Hugh Thomson and organised by Delhi Art Gallery (DAG), the show is likely one of the largest collection of Sella's Indian views. It features some of the earliest high-altitude photographs of Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain, and K2, the world's second-tallest mountain, captured over a century ago. Born in Biella, a town known for its wool trade in northern Italy, Sella (1859–1930) made his first ascents in the nearby Alps. "Throughout his career Sella made use of his skills in engineering and chemistry that the wool mills and his father had taught him," says his twenties, he had mastered complex photographic techniques like the collodion process, enabling him to develop large-format glass plates under harsh conditions. His panoramic images, crafted with technical perfection, earned worldwide acclaim. Sella's Himalayan journey began in 1899 when he joined British explorer Douglas Freshfield on an expedition circumnavigating circumnavigation of the mountain also involved an incursion into Nepal, which was also a closed the team's climbing ambitions were thwarted by relentless rain, Sella seized the opportunity to capture pristine snow-dusted peaks. He experimented restlessly with technology, trying out telephoto pictures of Kanchenjunga. His images transported viewers to a world untouched by time. A decade later, Sella reached new heights - both literally and artistically - on a 1909 expedition to K2 with the Duke of the Abruzzi. His photographs of the world's most difficult mountain stand as a testament to his skill and resilience. Carrying a camera system weighing nearly 30kg, Sella crisscrossed treacherous landscapes, creating images that defined mountain Curran, author of K2: The Story of the Savage Mountain, calls Sella "possibly the greatest mountain photographer... his name [is] synonymous with technical perfection and aesthetic refinement". Sella was known for his extraordinary toughness, traversing the Alps at remarkable speed despite carrying heavy photographic gear. His makeshift camera harness and boots - three times heavier than modern ones - are preserved at the Photographic Institute in Biella. His clothing alone weighed over 10kg, while his camera equipment, including a Dallmeyer camera, tripod, and plates, added another 30kg - more than today's airline baggage limits. On the K2 expedition, Sella captured around 250 formal photographs with his Ross & Co camera over four to five months; on Kanchenjunga, about 200, notes Thomson."By modern digital standards, this number is nothing extraordinary - and even in the last days of analogue film, it would equate to some eight rolls, what a 1970s photographer could have used in a single morning on a single mountain - but when Sella was photographing, this was a considerable number. "This meant enormous care and thought was given to each photograph, both because he had relatively few plates he could shoot." Years later, the famous mountaineer-photographer Ansel Adams would write that the "purity of Sella's interpretations move the spectator to a religious awe".High-altitude photography came with risks - many of Sella's most ambitious shots were ruined when humid conditions caused tissue dividers to stick to the negatives. Yet those that survived reveal a masterful eye, notes Thomson. "Sella was one of the first to recognise how tracks in the snow are as much part of the composition as the mountaineers who made them." Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
