Where: National Portrait Gallery
When: closing January 28, 2018
I found "The Face of Battle," the exhibit of portraits of soldiers at the National Portrait Gallery, very moving. For the vast majority of Americans, who don't know anyone in the military, it's easy to forget that young people are dying in wars on a regular basis. It's important for all of us to remember.
One of the show's curators noticed that veterans were used as props to sell things, and I was reminded of the fine novel, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. This show features the work of six artists, who depict ordinary soldiers and what they've left behind.
Stacy Pearsall's photographs depicted cigarettes and comradeship among servicemen and women as they wait to fight.
Emily Prince has constructed a graphical depiction of those who have died with many pieces of paper, color-coded to match the person's skin; all I could think was, "All of these people are dead."
Ashley Gilbertson takes photographs of the bedrooms of those killed in action; "bedrooms empty of all but things." They are all the bedrooms of such young people.
Louie Palu's portraits show soldiers who all look as if they've seen terrible things. I could only hope that they have received some help to deal with their memories.
Vincent Valdez's show is devoted to a friend who killed himself as a result of PTSD. It's just so sad.
Tim Hetherington's works are of male soldiers working together; I felt distant from the work, as it is quite deliberately men only.
Verdict: This is an excellent show and should be required viewing for everyone.
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