River of Colour: The India of Raghubir Singh

This is a retrospective view, since the mid-1960s, of the work of Raghubir Singh, one of India's greatest photographers. Published to mark the occasion of an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, it contains images of India, with an introduction by Singh and quotations by India's best-known writers. Since the 1960s, Singh has roamed far and wide across the vast expanses of India, from the source of the Ganges and the ghats of Benares, to Bombay and the Himalayas. In his introduction, he explains what India means to him - focusing in particular on colour. Arranged in 11 thematic sections, the images capture the sights and smells of streetlife, monuments and pilgrims to create a comprehensive picture of daily life in India.

This is the first retrospective collection of the work of Indian photographer Singh (The Grand Trunk Road: A Passage Through India, Aperture, 1995), whose work is in the permanent collections of several major U.S. museums. Singh has been compared to Henri Cartier-Bresson in his ability to capture the day-to-day life of ordinary people. In the book's preface, David Travis, curator of photography at the Art Institute of Chicago, remarks that in Singh's photographs, "the wise and mad cultural heritage of India is out in the streets for everyone to see." Unlike Cartier-Bresson, however, Singh uses color with aplomb. In his introductory essay, "River of Color: An Indian View," Singh voices his theories about color, photography, and art in general. This large-format volume features 128 full-page and two-page color photographs, divided by theme. They are followed by four pages of notes. Highly recommended for photography and art collections.?Ravi Shenoy, Hinsdale P.L., IL
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