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Technorati'You Become Accustomed to the Smell of Blood During War'
John Hoyland's artwork, capturing the brutality of conflict, is as eloquent as any journalist's article
I was in the occupied Palestinian city of Hebron once, in 2001, and the Palestinians had lynched three supposed collaborators. And they were hanging so terribly, almost naked, on the electricity pylons out of town, that I could not write in my notebook. Instead, I drew pictures of their bodies hanging from the pylons. Young boys -- Palestinian boys -- were stubbing out cigarettes on their near-naked bodies and they reminded me of the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, all arrows and pain and forgiveness, and so all I could do was draw. I still have the pictures. They are ridiculous, stupid, the work of a reporter who suddenly couldn't bring himself to write the details on the page.
But I understand Hoyland's picture, even if it is not my picture. After I saw the oil fires burning in Kuwait in 1991, an Irish artist painted Fisk's Fires -- a title I could have done without -- in which she very accurately portrayed the bleached desert with the rich, thick, chocolate-tasting oil we tasted in the aftermath of the war. Sometimes, I wish these painters were with us when we saw the war with our own eyes -- and which they could then see with theirs.
But John Hoyland's Blood and Flowers quite scrupulously directs our eyesight on to the bright, glittering centre of gore that we -- be we photographers or writers -- look at immediately we enter the centre of that little Golgotha which we wish to visit and of which we never wish to be a part: the hospital. Blood is not essentially terrible. It is about life. But it smells. Stay in a hospital during a war and you will become accustomed to the chemical smell of blood. It is quite normal. Doctors and nurses are used to it. So am I. But when I smell it in war, it becomes an obscenity.
I remember how Condoleezza Rice, when she was Secretary of State, visited Lebanon at the height of the war - at the apogee of the casualties -- and said that the birth of democracy could be bloody. Well, yes indeed. The midwifery was a fearful business. Lots of blood. Huge amid the hospitals. God spare us Ms Rice's hospital delivery rooms...
I'm not sure how sincerely we should lock on to art to portray history (or war). I have to admit that Tolstoy's Battle of Borodino in War and Peace tells me as much about human conflict as Anna Karenina tells me about love. I am more moved by the music of Cecil Coles -- one of only two well-known British composers killed in the 1914-1918 war -- than I am by Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. But this does not reduce the comprehensive, unstoppable power of great art to convince -- just as a brilliantly made movie can do in the cinema.
I have to admit that I have a few worries about art and war. Can a painter who has never experienced war really understand the nature of the vile beast? Most of Britain's First World War artists were in France, but that does not apply to Iraq. When I saw wild beasts -- the desert dogs -- tearing apart the corpses of men, women and children in southern Iraq (killed by the United States Air Force and, yes, by the RAF, whose pilots -- God bless them -- refused to go on killing the innocent) and running off across the sand with fingers and arms and legs, there was no art form to convey this horror. Film would have been a horror movie, paintings an obscenity. Maybe only photographs -- undoctored -- can tell you what we see.
Goya got it right. I went to see an exhibition of his sketches in Lille a few years ago -- the irony of my father's trenches a few miles away (he was a 19-year-old soldier in the third battle of the Somme) not lost on me -- and was almost overwhelmed by the cruelty that he transmits. The collaborators hanging, near-naked, from the pylons seemed so close to the raped and impaled guerrilla fighters of Spain that art seemed almost pointless. What is the point of intellect when the brain will always be crushed by the body?
When the Americans entered Baghdad in April 2003, I ran into the main teaching hospital in Baghdad to find a scene of Crimean war proportions. Men holding amputated hands, soldiers screaming for their mothers as their skin burned, a man without an eye, a ribbon of bandage allowing a trail of blood to run from his empty socket. Blood overflowed my shoes. I guess it's at times like this that we need John Hoyland.
--Robert Fisk
©independent.co.uk
37 Comments so far
Show AllCOMarc, thanks for the link to the pictures and the essay that accompanies them will be an excellent guidepost, too.
Long ago, I worked in the Emergency Deparment of a fairly large city and I remember the smell of blood. I still smell it now and then but there is little like the smell of the wholesale quantities of blood that get spilled in a trauma.
My son, a teenager, has become a M*A*S*H fan and at the heart of that old comendy was the protest of people who were there for a war that made no sense to them contrasting with the ultra-patriots. Things that Frank Burn said that triggered the laugh track back then are said now in all seriousness and applauded.
When will they ever learn? as the song goes.
Daniel David said: "The world expects America to be strong enough militarily to meet any threat, and strong enough morally that our military stands by, always ready, but never has to fire a shot because other solutions are always preferred by our careful, thoughtful leaders –and always found. Only we individuals can demand and elect those leaders".
