` Browsing through the Modernism on the Ganges exhibit, I must say, I really enjoyed looking at all the photographs. What first caught my attention was all the color. The photos were so vibrant and attractive. I do enjoy looking at black and white photos but I prefer color photos more. I feel that you can really look at the photos and understand all their detail. The image you are faced becomes multifaceted and exciting.
I did not really know anything about Raghubir Singh going into the exhibit. However, I quickly learned of his story as a photographer. Many of the photographs he took in India were to capture the occurring transformation of the Indian nation.
I noticed from looking at some photos that were contrasting societal elements in some of the photos. In Crawford Market, there were many people crowded around a market place and drinking from cisterns. There was something ancient about this photo. I don’t know particularly what it was, yet the people in the photograph seemed “old world”. It felt a little tribal and third world.
However, there were other photos that showed development and industrialization. These photos depicted the political and socio-economic revolution occurring at the time. Zaveri Bazaar and Jeweller’s Showroom was a photo that depicted an almost more sophisticated India, an India that was changing.
Additionally, there were also those photos that depicted both aspects of the emerging reform. These photos were both third world and also sophisticated. I enjoyed these photos most because they captured both elements of the oncoming society. I thought of these photos as a hatching in some sort. There was something present being shattered in order to create a new beginning.
I feel that Raghubir’s photos were a successful depiction and encompassment of reality. There was something raw about his photographs. His subjects did not pose, rather he captured them via observation. This observation created a natural platform where Raghubir could capture what was occurring in its authenticity. It’s important to take note and ask yourself, “How candid is this image?” I feel that asking yourself this allows you to remove subconscious bias when observing an image. With an unbiased attitude, you can view the photo with an extended lens.
I totally agree with you that many of Singh’s photos conveyed a tribal feeling. Something about a group of people, in a post-colonial society, suffering yet thriving through the same conditions of poverty gives the impression of surviving being a group effort, and I believe depicts the resilience of developing nations. I also agree with you regarding the sense of rawness that Singh’s photos contain. The lack of organization gives the feeling that this photo depicts a reality that the people of India experienced at the time of this photo. Great work!
I always feel like us as a society should move on from the use of the term “third world”. I used it in my post, but I wished I did not need to. I would wonder, though, what term would we replace it with? Maybe it should be called developing. Also, it interesting that your post highlights the reform part of Singh’s work. I agree that there is authenticity, because Singh doesn’t falsify anything. Nice blog.