You channeled its moments

hyperallergic:

Matt Mitchell, “Portrait #23, Rick Yarosh” (2008)

hydeordie:

Portrait of Sgt. Rick Yarosh - Iraq War vet - currently hanging in the Smithsonian. The viewer experiences shock but Yarosh’s frankness is also palpable, which lends the viewer some respite from an awkward “elephant in the room” sensation and encourages the viewer to continue his/her gaze beyond the Comfortable.

via chfineartconsulting

This portrait is apart of Mitchell’s on-going “100 Faces of War Experience” series, in which Mitchell paints portraits of those Americans who have gone to the theaters or war Afghanistan and Iraq. Each portrait is accompanied by a statement by the subject (Sgt. Yarosh’s can be found here). Sgt. Yarosh’s portrait has gained a significant amount of attention, having won the second place Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition’s People Choice award in 2009, and hung in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in 2010 in conjunction with that award.

When I first saw this painting, I thought of it as a possible indictment of war and the military, a blatant reminder of the horrors of war (validating my own anti-war opinions). However, upon reading Yarosh’s statements on the portrait and his experiences, I’ve learned that he views his burn scars as badges of honor, a symbol of the service he is proud to have contributed. If anything, Mitchell’s project serves to present the complexities of war: both the conflicting realities of war itself and the nebulous cultural presence of war, particularly within the American media.