THE ARTS IN NEW YORK CITY Fall 2017 | Baruch College | Macaulay Honors

In Susan Sontag’s “On Photography” she talks about how our culture is departing from craving experiences and moving towards a need to capture and consume. Our age prefers the photograph to the real thing, appearance over experience. This is due largely in part to the invention of the camera, and furthermore the innovation that the camera has gone through, from a large, bulky, inaccessible device to an extension of ourselves that we keep in our pocket at all times. Cameras allow us to replace reality by creating a ghost of the moment and people no longer feel that they need to actually experience something in order to understand it. This creates a market around the experience of moments, you didn’t really see something if you didn’t take a photo of it and post it on social media (for social capital). Moreover, if you have simply taken a photo of something, you have experienced it. I think that this leaves people feeling an emptiness inside them, they went somewhere, photographed it, but still don’t feel connected somehow. How can we bridge this gap between the experience of something and the photographic capture of something?

India in the 1970’s was going through a postcolonial discovery period, on one hand there was a push to revert to traditional Indian movements and styles and on the other hand, the Western influence was still prevalent and had the allure of modernity. Raghubir Singh’s exhibit “Modernism on the Ganges” shows how he utilized a humanist style of street photography that was traditionally European in style and usually showed European or other cultures through a white, European lens. Singh revolutionized this style by showing his world through an indigenous lens. Singh showed what everyday life in India looked like, the bright colors of tapestries and clothes seem to glow on chromogenic and gelatin prints.

In the smaller villages that Singh photographed, he captures candid images of people in their everyday lives, undisturbed by the presence of a camera. However, in his photos of Bombay which had a larger Western influence you can see how his subjects are all posing for the camera. These subjects know about pop culture and that their photos might be publicized and seen by others. Sontag also talks about this phenomenon, that this feeling of being photographed gives a sense of validation, makes one feel “real.”

Singh also spent some time in Northern England examining South Asian immigrant populations there. He analyzes the complexities and contradictions of immigrant life in a Thatcher-era Britain. In his photographs he combined Western modernism with Indian aesthetics, which might seem novel but I believe that it has some concerning implications. I think that photographing a country like India in a “western” style can result in an appropriation of the actual experience and reality that exists there. Even though Raghubir Singh is Indian himself, I think that when these photographs get circulated and are accessible to people like me, a white, privileged colonizer, it allows me to think about India in an only surface level way. I am able to view these photographs from the comfort of a well funded museum in my own city and then leave and go on with my daily life. None of the implications of actually experiencing India need to exist. Of course without photography it might be harder to understand what India in the 1970s and 80s was like. There is a lot of ambiguity surrounding the value of photography as a cultural artifact and as artwork, so I don’t think I can take a particular stance on it. I think the most important thing one can do to avoid merely consuming photographs is to be vigilant and actually try to understand the content and context of the photos.

Julie Woudenberg

Picture the following.

Droplets on a windscreen. A road surrounded by rolling green hills.  A woman seeking shelter.

A crowded marketplace. Hanging baskets. A middle-aged man drinking from a jug.

Waves crashing against a rock. A turquoise scarf with a patterned silver border. A red dot delicately placed in the center of an old woman’s forehead.

How do these images make you feel? What emotions do they stir up in you? Do they stir up any at all?

For me, they do. When I saw these images last week, during our visit to the Modernism on the Ganges: The Photographs of Raghubir Singh exhibit at the Met Breuer, I recall being completely captivated by them. I recall standing in the museum being wonderstruck. I recall feeling amazed.

Raghubir Singh’s photographs spoke to me in a way that Marcel Sternberger’s didn’t. With Sternberger’s, everything was quite literally and figuratively black and white. I looked at the images and saw them for what they were – portraits of people. They were beautiful but they weren’t very thought provoking. They didn’t have me wondering why the photographer made the choice to capture this particular moment.

Singh’s did. While looking at each and every one of his photographs the questions of why he chose this particular group of people, why he shot the image from this angle, and even why he picked this time of day crossed my mind. I wanted to know the reasons behind his stylistic choices. I wanted to know how he decided that taking a photograph of the Kerala landscape would look better through a car window and why to him the pedestrians of Mumbai were important. I wanted to know why a man drinking from a jug held meaning.

