Why read Photos of the Gods?

Book cover of Photos of the Gods: the Printed Image and Political Struggle in India

Book description

'Photos of the Gods' is a comprehensive history of India's popular visual culture. Combining anthropology, political and cultural history, and the study of aesthetic systems, and using many intriguing and unfamiliar images, the book shows that the current predicament of India cannot be understood without taking into account this complex,…

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Asian history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Photos of the Gods as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

William Gallois

Author

I love the open-mindedness of this book and the way in which it can open your mind as a reader.

Can pictures think for themselves? How do pictures communicate with each other and with their audiences? These are the kinds of questions that this pathbreaking work opens up to its audience.

It also changed my sense as to how photography and painting/prints relate to each other, as well as providing a strong defence of the idea that deep cultural critique can be founded upon the study of quite ordinary objects and texts.

From William's list on Islamic art and it's hidden beauty.