D
onMcCullin’sreputationhasneverbeen
higher,butthepublicstilltendsto thinkof
himasa furrowed,battle-scarredconflict
photographer,foreverassociatedwiththe
post-war/Cold-WartragediesthatconsumedVietnam,
Biafra,BeirutandNorthernIreland.Overhislongand
storiedcareer,however,McCullinhasspentmoretime
shootinglandscapesat homeandabroadthanhehas
guyswithguns.He’sspokenmovinglyof how
photographingtheSomersetlandscapenearhishome
helpshimdealwithsomeof thenightmarishsightshe’s
witnessed.It’sfittingthata majorexhibitionof McCullin’s
landscapeandstill-lifeworkis takingplaceat theHauser
& Wirthgalleryin Bruton,Somerset,closeto wherehe’s
livedforseveraldecades.
Thelargestbodyof workexploresareaswithinwalking
distanceof hishome,including‘TheRiverAlhamnear
myhouse,Somerset’(2007),‘TheDewPond,Somerset’
(1988)and‘BatcombeVale’(1992-93).Oftenreferring
to theBritishcountrysideashisgreatestsalvation,
McCullindemonstratesthefullmasteryof hismedium
withstarkblack& whiteimages,fullof emotionbutnever
cloyingorsentimental.Theimagesarebeautifully
presentedat theshow,andseeingthemremindsyou
onceagainthatMcCullinis a masterdarkroom
technicianandprinter.
Dependingonthemoodhewishesto convey,stormy
skiesareworkedupto almostbiblicallevelsof brooding
menace,whileotherwiseinnocuousfarmlandis drapedin
mournfulshadow.Anotherkeyelementof theshowis
McCullin’sgelatinstill-lifecompositions,composedin his
gardenshedanddevelopedin hisdarkroom.Thenthere
aresomeof theepicsceneshe’sshotgloballyparticularly
fromtheMiddleEast.Somersetmightbea hikeformany
readers,butthisexhibitionis wellworththetrip.If youare
relativelyneartheWestCountry,it’sa no-brainer.TheStillnessof Liferuns
until4 Mayat theHauser
& WirthGallery,Bruton,
SomersetBA100NL.
Seehauserwirth.com
Don Mc Cullin
The Stillness of Life
A major exhibition of brooding
landscapes, travel scenes and still lifes is
utterly captivating, says Geoff Harris
ALL PICTURES © DON MCCULLIN
EXHIBITION
‘The Somerset Levels
at dusk’, 1998
‘Looking forward to the
valley of the tombs
which ISIS have
destroyed’, 2016