Don McCullin, the 90-year-old photographer, has witnessed unimaginable horrors throughout his life, capturing them through his iconic black-and-white images that leave a lasting impact on viewers. His latest exhibition at the Holburne Museum in Bath, "Broken Beauty", takes visitors through a poignant journey of human suffering and resilience over six decades.
The show begins with a striking series of photographs depicting ruined Roman sculptures, their pockmarked surfaces and broken limbs evoking the collapse of empires and the fragility of ideals. In these images, McCullin's lens serves as a mirror to humanity, highlighting our capacity for violence and destruction. A crouching Venus, her arms missing and head half-shattered, stands as a haunting reminder of the devastating consequences of war.
However, it is not the grand landscapes that showcase McCullin's mastery but the intimate, harrowing images that expose the human cost of conflict. Pictures of young men, often with blank stares or tears in their eyes, convey the trauma and grief inflicted by war. A 15-year-old boy, his face glossy with tears, stands at his father's funeral, having lost him to AIDS. These images serve as a stark reminder that even among the most resilient, life can be cruelly cut short.
The exhibition also delves into McCullin's extensive body of UK work, capturing industrial landscapes and workers, homeless people, and poverty-stricken peripheries. His lens reveals the liminal states where life and death exist side by side, as seen in a photograph of a homeless man sleeping standing up in Shoreditch.
The conflict pictures in this show are characterized by their immediacy and urgency, like snapshots from a moment frozen in time. The viewer is thrust into the midst of chaos, witnessing the raw emotion and desperation that defines war. McCullin's technique allows us to feel the presence of the subjects, rather than just observing them.
In stark contrast, his landscape photographs feel more subdued, almost as if they are attempting to soothe or appease the viewer. These still lifes, made in his garden shed, evoke a sense of detachment, which stands in stark contrast to the visceral images that follow.
The exhibition serves as an ode to McCullin's immense contribution to photojournalism and his unwavering dedication to capturing the human condition. This brief introduction to his work leaves viewers with a lasting impression of the devastating power of war and the resilience of humanity.
The show begins with a striking series of photographs depicting ruined Roman sculptures, their pockmarked surfaces and broken limbs evoking the collapse of empires and the fragility of ideals. In these images, McCullin's lens serves as a mirror to humanity, highlighting our capacity for violence and destruction. A crouching Venus, her arms missing and head half-shattered, stands as a haunting reminder of the devastating consequences of war.
However, it is not the grand landscapes that showcase McCullin's mastery but the intimate, harrowing images that expose the human cost of conflict. Pictures of young men, often with blank stares or tears in their eyes, convey the trauma and grief inflicted by war. A 15-year-old boy, his face glossy with tears, stands at his father's funeral, having lost him to AIDS. These images serve as a stark reminder that even among the most resilient, life can be cruelly cut short.
The exhibition also delves into McCullin's extensive body of UK work, capturing industrial landscapes and workers, homeless people, and poverty-stricken peripheries. His lens reveals the liminal states where life and death exist side by side, as seen in a photograph of a homeless man sleeping standing up in Shoreditch.
The conflict pictures in this show are characterized by their immediacy and urgency, like snapshots from a moment frozen in time. The viewer is thrust into the midst of chaos, witnessing the raw emotion and desperation that defines war. McCullin's technique allows us to feel the presence of the subjects, rather than just observing them.
In stark contrast, his landscape photographs feel more subdued, almost as if they are attempting to soothe or appease the viewer. These still lifes, made in his garden shed, evoke a sense of detachment, which stands in stark contrast to the visceral images that follow.
The exhibition serves as an ode to McCullin's immense contribution to photojournalism and his unwavering dedication to capturing the human condition. This brief introduction to his work leaves viewers with a lasting impression of the devastating power of war and the resilience of humanity.
The way Don McCullin's lens captures the raw emotion and desperation of war is just heartbreaking 
. I mean, you can feel the presence of the subjects in those conflict pictures like they're right in front of you. It's like he's giving us a glimpse into their souls.
. Like, I get it, we don't want to be reminded of war all the time, but at the same time, these other images of poverty and homelessness in UK work feel just as important 
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I went to see Don McCullin's exhibition at Holburne Museum in Bath, "Broken Beauty". It was intense, but what really stuck with me is how he balances capturing grand landscapes with intimate portraits that break your heart. The pics of young men staring blankly into space are haunting. You can almost feel the trauma they went through. 
I'm really moved by Don McCullin's latest exhibition, it's like stepping into a world that's both hauntingly beautiful and utterly devastating. The way he captures the human cost of conflict is just heartbreaking, those images of young men, blank stares, and tears in their eyes... it's like you can feel the weight of trauma and grief. And yet, at the same time, there's this sense of resilience and hope that runs through everything, even in the midst of chaos and destruction. 
and yet, his intimate images showing the human cost of war are so impactful. i love how he doesn't shy away from showcasing the trauma & grief inflicted by war - it's a harsh reminder that life can be cruelly cut short 
. anyway, gotta go check out this exhibition ASAP... my fave photog ever just got even more legendary 
. I also love how the exhibition has these stark contrasts between the landscape pics and the conflict ones, it's like a reflection of his own emotional state or something 
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but at the same time, his landscape shots are all soft & soothing 
like he's tryin to balance out the ugliness w/ some peace & quiet 
i mean, i know war & poverty r super important topics, but sometimes it feels like we're just gettin too much of a bad thing - can't we have some beauty & joy 2 balance it all out? 
. Anyway, I was just thinking about how weird it is that we can take something as mundane as pasta and turn it into an art form. Meanwhile, Don McCullin is out there capturing the raw emotion of human suffering... 
. But honestly, what really gets me is how he captures the complexity of human existence - we're all broken in some way, but it's how we respond to that breakage that matters 
. they're a reminder of humanity's capacity for love & resilience, even in the darkest of times 
. don't get me wrong, those landscape pics are gorgeous too 
the way he captured those war-torn landscapes is hauntingly real, it's like you can almost smell the desperation and chaos that surrounds those broken sculptures 
. Overall, this exhibition is an absolute must-see for anyone interested in photojournalism or just wants to be reminded of the impact one person can have on our world 
. I mean, those pics of the ruined Roman sculptures are hauntingly beautiful 
, but it's when he gets to the intimate portraits of young men affected by war that you really feel his impact 
. His use of composition is always so thoughtful, too - it's like he's carefully guiding us through this emotional rollercoaster 
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But overall, I think "Broken Beauty" is an incredible tribute to McCullin's legacy and his dedication to telling our stories 
& those young men with blank stares or tears in their eyes... *sigh* it's just too much 
& that homeless guy sleeping standing up in Shoreditch... what a powerful pic 