Monday, April 14, 2014

PHOTO JOURNALIST, BRAVE ARTIST

Continuation of Vietnam Photo Journalists, Artists at War

MALCOM BROWNE'S PULITZER PRIZE WINNING PHOTO FROM VIETNAM
The Burning Monk by Malcom Browne  Pulitzer Prize Winning Photo      from google for education
Malcom Browne

Malcom Browne's iconic photo of a monk setting himself to flame, and burning himself in protest of the Vietnamese war, was one of the most famous images to come out of the Vietnamese conflict.  The act of the Monk's immolation is a horrible event and to capture it in such detailed form as it actually happened was shocking to American's and the world. It makes me want to know more about the story behind this picture, and I imagine  you might feel the same… What would bring someone to the point of burning themselves in protest and why!?

Sculpture of Thitch Quang Duc, The Burning Monk
Saigon

To understand more about the story I researched the internet and found this reference below: " On 10 June 1963 Buddhist Monk Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire in protest over the governments treatment of Buddhist Monks in Vietnam.  After reading the article about Malcom Browne and the Burning Monk i wondered if there was a monument of Quang Duc in Saigon. I wasn't expecting to find anything as there aren't as many war monuments as I thought there would bek


"On 10 June 1963 Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc set himself alight in protest offer the governments treatment towards Buddhist.  After reading the article about Malcom Browne and the burning monk I wondered if there was a monument for Quang Duc.  I wasn't expecting to find anything as there aren't as many war monuments as I thought there would be in the city.  So I was surprised to find one of the most impressive memorial parks to one person I have ever seen." quote by James Clark from article on photo journalists of Vietnamese War.

Upon hearing of the event President John F. Kennedy said, " No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one". U. S. Senator Frank Church claimed "sush grisly scenes have not been witnessed since the Christian martyrs marching hand in hand into the arena  into the room. 



In thinking about this famous photograph by Malcom Brown,
Art is so often a expression and a reflection of the culture and time we live in.  I think in this time, the Vietnamese war, we see a conflict of cultures within the country and other foreign influences as the United States. I will leave it to you to contemplate the complexities and meanings that may come forth.  There were so many independent factors from individuals to the government.  All these paths led Malcom Browne that day to this spot to record history in one iconic photograph and a resulting sculpture and park. Without the exquisite talent of Malcom Browne and without the sacrifice of Thitch Quang Duc none of this would have been known to the world nor immortalized in a bronze sculpture for all times.


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