And then it occurred to me. The saying “writers write what they know” also applies to photographers.

Singh took photographs of his native country of India. Through his images, we see how he viewed his homeland. We see his thoughts on the people, the culture, and the environment. To be cliché, we see India through his eyes.

Someone else could take similar photos, and the effect could be the exact opposite. The love and appreciation present in Singh’s work, may not exist in another’s. Someone else’s photographs may also show barefoot men seated in a circle and women in traditional sarees, but instead of admiration, they might convey disgust.

That’s how photography works. Both images are capturing real moments but can be interpreted in two completely different ways. The emotions expressed is dependent upon the lens of the photographer and his or her own personal preferences. Every choice that a photographer makes, whether it be conscious or unconscious, impacts the images they capture.

-Alyssa Motilal

The exhibit of “Modernism on the Ganges: The Photographs of Raghubir Singh” related more to me than any other museum or exhibit this year. This is not only because I was born in India, but more importantly because it captured an aspect of my life I did not have access too. After leaving Kerala, my home state located in the southern part of India, I have only returned twice in the past 15 years to visit my grandparents and cousins. As time goes on, the physical connection I once had with my home land will eventually begin to fade into the depths of my memory. Photography will be the only thing that will help me keep those memories far past the lives of my grandparents and far past any barrier of physical distance.

Portfolio of Kerala as Photographed by Raghubir Singh

Raghubir Singh is able to depict the true impact of photography by “capturing reality” rather than merely interpreting it, as addressed by Susan Sontag. During the 1970s, Raghubir was a trailblazer for color photography and helped to show the world the power of “capturing reality” in photographs. Raghubir Singh focused his colorful work in the many different regions and states in India. From Calcutta, Bombay, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and even my own state of Kerala, Raghubir was able to capture photos of a land often times overlooked by other photographers. Growing up, I would hear my parents and family refer to these neighboring states of Kerala, but was never able to truly visualize it. As Kerala was mainly known as the tropical southern part of India, Bombay (now Mumbai) was located in the northern part of India. Often times seen in the same view of cities such as New York City in America. These vast differences were highlighted through Singh’s photography and truly exposed me to my own country.

“God’s Own Country” – Kerala

Through these photos of India, I was able to visualize the large growth India had gone through over the past 50 years. The development of every region of India is very spectacular, especially in my native state. From villages and dirt roads, Kerala has become one of India’s most successful states, leading the country in education standards, health sectors, literacy, high tourism rates, and of course the best sea-food in the country. The urbanization of states such as Kerala over the past years is something that may not have been captured by Raghubir, but his photos help to capture the great growth of the country, reminding citizens and outsiders alike where the country used to be as far as development was concerned.

Overall, Raghubir Singh’s use of color in his photography brought the rich colors of India to life, and showed viewers the reasons why the British wanted to colonize India in the first place. Rather than interpreting the images, he let the true essence of India capture the attention of viewers so they could see the reality of the country. He was able to “capture the true reality” of post-colonial India in its up and coming stages of development. It’s a shame that he will no longer be able to capture the reality of how far India, as a whole, has come. However, his photos will forever be a reminder for Indian citizens, like myself, where we started and the great development we went through to make India such a leading power country in the World.

– Abishek Johnson (AJ)

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

One of the most interesting lines in Susan Sontag’s writings was as follows, “To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed – putting oneself onto a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge – and, therefore, like power.” When you think of appropriation in our modern society, it is almost always a negative concept. Sontag offers the idea of appropriating a moment through photography, which appeals to me artistically and allows you to see a positive or at least constructive form of the word appropriation.

