Atomic Bomb Test during Operation Crossroads Possibly 1946 - 1947

This photograph of an atomic bomb test was taken during Operation Crossroads by Army-Navy Task Force One. There's no getting away from it, it's a tough image to look at! The way the grey scale compresses the scene focuses your eyes on the mushroom cloud. What strikes me is the texture, or lack of it, on the cloud itself. It's like a smooth, ghostly veil, obscuring the sky. The flat greys create an ominous yet subdued tone. It’s like the image has been bleached of any real vitality or emotion. Then you notice a group of palm trees and the remnants of some kind of habitation, dwarfed by the scale of the explosion. It's a sobering, almost haunting composition. It reminds me a bit of Gerhard Richter’s paintings of similar subjects, where the blurriness and abstraction hint at the unspeakable horror. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that art doesn't have to be beautiful to be powerful.