River of Colour

Description

Raghubir Singh (1942-1999) was one of the world’s finest documentary photographers ever. He was born in Rajasthan, India, and for 30 years made countless personal journeys across the vast subcontinent. He travelled along the Ganges, toured the ghats and alleys of Benares and explored the cosmopolitan cities of Calcutta and Mumbai. The result was a series of vibrant photographs that capture the exuberant spirit and restless activity of his native India.

Like his hero, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Singh always succeeded in getting into the heart of the scene and intuitively portraying it from the insider’s point of view. In his engaging and informative introduction to River of Colour, the first ever retrospective of his work, Singh explains what India means to him, focusing in particular on the strong importance of colour in India.

Singh’s instinctual affinity with colour is seen again and again in his mesmerizing pictures. Arranged in 11 sections that depict aspects integral to Indian life – such as the street, monuments, icons, water and pilgrimages – Singh’s photographs reveal everything from the magical to the mundane, providing a comprehensive picture of the country that remains imprinted in the mind.

Raghubir Singh (1942-1999) is considered by many to have been one of the finest of contemporary photographers. Born in Rajasthan, India, his work is in the permanent collections of a number of major museums, including The Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography. His many publications include books on Kerala, Rasjasthan, Bombay and the Ganges. River of Colour is the first ever retrospective of his work.

David Travis is Curator of Photography at the Art Institute of Chicago. His books include Taken by Design: Photographs from the Institute of Design, 1937-1971 and Edward Weston: The Last Years in Carmel.

“A crash course in human diversity that take hold of the eye and doesn’t let go unti the viewer is prostrate with exhaustion.”—Morning Star

“River of Colour is a sumptuous book, a carefully arranged, beautifully printed documentary of the enormous variety of life and colours of a country that, at times, can almost overwhelm the senses.”—The Times

“This year’s single best book of a contemporary photographer’s work is surely River of Colour.”—Independent

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