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Luc Delahaye (French, b. 1962)
Taliban, 2001
Chromogenic print, 43 x 93 inches
Gift of the Chrysler Contemporaries 2003.5
© Luc Delahaye

Delahaye's work spans the worlds of journalism and art. A member of the photo agency Magnum, he makes his living as a photojournalist. His dangerous occupation takes him to such war-torn places as Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Rwanda, Chechnya, Bosnia, and, of course Afghanistan. In America, Delahaye's work is regularly seen in Newsweek magazine. He has published four books in addition to his most recent entitled History. His choice of the title History to represent his most recent work suggests that he wants his work to be considered within the genre of history painting. The dramatic image, combined with its large-scale and panoramic sweep, conveys the gravity of the event in a way that a small image cannot.

This image depicts a Taliban fighter during the American invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, shortly after the tragedy of 9/11. Although violent death has been depicted in painting for centuries, because of the veracity of the photographic image, it is particularly unsettling here. Despite the horror, Delahaye's Taliban photograph derives remarkable grace from the posture of the figure. It is this conflict between horror and beauty that compels us to fix our gaze on the image. Historically, this pose is frequently seen in paintings of the dead Christ or martyred saints.

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