Tibet. 1999. A colorful village girl participates in a rural horse festival in Eastern Tibet.

McCurry pictured this woman at the famous Tagong horse festival. It is a vivid image. The emerald green shirt, adorned with delicate white flowers, contrasts sharply with the rich blues and reds of the necklaces and rouge applied to the woman's cheeks and lips. All set against a blood red backdrop, it makes for an intoxicating picture.

Phaidon, Looking East, The Path to Buddha, Iconic Images, final book_iconic, iconic photographs

Magnum Photos, NYC31808, MCS1999007K001

Each portrait speaks a thousand words about its subject and their world. The intricately carved beads of a festival-goer in Kham, Tibet, unwittingly demonstrate as skill in handicraft that has been almost entirely lost in the West. The striking robes and ceremonial clothing of monks and worshippers at temple are vividly colored by the very same natural dyes and spices that first lured Western traders to Asia.

McCurry, Steve. (2006). Looking East. New York: Phaidon Press Inc., 61

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