Margaret Bourke-White was an iconic photographer of the 20
th century who throughout her career, used photography to make a statement. While working for LIFE magazine in 1946, Bourke-White headed to India (during the time leading up to their independence from great Britain) where she worked on a feature titled “India’s Leaders”. There were a series of the photographs produced from this feature that simply exhibit Mahatma Ghandi at his spinning wheel. Ghandi was and still is recognized as one of the great leaders of the Indian independence movement against British rule. For Ghandi and his followers, spinning was a daily ritual that was held in high regard which Bourke-White sought to convey in this photo.
In relation to the modern art movement, this is a perfect representation of expressionism. The photo promotes feelings of peace, serenity, and vulnerability; Ghandi,
this great powerful leader, is sitting on a rug and appears fragile in this space while practicing the spinning ritual. In 1946, LIFE magazine featured the photo along with an article that discussed his natural remedies for the sick. In more recent times, the photo was republished by LIFE in 2014 on what would have been his 145th birthday, along with a feature article that describes the history of these photos.
http://time.com/3639043/gandhi-and-his-spinning-wheel-the-story-behind-an-iconic-photo/
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