While observing Singh’s photographs of the Ganges, I could not leave with the idea that I now know what those people experienced, and yet I was able to feel a connection and understand nonetheless. Singh’s photographs put a focus on life, and captures the simultaneously traditional and modern India that he was experiencing. There is an entire series of photos with the Ambassador car, which utilizes mirrors and strategically rolled down windows to display modern inventions, like the car itself, with the contrast of vast landscapes and mountain ranges, untouched by industrialization. The feeling that his photographs left me were those of uncertainty in where culture is heading, especially due to this new modernization, and questioning what parts of their tradition and culture must be preserved or forgotten. This is seen in one photograph particularly well, where there is an unknown driver, driving in the rain, and in the mirror you can see a woman who is not driving, but walking along the pathway with various bags and items that are probably necessary for her survival, and she is trekking them for an unknown time to an unknown place. It is likely that she has travelled a long way due to the fact that there are no signs of civilization in the frame of view, meanwhile Singh and his driver are well off inside the safety and comfort of a vehicle.

His photographs were able to capture the moment as it was, and with enough depth that the viewer could start to feel the situation. Many of his photographs feature bustling market places and crowds that give off a sense of life and excitement that the viewer can feel. The fact that Singh is able to capture these fast moving scenes in a way where everything seemed to have slowed down just for him to capture the moment says a lot, in my opinion, on his skills as a photographer. Nothing in the frames seem rushed or blurred, it is just crisply interpreting the scene for the viewer. As a viewer, we are not appropriating their culture or their livelihood, however just appropriating an understanding due to the photograph, that allows us to imagine life in the subject’s perspective. In other words, we can imagine being there for a moment, and gaining power through that, however the photograph does not allow us to believe we were there, we are strictly observers.

In On Photography, Susan Sontag mentions photography are valued because they’re symbolic objects and give people information. Sontag states, “Photography implies that we know about the world if we accept it as the camera records it…Nevertheless the camera’s rendering of reality must always hide more than it discloses.” Sontag is stating that photography fills in the blanks and gives people information on situations they don’t know much about. Even though pictures are used to bring awareness to spectators,  photography doesn’t give the whole story to them. I took what she stated about ‘capturing reality’ and applied it them to the photographs I saw at the exhibit of Modernism on the Ganges: The Photographs of Raghubir Singh.

Around 1950s-1960s, India established their own independence from the English rule. Singh captures the post-partition of India beautifully. From photographs of everyday life such as inside a traditional home, fruit markets, typewriter factories to kite-flying festivals, the Taj Mahal, floods, and so on. Sontag may be right about not fully capturing the hardships and reality of India declaring their own independence after post-colonization merely through pictures, but as an outsider I have a clear understanding that India was embracing their culture and land to its full extent after the English rule left.

One of my favorite pictures from the exhibit was the kite-flying festival in Gujarat, India. It was a couple of people on a rooftop, and these colorful kites flying openly in the sky. Personally, I saw a symbolism between the kites flying freely and their newfound independence in India with living along with English influence rather than dominating them. The kites were the most colorful aspect of the photograph, it brought a sensation of happiness, which brings it back to the reality of India during that period of time.

I enjoyed how Singh didn’t only show the bright parts of the late 1900s in India, but also the problems they faced such as flooding and monsoon rains due to the geography and location of India. There was on picture that was showing a group of women with their dripping wet saris on top of a hill waiting for the monsoon to passby. There was another picture of a man diving straight into the flood in Ganges off this huge triangular structure. In that flood, there was multiple men swimming around like it was an outdoor pool. Singh depicted the struggles the Indian people lived and faced with natural disasters. Instead of them staying at home during a flood, they swam and jumped in it. I saw it as Singhdepicting Indian people as free-spirited and liberating.

Even though the reading has a firm stance on photographs being limited to the reality of a certain situation. Personally not knowing much about the post-colonization of India, I gained a sense of knowledge about the culture and reality of the way Indian people lived during that time period. Singh showed the world about the Indian lifestyle and people through his photographs around the beautiful country.

My favorite photographs of the exhibit were those taken from the inside of a car. The car was called the Ambassador car and was part of every photograph in the collection. He not only took pictures looking outside the windows but also through the mirrors of the car and out the door. He managed to include the Indian made car in every picture. This process positioned him in place of a traveler or an outsider. I found this interesting because it made me relate to the photography more. I know very little about India and its culture, but seeing the pictures positioned from a perspective of a passer by (and also emphasized with the inclusion of the car parts) helped me relate more and put me in place of the photographer.

