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Bolomets images of men, women, and children dealing with the ravages of war recall the brutal honesty of the Depression era scenes of Walker Evans and the cold war atmosphere captured by Robert Frank. Dimanche Matin is a captivating image that is simultaneously chilling. We are presented with a father walking with his young child on the sidewalk. The child wears a coat and cap to keep out the cold and is listening intently to her father talk. Reassured by the gentle holding of a hand, we might think the child has no cares in the world. But what makes this image so unforgettable is fact that the elegantly dressed parent with a topcoat, scarf and hat is carrying a rifle slung over his shoulder as casually as an umbrella. We can only wonder about the danger that threatens the corner of the world that these figures inhabit. Soldiers in Bus is another stunning image. We see a group of young men hanging out the windows of a tattered bus. The expressions on their faces range from joyful to anxious. These are the nameless faces of the youth of the world that we sacrifice to the Gods of War. On the left, an older man with a beret placed at a sharp angle on his head joins the group of warriors. On the far right, deep in the shadows, we see the concerned face of a young man framed in black peering out from the abyss. It is a haunting image of lost youth. You cant help but wonder where they were bound and what might have subsequently happened to these young men. Forever frozen in the lense of Bolomets camera are stimulating images of a past long forgotten by most. His wonderful and often penetrating photographs vividly preserve the suffering and triumphs of the European people, both famous and unknown, that played out during the catastrophic destruction surrounding the second World War. |