Steve Mumford has a new Baghdad Journal online at artnet.com.

Steve is a New York City-based artist who, for the past year or so, has been visiting Iraq and creating watercolor and ink-wash sketches of the people and places he finds.

He sent this note around: Due to a screw-up on my part the last illustrated story posted, “Ramadi”, was actually my notes for the story, not the final essay. I’m sorry for the mix up not least because it was in no way intended for publication. The correct version is now up and I hope you’ll take a look. Basically, if you read an earlier version it looks as if it wasn’t intended for publication.

I’ve been mildly critical of Steve’s work in various forums (thingist). I felt the work was glorifying militarism and empire. But this current crop of sketches has a different tone, especially the portraits of the different soldiers. These sketches seem to capture a weariness and exhaustion that must be creeping into the soldiers. The general tone is less that of macho excitement and more reflective. permanent link to this post