Timothy O'Sullivan was an American photographer who took
several images and documentations of the American Civil War. This piece expresses
the power of photography. Prior to this medium, an artist could spend days
painting, sketching, or sculpting an idea or moment in history, but during this
process, the artist translates what he sees and unintentionally includes his or
her emotions and feelings into that translation. With photography, an artist can
instantly capture physical forms as they were by using an emotionless
mechanical device rather than the human mind. This image shows corpses as far
as the horizon which transform death into an objective and simple subject.
There is no attachment or tragedy related to this image, for it is simply a
picture of death as it is. Also, this image shows the low value of human life
during times of war.
This final piece of artwork needs no explanation to the
relationship it has with death. The mass of bodies shows how easily and quickly
something can go from living to dead. There is no emotional attachment or
sadness that accompanies these bodies. The image is simple, and it shows death
in a simple manner. When these people died, they merely fell to the ground and
laid there until their corpses were collected and disposed of. So, this image has a raw and uncut interpretation of death.
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