a washington museum puts faces on americas wars
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

A Washington museum puts faces on America's wars

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today A Washington museum puts faces on America's wars

The exhibit "The Face of Battle: Americans at War, 9/11 to Now," at the National Portrait Gallery
Washington - AFP

One of them looks at you directly: frank, clear-eyed and unblinking. Another, his helmet a bit askew, wears a grim, dazed expression.

These and other faces of the American wars fought since September 11, 2001 are now on display in a Washington museum, lending a human dimension to faraway conflicts.

By an accident of the calendar, the exhibit "The Face of Battle: Americans at War, 9/11 to Now," at the National Portrait Gallery until January 28, 2018, opened Friday -- hours after the United States launched its first military strike against the Syrian government, potentially opening a new battle front for the United States.

If the period covered by the exhibit begins with the United States opening its "war on terror" following the terror attacks of 2001, it has more to do with the relentless pace of these conflicts than with their intrinsic nature.

The idea for the show originated with the observation by its planners that the American soldier had been transformed in recent years into a "marketing product," omnipresent in television ads and product placements, a symbol, in their eyes, of the "normalization" of the GI. 

Six artists working in varied media -- photography, painting, sketches and videos -- were chosen to tell the story of "the emotional and psychological impact and consequences of modern warfare," said Kim Sajet, director of the portrait gallery, during a preview for reporters. 

 

- 'Personalizing' war stories -

 

"This is not intended to express the total experience of wartime," she said. But individual stories -- "encounters" with individual soldiers -- can create a sense of empathy in visitors, she said.

War photographer Louie Palu wanted to create exactly that sort of encounter for museum visitors. What is striking about his photos is the power of the expressions on the faces of soldiers he met in the Afghan provinces of Kandahar and Helmand between 2006 and 2010.

"There are two kinds of photographs -- there are the ones that you look into, and then there are photographs that look out at you," said Palu, who is Canadian. "You have to go and look in someone's eyes. I purposely don't have them with any guns. It's just a person."

His aim was not to take action shots, but to personalize the soldiers' stories, portraying them in natural poses away from the front.

Some wear haggard expressions, with the unfocused gaze of bone-tired fighters -- the "thousand-yard stare." 

This fragility persists when these weary warriors return home. "They are our neighbors, sisters, brothers," Palu said. "They're part of our society, and some of them are having a hard time."

Another room features a huge three-panel fresco comprising 1,500 pencil sketches, each about three by four inches (7 centimeters by 10 centimeters). Each one represents a soldier who died in combat, including his or her name, date of birth, and date of death.      

Artist Emily Prince had heard news reports about the mounting numbers of war dead, but she was left wanting to know more. "I wanted to know who the individuals were behind the numbers," said Prince, a librarian.

 

- The poignancy of absence -

 

So, after sifting through obituaries posted on a specialized web site, she began in 2004 to sketch the faces of the war dead. To date she has done more than 5,200.  

"This is about humanizing these numbers," she said.

Another photographer, Stacy Pearsall, had a different approach. "I wanted to focus on moments of camaraderie" and on soldiers' daily lives, said Pearsall, who joined the US Air Force at the age of 17, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. 

In one photo, a military dog reaches out a paw to a weary but gently smiling soldier; in another, two soldiers play around on a seesaw, while in yet a third photo, a serviceman firmly grips a baseball bat, preparing to swing at a stone serving as a ball. 

"For me," said Pearsall, who was seriously wounded in action in Iraq, "the most important story was to remind the viewers that these soldiers were men and women."

Paradoxically, some of the most poignant images are those in which soldiers are absent. They include photos by Ashley Gilbertson, who photographed empty rooms -- beds neatly made, everything arranged with military precision -- in the homes of men and women who lost their lives in Afghanistan or Iraq.  

The pictures testify to the youth of the fallen. 

In the room, for example, of Konstantin Menz, who died aged 22, everything is in order: the Axe deodorant, the toy soldier... everything neatly in its place except for a foam ball and a white teddy bear.

source: AFP

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

a washington museum puts faces on americas wars a washington museum puts faces on americas wars

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

a washington museum puts faces on americas wars a washington museum puts faces on americas wars

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today The Rake announces editorial updates

GMT 10:46 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

The Rake announces editorial updates
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Europe brings on charm and blue skies

GMT 11:51 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Europe brings on charm and blue skies
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today For the Variety of Interior Design Styles

GMT 10:46 2017 Tuesday ,19 December

For the Variety of Interior Design Styles
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today US Christian tourists see deep meaning

GMT 13:44 2018 Monday ,22 January

US Christian tourists see deep meaning
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 10:03 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 11:14 2017 Saturday ,09 December

Bitcoin surges towards $17,000

GMT 12:37 2017 Tuesday ,21 November

Merkel's fate in balance as German coalition

GMT 10:50 2017 Saturday ,29 April

Dubai welcomes over 1.6m Saudi travelers in 2016

GMT 10:44 2011 Wednesday ,28 December

Afghanistan signs \'$7 bn\' oil deal with China

GMT 09:57 2017 Wednesday ,30 August

Guatemala court overrules leader's order expelling

GMT 03:01 2016 Monday ,25 July

Flood death toll rises to 130 in nourth China

GMT 14:10 2012 Monday ,20 February

Egypt more precious than sight

GMT 14:25 2013 Sunday ,30 June

Americans spend 23 hours a week online

GMT 00:29 2012 Thursday ,12 January

Chalet Girl

GMT 13:40 2011 Monday ,11 July

DEWA launches Al Barshaa substation

GMT 07:11 2017 Thursday ,16 February

Intermittent rain on Thursday

GMT 14:17 2011 Tuesday ,31 May

Abu Dhabi airport passenger, cargo up 15%

GMT 20:00 2017 Sunday ,08 January

Why Tehran claims its war in Syria is defensive

GMT 08:21 2011 Thursday ,26 May

Air India airline fined for fake visas
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday