Out of all the artists I researched for this web work I found Justin Newhall to be the most interesting and intriguing. One of the reasons is because it seems he's a history buff just like me. He believes we need to connect to our past and shape up and quit acting like we're untouchable. Or at least that's what I get out of it.
Newhall is from the Twin Cities and the picture you see is from his latest series called "Axis and Allies". I find the way he carefully set out to capture these incredible photos is amazing. The one you see is a reenactment of an American solider in WWII taken at Fort Snelling in the Cities.
I think what Newhall is trying to do by this is to make war seem familiar and acceptable. I believe the "Axis and Allies" series was taken in 2004, so it seems like Newhall felt he had to take these color photos because of the war we are in. Maybe he thought it would better help people understand that war is okay by taking us back into history. I know the war over seas has run its course, but that's why I believe he shot this series. War takes time and precession; something the U.S. could have learned from what we did in WWI and WWII.
I especially like the photo on the top right because it's a photo of German officers sitting around thinking they're going to win the war, but little do they know they're going to get destroyed. It's supposed to be a reenactment of "The Battle of Stalingrad" and it's taken in the woods in Rosemount MN. Just the precision and tactical elements it takes to create these photos is what I really love. It takes a lot of time to think of what battles or pictures to take for a successful reenactment stage, and Newhall did a great job.
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