Walking through Raghubir Singh’s exhibit Modernism on the Ganges, I was surprised how a photograph can capture more than just an aesthetically pleasing view. As I viewed his numerous of photographs, I started to evaluate his work in relation to Susan Sontag’s interpretation of photographs and how they can “capture reality” or interpret them. Although photograph’s can be extremely subjective, it also allows the viewer to expand their sense of reality.
As Susan Sontag stated in her piece “On Photography”, “A photograph passes for incontrovertible proof that a given thing happens. The picture may distort, but there is always a presumption that something exists, or did exist, which is like what’s in the picture,” (Sontag 5). In this sense, a photo is evidence that something occurred; however, it can be exaggerated and distorted, but ultimately it shows that an event or happening did, in fact, happen and shows the viewer a “reality” for them to decide for themselves. As I viewed Singh’s work and related to the theme of India post decolonization, I took this statement in account and observed these photos with this frame of mind.
In this particular picture, the viewer can see the evolution of transportation and its modernization, yet there is still a sense of the past (represented by the woman walking instead of driving). I observed this dichotomy and contemplated its relevance to both Singh’s theme throughout his exhibit and its connection to Sontag’s points. Singh ultimately used his photographs to show the integration of Western modernism and India’s traditional culture. In this picture, us viewers can get a glimpse of their reality from the lens of Singh’s camera. With this in mind, Singh is trying to show us viewers a “reality” that India faced after its decolonization.
Like the last picture, this photograph clearly shows the transition from India’s traditional past to its new world that was influenced by Western modernism. Without words, the viewer can see the clear transition from India’s past to its present/future. As Sontag stated, “Photographed images do not seem to be statements about the world so much as pieces of it, miniatures of reality that anyone can make or acquire,” (Sontag 4). In this sense, a photo merely shows the viewer a glimpse of the “reality” and leaves the rest up for the viewer to form opinions and observations on. Photos are almost a thought provoker and general pathway for the viewer to form their own opinions and ideas. In the case of Singh’s work, his photos merely show certain instances that do involve India and its state post-colonization, but it is up to the viewer to observe and form thoughts of how India changed and whether or not it was influenced or not. To me, seeing the differences between the modernization in technology and the remanence of traditional infrastructure, I concluded that India was influenced by Western modernization and was evolving, but they still preserved their traditional culture shown in their infrastructure and the people.
Claire Ng
I really enjoyed the quote you pulled from Sontag, because it resonated with me as well when considering the idea that a photograph can never tell the entire story, however it can still provide us with a gateway towards understanding a scene or situation that we otherwise never would have discovered. I like the idea that you presented in the beginning of your blog as well, because as a viewer we can never be entirely sure how a photo was staged, and because of that we are having faith that the photographer is being truthful in what he or she is presenting. I really enjoy the points you made, great work!