The first time I saw Duane Hanson's Vietnam Scene. Installation. it was very shocking to me. I could not believe that such a dehumanizing scene would be photographed. Then I glanced at the "specs" of the photograph. This work of art was not a straight photograph (one taken without altering or changing the scene), it was an installation at a museum. The photograph then became even more interesting to me. After doing some research on Duane Hanson I came to find out that he is a sculptor and the figures shown are not real people with make up or props but scupltures. Moreover, the figures body positions, particularily the figure sitting up, are extremely realistic. The argument in this image is the photographer is trying to play on the viewers emotions of how the Vietnam War was depicted on the news by showing American soldiers in the way the Vietnamese were depicted during that time.
The way that this scene is taken out of context, being that of the a battlefield or war zone, and put on a hardwood floor in a museum is some what conflicting. However, I believe it to be completely intentional by the artist. Photographs such as this, controversial perhaps a deeper meaning than at first glancing, are my favorite type; however, they take some outside research and thought to be understood.
Without the title of "Vietnam Scene" I don't know if I would automatically associate this with the Vietnam war. I would more so be inclined to assume it was the Iraq war, given that is what is going on today. No matter how many times I view this photo it is always very shocking to me. It is the type of photograph that really sticks in your mind, not iconic but simply memorable.
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