2002-02-20 A heart-rending, yet beautifully-presented tour de force

James Nachtwey's war photography was never supposed to be a representative perusal of global conflict and suffering. It is consequently churlish to denigrate it for poor coverage, as in so doing one may well miss its accomplishment in being one of the most harrowing and important collections of images I have seen in recent years. Frankly, the introduction by Sante is badly-written and erratic, but more to the point it is unimportant. The images and their terse captions (presented at the back of the book) dwarf Sante's slightly ostentatious posturing. What sets Nachtwey apart from the majority of war photographers is the fact that each image - however horrendous or traumatic the topic - is absolutely beautiful, with tones, composition and perspective all keenly observed. Like Don McCullin, he seems to maintain the (I believe correct) idea that war photographers can do more to alleviate the suffering of their subjects if they coolly record without becoming directly involved at an emotional level. The images are therefore more accessible to the general public, who cannot experience the emotional charge of being present to witness the sight in all it's horror. Additionally, this decidedly purist stance has the effect of elevating images of suffering to truly beautiful, even magnificent portrayals that restore some of the human dignity that has been so cruelly ravaged by war and famine. All this said, it is still a hard book to read, and is guaranteed to shake you out of a complacency you never even knew you had.