The Jaar exhibit we experienced this weekend has been resurfacing and re-creating itself through my experiences the last few days. This morning, however, the layers of my understanding were at once threatened and deepened as I heard a story about Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Eddie Adams and how his award for an iconic photograph that many associate with Vietnam haunted him. Hal Buell, former AP photo editor explained, “No war was ever photographed the way Vietnam was, and no war will ever be photographed again the way Vietnam was photographed ... Photographers had incredible access, which you don't get anymore,” and his words lay at the heart of the ghosts that lived with Adams until his death. What's interesting is in how the public received and exploited the photo. The following passage from the story this morning may help you reading this understand:
"But Adams, who considered himself a patriot and a Marine, never came to terms with the fact that the anti-war movement saw that photograph as proof that the Vietnam War was unjustified. In fact, he believed to the end of his life that the picture only told part of the truth. The untold story was that on the day of the execution, an aid to Loan was killed by insurgents. After Loan pulled the trigger, he walked by Adams and said, 'They killed many of our people and many of yours.'"
These powerful words forced me into seeing outside of the frame, which certainly shed new light on what we saw this weekend. I sometimes get so caught up in a piece of artwork, I forget to look beyond. . .but then, should I be looking beyond?
Thoughtful comments, indeed, Anne. I often wonder myself what is outside of the frame. If "a picture paints a thousand words", do those thousand words represent or misrepresent? What it looks like may not be what it is as clearly shown by the comments by Adams and reported by Buell. It makes me thing of that movie, "Wag the Dog", a fictionalized drama which showed how the media could manipulate public opinion through the use of images, and "spin" and make people believe things that really were not true. Interesting things to think about.
ReplyDeletePretty nice way to take it further
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