I think due to the colors in Singh’s photography, he wanted to show India in a positive and happy way. There is a lot of human interaction in all of his photographs which gives his pictures a more humane and relatable vibe. Not only are the people in his photographs interacting with their surroundings but you can a lot of times clearly see their relationships with each other. I think a lot of times photography and media de-humanizes people and turn them more into objects rather than people, but Singh did a good job of countering that by capturing people in motion.

Singh’s photography definitely showed a lot of hardships of life and included photographs of natural disasters that would often evoke pity and compassion from the viewer. He also included a lot of pictures of ceremonies and different art aspects of Indian culture. His photographs helped me understand the culture even more and helped me appreciate its beauty. The statues were very interesting and definitely captivated my attention.

I also think a lot of his photography focused on the culture that was retained even post – colonial, rather than focusing on problems. With that being said though, if you look at all of the pictures you can still see some problems high lighted such as; overpopulation, poverty, and pollution. All of the issues are still there in his pictures, but in a way, what is high lighted are the positive. I think this was a very unique way to create photographs. A lot of people, when taking pictures start out with an initial point of view, which they want to relay, whether its negative or positive. Singh managed to combine both but still create pleasant images.

After visiting Raghubir Singh’s exhibit of post-colonial Indian life, I was able to answer the question Susan Sontag poses. She reflects on the idea of whether photographs merely “capture reality” or whether they interpret it. After viewing the wide range of photographs Raghubir Singh provided in his exhibit, I definitely believe that photographs capture reality as well as interpret it.

First, the photo of the young boy by the bus stop definitely caught my attention. The first thing I noticed about the photo was the heavy, dreary dark- almost black sky. The color of the sky related to the emotion on the boy’s face. He is not standing with the groups of people in the back, but rather Singh pulls in all the attention on this one boy. Standing amongst rubble on the street, he boy poses a blank kind of look, but yet a knowing one as well. He knows a storm is about to come, and to him, I assume his biggest concern is getting home. When young children are exposed to poverty, they do not necessarily know it. Raghubir Singh captured this idea perfectly through this photo and many others in his exhibit. Children living in poverty filled countries do not necessarily know it. They know life to be this way and do not know that it is uncommon. They face hardships on the daily and eventually, some, get rewarded with a new life. Not all. The facial expression on the boy’s face, in my opinion, is just taking everything in. Accepting the kind of state his country is in because he doesn’t know any better.

The second photograph that captivated me was the “Crawford market, Mumbair, Maharashtra” one. In this photo, there is so much commotion going on. Commotion is the perfect word to describe the overall state of the country post-colonial life. Everyone and everything was moving a mile a minute. IN this photograph, there are a numerous amount of men all surrounding and getting by this one man. He simply is paused, in the market, to drink some water. Even though the country was in a chaotic state, it was like Raghubir Singh captured a moment of peace during this man’s life. He seems unbothered, and content.

I would not have been able to come to these conclusions and reflections without the ideas of punctum and studium. Now, every time I look at a photograph, those two concepts come to mind. At first, I look at the picture as a whole. But then, looking more closely at detail, I was able to grasp and understand the true meaning and importance of every photograph. Going back to Susan Sontag, I definitely believe that Raghubir was able to capture the reality of post-colonial India. I also think the photo is greatly interpreted because he captures live photos. They were not stage and truly depicted the challenges, accomplishments, and just daily life activities of the individuals living in India at the time period.

Karina Karazhbey

Each photograph is exceptionally unique in that a photo can’t be retaken. Although a person could try to recapture the moment it will be of no use. This is due to time, movement, texture, scenery and color. Furthermore, each photo contains a special feature which is how each veiwer of the photos feel after analyzing them. I want to focus on two main aspects which stood out to me in Raghubir Singh’s photographs, which were displayed in the MET, which are color and theme. His photos of postcolonial India can never be retaken as well as with the same genius effects which he decided to include in his photos. The photos that were taken, in a sense, capture his reality of India by choosing to take such photos instead of other photos which he was capable of.

