For all our chest thumping this really is man, frightened enough by existence that, in order to prove our worth, we resort to killing others.
His work is the epitome of the phrase "One picture says a thousand words." Even the landscape has a soul.
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The right people are not seeing these images. Biafra 1968.
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McCullin is not an artist, he is a human of the highest order.
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McCullins photo of celebrating the death of the Palestinian girl addressed the inhumanity. Those smiling faces will carry it as well, a nightmare or a victory?
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The best way to appreciate photos like this, these and others is not to say: "How awful violence is." That violence is awful and destroys persons has been known since the first 10 lines of the Iliad, the first writing in the Western world.
And the best way is not to say: "How can human beings cause violence like this?"
The best, and most hopeful way, to react to these pictures is to say: "This makes concrete the allure of violence inside me, and every other human being. How do I need to change in empathy and self-understanding -- although such change is unnatural and very, very difficult."
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I was somewhat surprised not to see one of McCullin's most controversial and well-known images in the Times's selection, but perhaps it's not in the show at the Tate. It's a closeup of a dead Viet Cong soldier surrounded by unused bullets and including a picture, presumably of one of the dead soldier's loved ones. As I recall, questions arose as to whether McCullin had "dressed the set" by arranging the composition to make a stronger statement before taking the photo. Strong opinions were expressed on both sides of the controversy by documentary photographers and critics.
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When it come to politics, the level of commentary and debate is hot and contentious. When it comes to the consequence of politics, the comments are spare and uniformly distraught at how awful we are to one another.
Where is the resounding condemnation of the bad ideas that caused the wars and battles depicted? Where is the consensus of resolve to rethink all war efforts -- be they bombs or tariffs? Where are the protests of people in the streets in the face of autocracy? Standing and applauding hail to the chief in the halls of congress. The times they are a--changin? Hardly.
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He is a world class artist.
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Good for him to modestly shun the "artist" tag. There's nothing wrong with being a journalist, a master craftsman, or whatever he prefers to be known as.
There are way too many people these days taking snapshots (like hipster street photographers), converting them to black & white, and calling it "art."
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@Gofry Plus for me it seems to that the b&w film, and it's grain that change how the image is perceived. One's gaze is not drawn to the bright red blood or a specific skin color, but the anguish and pain. You look at the faces and the expressions, then see the dead girl. Next to the person with the musical instrument - a young man with a Kalashnikov pointed in the direction of McCullin.
Digital is wondrous but looks pale in comparison.
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Great article, his work is dark but beautiful. A stunning visual tour through the troubled times of this world. His exhibition starts today, as soon as I finish this comment I will buy tickets to see this at the Tate next week.
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@terryv - look for my eyes as well, please. It's a long way from Oregon to the Tate. As an enthusiastic amateur photographer I can appreciate enormously Mr. McCullin's skill with a camera and his innate ability to capture a crux of the moment.
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We humans are a nasty bunch at times. Only art elevates us.
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Sometimes we need to be punched in the face, first to pay attention, then to wake up. More please.
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Powerful and moving!
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McCullin is a star.
Such a shame that this type of photojournalism doesn't exist anymore. More images like these showing the true brutality of conflict might make people today less enthralled by, and ready to, support wars around the globe.
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Sorry Mr. McCullin...you're an artist. In photography the word 'art' refers to an image that elicits an emotional response in the viewer. And every one of your images in this article did something to me. You didn't just point the camera in random directions.
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@W You might be interested in the remarkable documentary about him 'McCullin'. I think his dislike of the word 'artist' is not because he underrates his talent, but because he's haunted by the subjects of many of his photographs. So thinking any of the human suffering he's witnessed was somehow in service to his art feels like it betrays the dignity of the subject. That was the sense I took away from it. Remarkable man with a remarkable body of work.
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His "I am not an artist" statement really appeals to me. It shows respect for his subjects, his craft, and to other types of creators. Humility from those at the top of their craft is particularly admirable, and far too rarely observed.
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To be honest I did not know Don McCullin and I am truly delighted to have read about him - thank you so much for this article !
Not only are his photographs stunning and heartbreaking, but they also form a novel, emotional, and personnal approach to History.
It actually reminds me of Irving Penn's definition of photography - "Photography is just the present state of man's visual history".
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@Agnes G Yet, sadly your closing no longer holds true. Yes, film could be manipulated but rarely without detectable artifacts. It was a preserved slice of time.
Now, we can not trust what we see with our eyes as every pixel can be manipulated and molded to fit the photographers own perceptions of the events - real or false. Faces can be replaced, modified, or deleted. Blood can be sanitized from the viewer eye.
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@Michael Oh yes, I think you are absolutely right!
But then, from that point of view, photography would become more and more akin to an art, since the idea seems to be that of sublimation, embellishment or at least that of changing reality...
Here I was just referring to McCullin's or Penn's works, but you're right - times have definitely changed...
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A great piece on a wonderful photographer, reminding us of the shared human tragedy around the world and in our own back yard. Thank you to Mr. McCullin for telling these truths in such dramatic fashion.
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I am not an artist i am a photographer...i completely appreciate this position...i did not know who he was before but i will be looking for more...an instructive article.
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All the pictures deeply affect the viewer. The one that affects me most is the mother who is so thin and starving while her child is trying to drink milk from her breast. She looks so weak, so exhausted, so vulnerable while I sit here with my coffee, water, breakfast cereal and banana. How can this be? How can we countenance such suffering of women and children who always become the victims of the relentless pursuit of power, to what end?
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These photos brought chills to me. The inhumanity of man and the pain war and the heartbreak of the poor are so real. Thank you for showing life as it is projected in real time.
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Amazing photographs -- wish there were more to see.
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There is a saying among some photojournalists: f5.6 and be there. Don McCullin's brilliance is "being there" and seeing the decisive moment ~ this makes him a superior witness to history in the making. He deserves any and all accolades for putting himself in the right places and documenting what he sees. Reporters can report from afar, but photojournalists are up close and personal, and put themselves on the line more than any others. It's a miracle he survived, unlike many many others.
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Excellent, both the photos and the decision to
show them to us.
Thank You!
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I have tremendous respect and adulation for photo journalist. As a “ regular “ photographer working in the corporate world, I am continually blown away by the brilliant photographs captured while under incredible conditions . These men and women who do this are a special breed, bringing us stunning images of split seconds of time from around the world enabling us all to experience humanity in all it’s splendor and despair.
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The "1971 gang of boys in Northern Ireland photo" served as the cover of the English band Killing Joke's eponymous debut album in 1980.
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@Kelley McDonald Perfect match for the music and ideas contained therein and all that came afterward - right up to present day. More relevant than ever.
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What a series of the most stunning photographs appear in this article. Artist or photographer, one thing is sure... Don McCullin is a genius
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Very nice article, I knew nothing about this photo journalist.
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Watch the 2012 documentary "McCullin". Absolutely captivating.
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It's hard to look at these pictures over breakfast and then head out to work and my ordinary day with its simple tasks and inconsequential encounters and leave my conscience behind.
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I think the eye of a great photographer is always working and influenced by artistic instinct whether conscious or not; I understand his fret about being called an artist but without artistic instinct, would his photos be as powerful?
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@Marianne Hanley ...we could debate "instinct" Vs skills and intentions.
These pictures were so striking. It's interesting now to see how advanced our technology has become— to the point where everyone has a camera. Yet few of the pictures we take are as powerful as these.
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