Daniel David if you feel so strongly about serving then feel free to sign-up. The rest of us here on CD will protest and encourage others to do so until the war ends. By the way the neocons are not careful, thoughtful leaders and most of them were never even elected by the voters to public office. The rest of the world never asked us to fight for them...unless you are talking about our bestest friends in Tel Aviv who would be more than happy for us to fight their enemies for them in places like Iraq and soon Iran and then the rest of the region.
Judging from above posts, it's no wonder we elect so many Republicans in America. Mainstream folks hear poppeycock from loonies and run the other way. We ALL want peace, but those who expect to get it from weakness just lose one election after another after another---when they COULD get some sense and capture the White House and the agencies, including DoD.
As for the "big" words, it's better to use little ones.
sandyk77: "God won't give America a pass for this. And like all empires we will fail."
You're right we will fall. Roman, British, Persian, Macedonian, Ottoman all names for empires that have long since been tossed into History's storage closet. We're next in line for the chopping block and our successor is already gearing up to take over.
God help us when we become the vassal state to China.
Hey mikepeters: since when does being outside the borders of the US afford any protection? Saddam was outside the US and even had his own division of bodyguards.
Ronald White had better be looking over his shoulder and avoid any areas where he could be shoved into a waiting vehicle for "redition" to a more private location. George has already set the precident that he can do ANYTHING as commander-in-chief that HE deems necessary and we have said, by our silence that that is OK by us.
Daniel David does as so many do...he speakes for those about whom he has no actual information and, therefore, no idea what they want. But, hey, it sounds good!
Thank you one and all from outside the borders - we rteally do need to hear your voices - and to have the 'big' words explained.
DD still thinks we have two political parties.
Mr. Fisk - as usual!!!!
Magnificently expressed Mr. Fisk, I can add nothing.
God won't give America a pass for this. And like all empires we will fail.
Robert Fisk has once again shown in this essay that he is head and shoulders, with the exception of a handful, of all other reporters on the Muddled East. In particular, Mr. Fisk has the ability, by drawing on decades of personal experience, to not only report, but to tell, to grab his readers by the back of the neck and make us SEE.
As for the discussion above about whether military should refuse to kill civilians, Fisk gives his opinionm, when he writes "God bless them" in referrence to the RAF pilots who refused to go on strafing and bombing civilians.
But, jeeze, forget about little Daniel D., he doesn't and won't get it --
Lucky you are outside US borders Ronald White.
Encouraging Desertion is a Violation of Article 16-a.
Punishable by Waterboarding And Indefinite Detention.
Homeland Security Will Be Waiting.
Visit America; Where criminal deserters of an all volunteer Army flee to Canada, Bless her Soul, for Freedom.
"The Military MUST refuse to fight.
The People MUST encourage the Military to refuse to fight. These are not holier-than-thou commands from anti-American bloggers ; these are statements of fact . In Canada a second meaning besides the imperative tone of the word must is the existence of a condition . " Withdrawal of American forces from Iraq is incumbent upon withrawal of individual services ( call it AWOL , desertion , CO status or complete cessation of recruits )
Individual service members will withraw service individually and collectively when they know that the American public approves .
Anyone , American or not , who is not publicly encouraging the servicemen to desert and offering to support any deserter , is paying lip service to any anti-occupation organization . To any potential deserter here is my telephone number 604-943-5132
"When someone apparently writing here from outside the USA suggests "The (U.S.) Military MUST refuse to fight..." "
David...we HAVE to comment...SOMEONE has to explain the big words to you Amer-Ricans....
The US military is always the threat. Will anyone rid us of this troublesome nation of terrorists?
The USA has not had to fight a defensive war ...... only true if you follow it with the phrase "in the last 130 or 140 years".
The US Civil war was a bloody, nasty war fought on US soil. Most of it was fought on the land of the states that suceeded, but there were also invasions of Maryland and Pennsylvania along the way.
Also, the war of 1812 was certainly a 'defensive war', as was also largely the American Revolutionary war.
Its just been so long most people don't have a clue what its like. In that respect you are correct.
I think Einstein is smarter that Daniel David ...
"You can not simultaneously prepare for and prevent war."
The Nuremberg trials established the principle that a soldier should not follow an illegal order. AND, the same concept is in the US military code of conduct.
The imperialists always hate that idea. Even the Democrat supporters of imperialism and empire. That's because they know that to reach their dreams of empire they have to con some human beings into going forth into the world and committing awful atrocities against other human beings. They have to con people that its their 'duty' to go out into the world and
It pains me to ever quote Reagan, but in this case "Just say No" is the proper response.
