Stephen Curry’s India exhibit

The Rubin Museum is home to Steve McCurry’s India. Inside, the exhibit has a spacious feel. In the past, the museum was originally a Barney’s department store. The department store had initially placed a spiral staircase in the center of the building which the museum decided to keep. The Rubin incorporated the spiral staircase by having artwork on walls flow around the staircase. In other words, the viewer would walk around the staircase counter-clockwise allowing a more relaxed, fluid transition from piece to piece. The exhibit room itself also features dark teal colored walls versus white. The reason being is that McCurry’s work is already very vivid and colorful. A white wall would create a jarring effect having many different colorful pieces pop at you. Instead, the dark teal walls neutrealizes all the colors and works of art while still allowing enough contrast for each piece to stand out individually. McCurry’s work was grouped by locations and stories. For example, there was a section that focused on a specific part of india and the monsoons rain. There were also seating benches found throughout the area to sit and observe a photograph. At the ending of the exhibit were four stations where viewers can observe and listen to videos discussing proccesses, techniques and more.

For the exhibit, McCurry revolves around India and he thoroughly dissects it. McCurry presents indians to be, traditional, strong and cultural in his work. In all of his photographs, people of India are seen going about their daily lives; despite not having advancments like the United States, they still manage to get things done. In one image, an elderly man’s shop was washed away in the moonsoons rain but he still returns to rescue his sowing machine. This displays strength, determination, culture and tradition. The elderly man returned to retrieve his sowing machine in bad weather which shows strength and determination. The fact the object he returned for is a sowing machiene shows his culture and tradition. People in photographs are also seen barefooted or dressed religiously. Its evident that Indians love nature and are accustomed to it. The building architectures are very intricate and detailed and many mosques lie around india. Due to water not always being accesible, large step wells can be found in India aswell. Depending on which area, India has plenty to offer. But one thing regaurdless of area is that nature is always present.

A favorite photograph of mine from the exhibit is, Man Walks in the Himalayas (1996). In the image, a man can be seen walking along the Himalayas Mountains located in Ladakh, India. His scale in comparisson to the mountains in the background is very minimal. It harbors the effect that nature has more power over the man. The land also appears in layers, from one material to the next ultimately leading to a snow covered mountain. Because there was only one light source, which was the sun, the cast shadows are very dark and solid. I love the photograph because of the story and mood i get in conjunction to the beautiful scenery. Personally, I’m a big nature person and I go for walks alone. That being said, it was easier for me to relate and connect to the image because I too walk alone in nature. It’s impossible to ignore the enormous landscape in this photograph which is another reason i love this piece. The setting is very significant and meaningful to the photo. It reminds me how much bigger this world is compared to me and brings back a feeling of humblness. Taking a time out to pause and realize how time consuming New York City can be and how people tend to forget what this world has to offer is the reaction I first had. There are people around the world who may not have everything the U.S. does but still have the advantage and realization of the nature around them. Nature has its own aesthetic and McCurry shows this through the nature found in India. Another reason i gravitated toward this image was the use of natural light. The one light source allows for there to be greater contrast with shadows and adds an interesting effect to the land. The third dimension comes alive in this image with the help of strong shadows. In all, this photo was successful because it follows many techniques. For one, the figure is placed in the center to grab the viewer’s attention. Aside from that, there are leading lines next to the figure which helps with eye transition throughout the photo. McCurry also filled the frame using mountains found in the setting. To emphasize that the man is not the powerful one in the image but instead nature is, McCurry elevates himself slightly so it can appear as if we look down on the figure.

One of Steve McCurry’s most popular works is the Afghan girl. In the portrait, a young Afghan girl stares into the camera with pierci green eyes wearing a red scarf draped over her head. I believe this photo became iconic because of how intesnse her pose is. It’s not a pose where one mood can be conveyed but instead multiple moods. Especially that she comes from a third eorld country, the image is sure to spark controversy worldwide due to it relating to current events. The Afghan girl’s eyes also helped in making this photo iconic; her eyes standout so much they become imprinted on the viewer’s memory. This photo is successful because of how McCurry uses techniques in comunicating with the viewer. The subject is in the center and her eyes look into the camera. This already engages the viewer with the subject by  creating the illusion she is looking at the one observing. The red scarf and her green eyes also help in this photo because they are complementary colors helping to make the image standout. Having diffused shadows worked well with her pose and softened her face. I learned from this image that the young Afghan girl was a refugee who relocated to Pakistan. The reason was to escape the Soviet Union while they occupied Afghanistan. Her parents were killed in bombings caused by the Soviet. She and her remaining family walked mountains to escape the crisis. My biggest take away from the exhibit as a whole is realizing there is more to this world than our world. Alot of times, many people are born in one place and die not traveling or experiencing the rest of the world. This exhibit opened my eyes and mind up to the fact that ther are people all over this globe dealing with many different things and McCurry just displayed a few. As i write this, a person in India might be accumulating water from a stepwell, or an afghan girl might be running for help. Regaurdless whats going on, this exhibit opened me up to reality and it is by far one of the greatest realizations i’ve come to know.