The recent e-zine sent out by Sojourners Magazine
included a link to this page. Below are comments we
received from Sojourner readers in response:
Brilliant, disturbing and a set of images that will
live with me (uncomfortably) for a long while
Peter S.
This is a rending and awareness-generating portrayal
of the Abu Ghraib horrors. My reaction is that the
corpulence makes surreal and even unreal - not
hyperreal - the degradation. The tragedy is
inseparable from lean, hard, often skinny, sometimes
even hunger-stricken young men. Yet the graphic
brutality comes through. I wonder about the effect of
the corpulence, that's all. It detracts from the
horror, I feel.
Peace.
A professor from the Department of Sociology
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, IL 60463
Thank you for your courage in sharing this art. It
should make all of us viewers even more determined to
work to stop cruelty every place we can. Where ARE
the outcries of American christians????
Kay B.
I found your website through Sojourners ezine. Thank
you for having the courage to speak and draw the truth about
militarism and
corporate greed.
Barbara C. Port Alberni Canada
WOW! These make me so ashamed to be an American! Why
isn't the whole western world crying and angry at our
foreign policy?
Angry and grieving for the victims,
Dottie V.
Marysville, WA
Where are Fernando's paintings depicting, the
beheadings by Al-Qaeida. The
Americans hanging from the bridge?
Where are Fernando's paintings of suicide bombers
killing innocent Iraqi
civilians?
Where are Fernando's paintings of young Israeli
children being blown to bits
by Palenstinian suicide bombers?
Where are Fernando's paintings of young arab/mulsim
children being taught
hate and jhiad in the holy mosque's?
Moving and pathetic. Bush and his criminals must go
and they should be brought to justice. Morals?
Values? Could one really compare what Clinton did
with Lewinsky to the immorality of George W. Bush and
company?
Fernando Botero's powerful images express more
viscerally than mere words
can, the barbarism of American interrogation methods.
They underscore the
ridiculous opinion of army brass before a recent
Congressional Committee.
While admitting that their treatment of "enemy
combatants" was inhuman, they
did not consider it to be torture. Little wonder that
the rest of the world
is beginning to see Americans, but more specifically
he Bush Administration,
as bullies.
Willem H.
Disgusting!!!
Anyone who would order, condone or use these type of
techniques should be severely punished.
My comment on the artwork of Fernando Botero as
presented on the Sojourners web-site.
Many citizens of this planet, regardless of their
religious affiliations and cultural backgrounds have
heard the story of Jesus, as presented in Luke 23:34 -
Jesus, as the crucifixion began, cried out: "Father,
forgive them they know not what they do."
I'm not so sure that Jesus could partition his Father
on our behalf these days. We know all too well what
we are doing...
Thank you for the reminder and for your courage Senor
Botero.
Ajw
Thank you for the truth no matter how painful. God
help us and forgive us.
Mary W.
Thanks, maybe this way this abuse will not be
forgotten. The criminality of the U.S.
military/industrial complex will live for future
generations to judge those above the law. Bravo!
DRAW HATRED ALL OVER THE WORLD !!!!!!!!!!!
BUSH, THE PUPPET,SHOULD BE IMPEACHED, THE
PUPPETMASTERS, CHENEY,
RUMMEY,GONZALES, BOLTON, RICE, POWEL, CIA HEAD ???
AND SUBVERSIVE MILITARY WAR HEADS, IN THE D.O.D.
GOING ALONG WITH THIS
ILLEGAL WAR TO LINE THE POCKETS OF THE CORPORATE
CARLYLE GROUPS AND
WORLD SUBVERSIVE ELITES, SHOULD ALL BE TRIED FOR WAR
CRIMES AND PUT INTO
A DESOLETE STARVING AFRICAN COUNTRY, LIKE, DUFAR,
ETHIOPIA, SUDAN AND STRIPPED AND GIVEN THE SAME
JUSTICE AS THOSE HUMAN
BEINGS ARE GETTING !!!!!!!!
WE, MUST TAKE THE KING-KONG
EFFECT AWAY FROM THESE A-HO'S,
THEY HAVE SOILED OUR COUNTRY, OUR FLAG AND OUR GOD
!!!!!!!!
THANKYOU,
JIM G.
Disturbing
Artists Network,
Well, these images from Fernando Botero are horrifying
and effective in demanding my attention concerning Abu
Ghraib. I think there is a place and necessity for
this form of artistic expression. These works last
much longer than the news headline. The news headline
has a greater audience but quickly moves on to
entertainment, sports and other diversions. As
painful as it is, I hope this art circulate over the
years bringing people back to Abu Ghraib and the
direct and indirect questions it raises.