Guernica ... by Picasso
http://www.artquotes.net/masters/picasso/pablo_guernica1937.htm
Blood and Flowers
http://www.beauxartslondon.co.uk/JHpic-index2008a.html
When Russia had the foresight to standdown from the cold war I watched in horror as the United States continued it's arms buildup in direct violation of Newton's Second Law. America will surely destroy herself by this unbalancing of the universe.
A proposal for all military and high elected officials.Before taking their positions they must be tested for their deep seated feelings about war by the device that is used on suspected pedophiles. Pedophiles react to images of children with detectable levels of arousal.Weed out war-mongers using the same method.
Can't you just see Cheney exploding the machine while viewing scenes of carnage? And the valiant Hillary straining mightily not to be outdone by the macho boys-telling herself "gender doesn't matter"-move needle damnit!
Daniel, Don't think I'm picking on you, but if you're ever going to find the TRUTH, you're going to have to shake off your "America is Great" programming that you've had shoved down your throat since birth. Open your eyes my friend and LOOK at what your country represents, what it's doing, and how it's doing it... Shake of the faux-patriotism... It's holding you back my friend. How can you expect to be free when you're clinging for dear life to the chains that enslave you?
Who's Offended by my suggestion of the US Military refusing to follow orders to illegally attack Iran, considering I'm not an American?
Words are Important Said: Yes, China, the former Soviet Union were all the same. We are all in the same club. This is not US bashing, this is borne out by evidence. It is a sad truth.
Don't worry about Political Correctness my friend. The time for niceties has long past... if it's evil, call it evil. If it's immoral, call it immoral.
Daniel David said:When someone apparently writing here from outside the USA suggests "The (U.S.) Military MUST refuse to fight" and the people (here) must march on DC, you are reading very, very, very bad commentary.
So Daniel, you take offense from somebody who's NOT an American pointing out to you what needs to be done? You also seem to advocate that soldiers MUST follow orders that lead to an illegal war of aggression and murder on a massive scale of civilians? Have you learned nothing from your time here at CommonDreams Daniel?
The Science of Backfire... hmmm... So you're saying by asking the military to refuse to follow Bush, Cheney, et al down the path of more destruction, we're hoping for more militant conservatives to get elected? Your logic is difficult to follow.
So what do you propose then Daniel? Just sit back while the march to fascism and global war continues on unimpeded? Are you not Patriotic enough to try to save your country?
When someone apparently writing here from outside the USA suggests "The (U.S.) Military MUST refuse to fight" and the people (here) must march on DC, you are reading very, very, very bad commentary. It has only the purpose of someone hoping for more militant conservatives to be elected in this country--while claiming something else.
That's because you couldn't find 3% of American voters not offended by someone in another country telling our Military people to "refuse" to serve their orders. It's hard to imagine anyone anywhere not understanding that much about the science of BACKFIRE!
Taken to it's roots, the problem is easily understood: All atrocities are caused by conservatives, be they Capitalists, Communist, Religious, fear-driven reactionaries, militaristic authoritarians, Mammon worshipping greedheads, bestialistic morons, or plain violent criminals.
Consciously or not, conservatives realize this. They blame their despicable acts on liberals, their opposites, attempting to deflect blame for their crimes much as an ignorant child blames the dog for breaking a lamp. Conservatives have even coopted liberal heroes like Jesus, Buddha, Muhammed and Abraham to achieve their bestialistic goals.
On the whole, conservatives are taught to think they are better than others by virtue of color, beliefs, place of origin and socioeconomic status. The bestial pecking order that conservatives establish through illegal, immoral and hypocritical means runs contrary to the Constitutional and religious values they spout.
Conservatives are a superstitious lot that believe they can bend their own rules so their murder and mayhem will be forgiven in a heaven because they are the chosen few.
But because conservatives are power and money hungry and liberals are not, and because our society is traditionally ruled by the few instead of the many, it has been easy for conservatives to take control.
The only way the liberal majority will ever have equal participation in government is by decentralizing government via direct democracy.
The Iraq war in not an aberation of US policy. It is a continuation of US policy.
We are not the police of the world; we are not the saviors of the world; we are not the protectors of freedom and liberty. In fact, we are the opposite. We have supported much of the misery of the world- the dictators, the weapons, the elimination of human rights. It is why we haven't signed the landmine treaty; why we continue to develop weapons; and have mainstream media that refuses to report the truth in a timely manner.
The US has a history of killing civilians. The US has a history of military aggression against those countries that stand up to our exploitation.
Yes, China, the former Soviet Union were all the same. We are all in the same club. This is not US bashing, this is borne out by evidence. It is a sad truth.
