Room 1 explores McCullin’s early works, growing up there was a lot of gang culture where he lived, a policeman was stabbed to death at the bottom of his road. The people in ‘The Guv’nors in their Sunday suits’ attended McCullin’s school and were around/part of the gang scene. When the common gang events were unfolding. The observer picture editor encouraged McCullin to document more of these events.
‘The Guv’nors in their Sunday suits, Finsbury Park (1958)’ The composition of this image stood out. The image follows the rule of thirds. The men are all lined up in the second horizontal third, and all spread out along the 3 vertical thirds. This photograph also explores levels seen by two of the men sitting while the others stand tall. This photograph also explores juxtaposition as there is a strong contrast between the men in suits and the derelict building. |
Don McCullin travelled to Germany in 1961 to photography the building of the berlin wall, he felt compelled to document the. Construction of a wall. Designed to. Prevent further defections. McCullin’s photographs won him a British press award and a permanent contract with the observer.
As a photographer McCullin plays with depth of field. ‘Near Checkpoint Charlie, 1961’ explores depth of field, the boot of the soldier is in high focus whereas the other solider and women on the horizon are blurred. This shows us little typical scenes of war; the beautiful women being adored by men returning from war. Also, the depth of field takes are mind off the idea of war as its to boot that draws are attentions first the realisation that it is a photograph of war comes second. |
McCullin spent 11 days with American troops in Vietnam, I feel like his personal experiences and connections with the people he photographed is apparent in his works. “Seeing, looking at what others cannot bear to see, is what my life as war reporter is all about” The desperate circumstances of the young troops can be seen in the photograph ‘US army chaplain rescuing Vietnamese woman, Hué 1968’ the photograph captures a frightened old injured woman being saved by a young desperate solider through the rubbles of a bomb stricken scene.
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A controversial image in room 4 was ‘Body of a North Vietnamese soldier’ as the photographer altered the scene for himself. At first, I felt it was wrong to disturb the scene, but the reasoning behind it was respectful. The enemies of the deceased trampled over his possessions, McCullin felt the Vietnamese soldier needed a voice. He saw it necessary to rearrange he belongings, to me it feels like a burial, he deserved to die beside those he loved therefore being surrounded by. Photographs of his wife, sister. And children seem appropriate. To me McCullin achieved letting the solider die with who he loved at what he loved.
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There was a apparent contrast with the photographs in room 5 compared to the photographs of conflict in the other rooms. The photographs seem more personal here, more centred around the portraiture of the subjects. The other rooms focused more on the what was going on and who was there. I feel room 5 is more about the pose and expression of the people, the situation these people are in, being homeless, comes second show through the state they are in and the environment they are living in.
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McCullin documents the Lebanese civil war, vicious fighting between Christians and Muslims took place. McCullin travelled to the region after horrific massacres had taken place in a Muslim area in 1976. McCullin later returned in 1982 to similar scenes of horror.
‘Murder in a Turkish village, 1964’ was a disturbing photograph it showed a grieving family surrounding a deceased family member. The mother? In the photograph is holding the deceased as if she’s checking for him to breathe or holding him knowing it’s the last time she will. McCullin usually seems like a witness in his photographs whereas with this photograph he comes across as an intruder. All though this photograph is powerful it still is a scene of mourning and I think McCullin should have shown respect to the family and refrained from taking the photograph. |
McCullin seeks approval from his subjects, he makes sure he is close enough to them to take the photograph. This in some photographs is clear. ‘a boy at the funeral of his father that died of AIDs, Ndola, Kawama cemetery Zambia, 2000’ in this photograph the boy is almost allowing the viewer to feel his emotions, it creates a lot of empathy. Seeing the pain in his eyes, horror in others faces photographed and the sorrow in all of his work resonates within the viewer.
In some of the photographs of India, mist is inherent in the landscape. In ‘Elephants, 1991’ this mist in the horizon makes what’s to come post the image unclear, it almost as the subjects are travelling toward the horizon unsure of what the next days are to bring. Whether this is war, death or freedom and peace. |