The color which was displayed was unique for the time he took such photos because the color photos weren’t popular within the photography field at the time. Taking such photos show his passion towards India and makes a connection with him and the people who went through suffering in the past. He took a certain risk on his profession for the sake of his country which is seen through the many pictures taken. By taking the photos he is rejuvenating the culture of India especially now that it is held in such high esteem. As opposed to color, black and white photos essentially doesn’t allow people to experience reality in the photos as the color does. Since we are so accustomed to seeing with our own eyes such color, people have an easier time connecting with their familiarity of color which they see every second of the day. This allows Singh to depict the reality of India in a clearer light.

Although postcolonial India is seen as a time of sorrow, Singh displays it as otherwise. For example, the exhibit displays two major themes which are the joy and positive of India and the sorrow and harshness of India. He uses his photos to display that just as there is a contrast within the color of photos so too is there a contrast within India itself. Whether it was capturing women caught up and huddled together in the rain or colorful fruits which were shown laying on the road or even a group of men hanging out with ice-cold ices in their hands show the various ways Indias’ life and culture are displayed with color photographs. He, ultimately, mix the photos in such a way that it seems like the two opposite themes don’t clash which further allowed me to visualize the reality of the situation.

There is no doubt that Singh revolutionized the photography world for the better. Color allows more opportunity to enjoy and interpret the photos displayed and definitely allows viewers to better “experience” the photos to its utmost potential. Usually, a single photograph even if it’s colored shows a small glimpse of the reality, but, with many colored photographs displayed in such an exhibit the spectrum is broadened and viewers are able to choose which type of photographs they feel is closer to the reality.

Susan Sontag’s question about whether photographs merely “capture reality” or whether they interpret it is the same as the difference of whether photographs are a reality or a perception of reality. Perception is an awareness resulting from sensory processes while a stimulus is present. Whereas a reality is the state of things as they are or appear to be.

My experience at the exhibit Modernism on the Ganges: The Photographs of Raghubir Singh in the Met Bruer, is another distinct way to tell the difference. When looking at the vast majority of Singh’s photographs I was accompanied by an elderly lady who took her phone out to take a picture. In medias res of taking the picture, a museum guard asked the lady to put down the phone because taking a picture of the photographs were against the museum rules. As a result of the museum guard’s demand, the elderly lady was forced to interpret the photographs at the exhibit to share with her husband back at home. The no phone policy denied capturing the photographs through the lady’s phone and made the lady interpret the photographs as she remembered.

Intriguingly, Singh captured, by means of photography, India as a different place than the British colonel photographers did. Singh’s photography captures the reality of post-colonial and post-partition by showing a radical contrast of colors to depict the time of radical economic and political transformation. This transformation is framed in both rural and urban areas. Photos that Singh captures in rural areas consist of   are “On Vivekananda Rock” taken over the Kanyan water and “Catching the Breeze” taken in the Hathod Village. On the contrary, photos that Singh captures in urban areas consist of “Pavement Mirror Shop” taken in the city of Howrah and “Crawford Market” taken in the crowded city of Bombay. He borrowed his Western values and combined it with his Indian values to give the viewers a well-rounded interpretation of India. Singh also so brilliantly takes a photograph of another picture within a frame. Singh does this intentionally to make his viewers ask more questions and interpret the cause for this.

Lastly, this was the second photographic exhibit I have ever been to in my life. The first being the Miskin Gallery in the Baruch building that I attended last week. I found it fascinating and appropriate to contrast, as Singh does, the difference between exhibit full of paintings and picture. I have concluded that paintings are created through interpretations, not necessarily capturing reality but capturing an interpreted reality. While, pictures present a captured reality that can later be interpreted. Thus, I find Raghubir Singh’s photographs so brilliantly framed because it captured a wide range of India through color showing and allowing the viewer to interpret the economic and political time.

Andrew Langer

Frame within a frame

“Crawford Market” photo taken by Raghubir Singh

“Pavement Mirror Shop” photo taken by Raghubir Singh

“Catching the Breeze” photo taken by Raghubir Singh

“On Vivekananda Rock” photo taken by Raghubir Singh