glitter and doom, part deux

Spencer Platt, USA, Getty Images

Young Lebanese drive through devastated neighborhood of South Beirut, 15 August

This image was the World Press Photo of the Year for 2006. This blogger has a lot of interesting things to say about it.

I am certain that Spencer Platt’s picture which won the World Press Photo prize for 2006 looked disturbing and even repellent to most viewers at first glance. I admit that it bothered me when I first saw it on my screen. But I also admit that I kept on looking at it. What was it that intrigued me in this picture despite my unexplained revulsion? Why did I feel that I had to write about what I saw in the picture? …
My colleague, who heard me say “good Lord” to my computer, came closer, had a quick look and said without a second’s hesitation: this reminds me of Rebel Without a Cause. You do remember this cult movie, starring the young and beautiful James Dean? The red convertible car must have inspired his remark, along with the glamorous youth taking a ride inside it.I said to myself, there is something bizarre in my colleague’s remark, for it is not enough to see a fancy car and a few pretty faces to recall James Dean and Hollywood’s cults. But after a pause, I realised that his reaction was not shallow: for, think cars, beautiful young people and … think also of death, and you have a good reason to remember James Dean and his rebellion.

That same afternoon, I went to a housewarming party and I overheard two young Lebanese arguing about the same photo. Both were in their 20s and very “cosmopolitan”. One said: I think this is a great photograph, it shows us as we are, not people associated only with war and destruction. The second one was appalled and said: this is the “new orientalism” - instead of the women depicted in Delacroix’s classic orientalist paintings, today we have these modern, model-type Lebanese women against a background of war and poverty.

I wrote about Glitter and Doom here. (Hey, all you New Yorkers: you can still see the German Expressionist show at the Met till Saturday.)

Otto Dix, 1925