Raghubir Singh
1942–1999 · India
Giving form to the density of everyday life.
The story
Raghubir Singh photographed India in colour, developing a language of overlapping planes, gestures and shared spaces. His eye engaged with small-format photography as well as Indian visual cultures. Landscapes, cities and movement become compositions in which several actions coexist. His work proposes a photographic modernity that makes colour an active element in understanding reality rather than an exotic decoration added to it.
Understanding the work
Observe the planes before choosing a main subject. Glances, reflections and colours connect several small scenes; the composition preserves their simultaneity rather than simplifying the situation around a single event.
Key works and series
Series on the Ganges, Calcutta and Bombay; A Way into India.
Sources & further exploration
Works in collections.
2 recordsPhotographs to explore on museum and library websites, with titles, dates and processes. Each link opens the collection record and its image where one is available.
- MoMA · 1977
Sadhu (Holy Man) in Palanquin, Kumb Mela, Ganges Bathing Fair, Allahabad, India
Dye transfer print, printed 1983
