Icons of war

Tyler Green over at Modern Art Notes has posted a portion of his Bloomberg review of the National Gallery of Art's Roger Fenton show. He also makes some insightful comments comparing a Fenton photograph to Luis Sinco's recent image of Marine Lance Corporal James Miller in Fallujah.

Take a minute and examine Sinco's two photos of Corporal Miller in the LA Times follow-up article. The helmet, blood, mud, camo-paint, and cigarette appear to add ten years to Miller's baby face. Then compare the Fallujah image with this iconic WWII photo from W. Eugene Smith:

Smith's shot, despite the similar subject, is packed with optimistic drama. Yes, the soldier is haggard and grizzled, but his face is fully lit, his body dramatically angled forward into the light and the darkness in the shot is behind him. Sinco's shot, in contrast, is flatly lit and squared up, creating a sense of objectivity. The NY Times' Ashley Gilbertson captured some similar images from Fallujah.

Back to Tyler's review, I'd like to hear his take on other aspects of the Fenton image he reproduced. There is the obvious use of a canvas in the background, but it is half out of frame and the side of an exterior slat-board wall is clearly visible. It's almost like one of Fenton's outtakes or prep images rather than a final product.