CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 11/11/2015

Don McCullin

In the great tradition of photojournalism, Susan Sontag wrote, "no one has surpassed—in breadth, in directness, in intimacy, in unforgettability—the exemplary, gut-wrenching work produced by Don McCullin. There can be no doubt of the intentions of this tenacious, impassioned witness, bringing back his news from hell. He wants to sadden. He means to arouse… We actually understand very little by just looking at the photographic witness of some heartbreaking arena of indignity, pain and death. Seeing reality in the form of an image cannot be more than an invitation to pay attention, to reflect, to learn, to examine the rationalizations for mass suffering offered by established powers. There are questions to be asked. Who caused what the picture shows? Who is responsible? Is it excusable? Was it inevitable? Is there some state of affairs which we’ve accepted up to now that ought to be challenged? A photograph can’t coerce. It won’t do the moral work for us. But it can start us on the way." Featured image is captioned, "Dying U.S. Marine carried by tank through the ruins of the Citadel, Hue, 1968."