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ATTICUS MULLIKIN
Illiberal Commentary From a Non-Liberal
Articles Posted: 30; Links Seeded: 52
Member Since: 8/2007Last Seen: 10/29/2009
Member Since: 8/2007Last Seen: 10/29/2009
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"4th Platoon on the Outskirts of Buritz
Intelligence was received indicating a mortar attack from this field, but it never happened." Baghdad Journal, Artnet.com
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Originally published on AttiCusInk.com
I was going through my Amazon wish list, which is full of books I meant to buy, and I stumbled across a beautiful work by Steve Mumford that I never got around to ordering. Baghdad Journal: An artist in occupied Iraq turns the concept of war photographer on its ear. Mumford acted as a war artist, and kept a journal accompanied by his sketches and paintings during the course of four trips to Iraq between 2003-2004.
Mumford was embedded with US troops, and they where the subject of many paintings and drawings. But he also created a record of Iraqis in their daily life around Iraq, including many Iraqi artists. He sent digital versions of his work along with journal entries to artnet via satellite.
You can read Steve Mumford's biography at Drawn and Quartered.com. You can also hear a 1995 interview with him at NPR.
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{"commentId":1451448,"authorDomain":"atticusmullikin"}
With the advent of photography, it is often assumed that the value of sketches and drawings as media of reportage is obsolete, but I'm now convinced otherwise. Mumford's paintings show a depth of emotion and drama in a way that a picture perfect presentations often cannot.
Since the time I originally published this JournalArt on my blog, I've found a couple of other interesting links, including stories about Mumford on ABC News: Person of the Week and another from the Christian Science Monitor. You can also visit his ArtVitae.com page.
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#1 - Sat Feb 9, 2008 8:22 AM EST{"commentId":1891134,"authorDomain":"tedvoller"}
"No one will say what needs to be said: that "Baghdad Journal" is repugnant and that any artist who identifies himself with the Iraq war and occupation deserves to be and will be held in contempt, as an apologist for war crimes."
From Clare Hurley, "The New York art world's apology for the Iraq war" World Socialist Web Site, 13 June 2005.
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#2 - Wed Jun 4, 2008 11:25 AM EDT{"commentId":1898730,"authorDomain":"atticusmullikin"}
...any artist who identifies himself with the Iraq war and occupation deserves to be and will be held in contempt, as an apologist for war crimes."
That's a bit much. There are many things about the Iraq War of which I do not approve. But this seems like a reactionary response to a very grey matter, almost as "repugnant" as the neo-conservative propaganda campaign such statements were designed to counter. You don't topple an unethical enemy by adopting his methods. It feeds the neocon, "dirty liberal" mentality to do so.
How is Mumford "identifying" himself with the Iraq War merely by depicting, with painted images, what he sees happening there? Are photojournalists to be subjected to like-minded barbs for taking pictures, which can be just as easily manipulated to tap into emotional triggers?
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#3 - Thu Jun 5, 2008 4:02 AM EDT{"canLink":false,"threadId":"216381","isPrivate":false}
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