Now here's a thought on the feature contrary to the
way I want to feel but I think it might be interesting
to the artist that this was evoked in me from his
commentary. These things should not be happening to
people. But terrorism and terrorists draw a line
between people. Some lives are valid and some should
be terminated. So, when any individual "signs up" to
be a terrorist they must know they are putting their
lives at risk in the same way they vow to put others'
at risk. This is in no way the answer, issue settled,
case closed, nothing more to do about it. But these
poor souls are receiving no more than they promised to
deal out. It's a sad downward spiral in which both
sides are accountable. Morally, American and allied
soldiers are now not above being mistreated and
tortured because they have done the same. We have
already seen American, allied soldiers and civilians
kidnapped, captured, mistreated, tortured, killed and
bodies defamed and debased. No worse though than the
drawing depicting a U.S. soldier relieving himself on
a group of prisoners. and there are many more
examples.
In conclusion, I feel the temptation to become
hardened to these images and the news of more
atrocities every day. It seems like one can only
surrender and say, "These are just the realities of
war." How can we civilize war? How can we fight one
another in a respectable manner? How can we not cross
a line in war when the goal of it is death? Death to
push an agenda, make a point, defend something that is
valued. I'm not a military mind but it seems the
timeless tactic is, "enough death, destruction and
incapacitation and one of the sides will stop.
Someone will "surrender"." If that's the paradigm war
operates in then how can we argue the abandonment of
principles. Your principles are revoked when you're
in Abu Ghraib or worse yet, a dead body somewhere.
We would need to start with life instead of working
backward from death to see how to make a change.
before war ever begins.
Thank you,
Matthew D.
I am overwhelmed with the reality of what your art
portrays.
What a brutal,brutal thing to do to any human. The
bodies seem unusually strong which makes the acts
against them even more overwhelmingly brutal. To think
that even woman were involvedin these atrocities.
In peace,
Carole
Australia
When will this be over? My sister's husband is a
doctor in Iraq, and her son was there during the war,
and the son may be going to the Congo, and the father
is there in Iraq until they let him leave.
War scars people, and always has. The brutality that
people experience, the fear and pain people experience
never goes away, but become brutality. The people who
were brutal during this prison experience, if they
exchanged places with the prisoners, would not have
been treated kindly, either. If only there were love
somewhere in their hearts, and kindness.
Charlotte F.
Wow!
These were gut-wrenching and difficult to look at.
But, all too necessary.
Thanks to the artist and those who supplied these--
Peace,
Liz M.
I'm disgusted with the whole U.S. war. These
atrocities depicted here just turn my stomach a 2nd
time. Necessary "therapy" for a hedonistic world that
doesn't give a damn for the welfare of it's fellow
man.
Lawrence
Of course I am horrified but not surprised - these
pictures should go in public places so that all people
of good faith will be moved with horror and outrage! I
am an art conservator and am very familiar with the
paintings and drawings of Botero. His work is very
whimsical, satirical and colorful! I am grateful for
his visualization of this horrible moment in our human
existence - not satirical or whimsical!
Edith H.
Yes, they are disturbing and they should be. Unless
the religious,
cultural, artistic community roars out our anger at
injustice, poverty, ill
treatment, brutality and hatred no one will speak and
these evils will
perpetuate themselves in generations yet unborn. May
God have mercy on us.
A Reverend from Seattle, WA
The paintings are powerful and wonderfully composed
and executed. The rounded figures that become
monumental in their space and communicate all the
terrible horror of the situation.
As an artist viewing the images I am moved by the
beautiful drawing and command of the subject by the
artist. As an American I am overcome by grief that it
is my beloved and beautiful country of America that is
implicated in this horrendous situation. I am old
enough to remember when America stood for all things
bright, beautiful, hopeful and generous. I daily
mourn the loss of ideals at the hands of the Bush
administration and am sad for the Iraq lives that have
been touched by the 'American monster'.
...on the Abu Gharib tortures:
That pretty much sums it up for me. The pain, the
emotions, the suffering, the fear and the aftermath
for the victims of torture. As for the results and
what the torturers gain from all this, I see that the
artist has no visions of these, perhaps because there
is nothing materially that is gained, only the
sadistic satisfaction which the torturers get from
these inhuman acts.
JV
Thank you for sharing Botero's paintings. People need
to be reminded continually and from all directions
about the unjust treatment of peoples. NO human being
should be treated like this. Amazing.... only human
beings have capacity to deliberately treat other human
beings with such treachory.
How sad man choses to use his god-given gifts to
create such imaginative methods of shame and
humiliation on other human beings.
Peace,
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about
things that matter
Martin Luther King Jr.
My comment on your website. Arenh't you lucky you
live in a country where you can express your anti
government opinion freely, and where the rheteroric
you use is repeated by the top terrorists whenever
they issue a tape.
Fernando Botero is a Colombian painter who uses satire to make social commentary. His rounded characters are used to target all symbols of power and authority, including presidents, soldiers and churchmen.