What can be done? None of the mainstream candidates are offering solutions. Obama wants to increase the military budget. Hillary wants to bomb Iran.
I know some of you will justify the US actions (and the actions of the mainstream democratic candidates) as saying it how the real world works. I don't think so. If everyone acted like George Bush and company the world would already be over.
Mr. Fisk's quote on war: "the reality of war ... represents not, primarily, victory or defeat, but the total failure of the human spirit."
so it goes...
For want of an appropriate article to comment on with this piece on the Palestine problem, here it is for good or bad.
I see where Hamas now advises the people of gaza after "Friday prayers. According to the notices, the purpose of this mass demonstration is to break the blockade imposed by Israel on all the Gaza border crossings when Hamas seized control over the Strip last June".
I think that one very good solution to all these problems is for all Palestinians everywhere in occupied Palestine to run for their lives to the north, west or south leaving everything behind taking only what they can carry if that. THis would leave the occupied territories totally in Zionists hands where they could immediately bulldoze flat and build up their own nation for Jews only. They could also finally build a temple which never existed, like Cinderella's glass slipper.
This move would mean moving in many more Jews for settlement including the large community of Jews in Australia invited here during the 1940's as a safe haven from the Nazi's death camps. There time is up here as they had a magnificent run amassing many envious fortunes from the peasants here, us. We can give the same chance to Palestinians refugees to heal and flourish in our vibrant Democracy. They too can leave one day if and when they are ready.
There would be no reasons left for the Zionists government to harass anyone and leave their own fate up to the Gods, not to he politicians or their military. They could help George Bush win the war in Iraq for once.
Thank you elmysterio.
Our blood thirst is never slaked - especially when the greed of the rich and powerful and their corporations and their fascist government that control our destiny, is insatiable.
Tennegon said:"But perhaps we can stop it from happening, stop the mad monsters who are so quick to attack, to invade, to destroy and inflict this sort of horrible mayhem.
Perhaps we can raise up our voices and demand that our elected representatives within the Senate and House of Representatives will not allow yet another blunder by our psychotic administration."
I don't think so my friend. Millions of people took to the streets before the Iraq war started and it made no difference at all. Your so called elected representatives care so little for what the people think that 1, 2 or even 3 million people taking to the streets world wide means nothing to them. There's 2 things that need to happen to stop the impending war:
The Military MUST refuse to fight.
The People MUST march on D.C. and en mass, remove the government from power.
I would like to put it out there that May 1, 2008 is a good day to do that.
Daniel David Said:"The world expects America to be strong enough militarily to meet any threat, and strong enough morally that our military stands by, always ready"
Hardly Daniel... The world is sick and tired of the United States and their military. It's something that we could all gladly do without. The only people that think that having the American military spread around the globe like warts is the Americans themselves and their puppet dictators. The rest of us? Well, we can't help but think "Yankee Go Home".
And Iran will be next.
But perhaps we can stop it from happening, stop the mad monsters who are so quick to attack, to invade, to destroy and inflict this sort of horrible mayhem.
Perhaps we can raise up our voices and demand that our elected representatives within the Senate and House of Representatives will not allow yet another blunder by our psychotic administration.
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps . . .
I will be contacting my congressional delegation.
Perhaps it will make a difference.
Perhaps.
JohnR
The lakes are already polluted enough.
I think the world would like us to just apologize and go jump in a lake(to borrow an idea from Kurt Vonnegut). Really, I think that Europe, South America, and China have just decided to bypass us and treat us the same way you'd deal with a problem child. If this is the case, more power to them.
Daniel David,
The world would like the U.S. to mind its own damn business. We have no credibility as the world's policeman.
The world expects America to be strong enough militarily to meet any threat, and strong enough morally that our military stands by, always ready, but never has to fire a shot because other solutions are always preferred by our careful, thoughtful leaders --and always found. Only we individuals can demand and elect those leaders.
To all of you in other countries outside the US: What are your leaders doing to stop the Americans from destroying the world? Why haven't you gotten rid of your own sadistic warmongering greedy bastards? (This goes particularly to Canada, UK, Australia, and the rest of the Saxon-psychopathic bunch of fomrer 'colonies' who always volunteer to 'help' the US in its heinous wars.)
If your own country isn't 100% against the fascists - then you're part of the problem, not part of the solution. I hate to boil it down to such Manichean terms, but what part of EVIL don't you understand? Especially those of you who watched Hitler build up his military, and then did nothing as the US did the same - and what, you expected a different result? That's called INSANITY. No one builds up a huge military unless they intend to use it - and they always have. So you can't plead stupidity or ignorance - just insanity. Admit yourself to an asylum immediately.