About this artwork
This photograph was taken on McCullin’s first international assignment where he had been sent by the Observer newspaper to cover the civil war in Cyprus. One of his first war pictures, the scene was captured in the middle of a gun battle where McCullin’s vantage point was behind an armoured car. Strong vertical lines from the bullet riddled walls frame the gunmen and the strong contrast in dark and light tones draws the viewer’s eye to the men’s attire. McCullin employs this technique to stress that they are civilians and highlight the nature of the conflict. He was the only photojournalist present at this particular incident and felt a strong responsibility to record what was happening and convey it to the world.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Don McCullin (born 1935) English
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title:Turkish Defenders Waiting for the Attack, Limassol, Cyprus
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date created:1964; printed 2013
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materials:Gelatin silver print on paper
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measurements:33.50 x 52.00 cm (framed: 56.00 x 74.00 cm)
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object type:
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credit line:ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Purchased with the assistance of the ARTIST ROOMS Fund, supported by the Henry Moore Foundation and Tate Members 2013
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accession number:AR01185
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gallery:
Don McCullin
Don McCullin
Don McCullin is one of Britain's best known photojournalists. He made his name in the 1960s, covering most of the world's major conflicts for The Observer and then The Sunday Times. In Cyprus, Vietnam, Biafra and the Lebanon he provided direct and disturbing imagery of the effects of human cruelty...