Emotional ëEyesí White House Photojournalist Exhibit Produces Compelling Images by Anna Gawel The war with Iraq, the Washington-area sniper shootings, memories of 9/11, ongoing struggle and conflict in the Middle East: The constant coverage of these and other news stories has forever ingrained them into our collective psyche. But the images that have emerged from these events are still just as compelling and jarring as ever, speaking volumes without a single word. ìThe Eyes of History 2003,î now at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, is the annual exhibition of award-winning photographs by White House photojournalists that chronicles the yearís top news stories, offering new and powerful insights into familiar issues. Winners of the competition included, among others, photojournalists from Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Times and The Washington Post. Their photographsótimeless reflections that are poignant and funny and other times heart wrenchingly painfulóresonate with an emotion that the frenetic coverage of television media often fails to capture. Organizers of ìThe Eyes of Historyî very deftly handle some of the very difficult image s the exhibit showcases, providing a balanced look at the yearís most explosive news stories while at the same time interspersing the somber coverage with lighter fare. The exhibit opens with a color photograph of Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of U.S. Central Command in the Iraq war, hugging a soldier during a visit to Qatar. Directly opposite, a black-and-white photograph by Michael Lutzky of the Post shows the forlorn face of a Palestinian woman as she watches men being loaded onto a bus headed for exile after the standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Jerusalem. Although the images are rife with contentious political overtones, the photographs themselves are merely windows in which we can observe scenes half a world away, both literally and figuratively. Not surprisingly, an overriding theme throughout the exhibit is the unrelenting tension and violence in the Middle East, and the photographers who tackled such issues as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iraq war provide a thought-provoking amalgam of perspectives. Many viewers will instantly notice one of these perspectivesóthe chilling image of a mother helping her 12-year-old son don a toy suicide bomber belt in their Gaza City home, but also take note of the adjacent photograph, which, though smaller, is just as stirring. The image depicts Hamil Dullah, a 16-year-old boy chained by one foot to the wall of a decrepit mental hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The child looks obediently down at the barren cement floor below him, lost and abandoned by a country that in a sense is itself lost and abandoned. It is a searing image that offers a small glimpse into a life that for many Americans would be unimaginable but for others is simply the harsh reality into which they were born. Stark reminders of Sept. 11, 2001, are also featured throughout the exhibit, including two haunting photographs chronicling the one-year anniversary of the attacks with a portrait of tearful Americans mourning both their personal losses and the collective loss of a nation that day. And in a simple, silent commentary that reminds us to savor every bit of lifeís joy, a photo shows a New York City man, Ted Byrne, sharing a playful nuzzle with his girlfriend during a happy hour bar break. The image takes on a deeper poignancy when the viewer learns that on 9/11, Byrne escaped from the 30th floor of the World Trade Center holding hands with two women, one of whom was his secretary. Another tender embrace is shared by Richard Hall and Howard Henry, cousins of bus driver Conrad Johnson, the last victim of the Washington-area sniper shootings, in a touching photograph sure to strike a personal chord with many Washington-area residents. Other highlights include several photographs that pay tribute to late Sen. Paul Wellstone and one of FBI Special Agent Coleen Rowley at a Senate Judiciary Committee. The image, which shows Rowley talking to Chairman Pat Leahy, provides an interesting visual split between the famed whistleblower and the rest of the senators, as if emphasizing her status as the perennial outsider. Some images, although their stories didnít dominate the headlines, prove just as memorable, such as the evocative portrayal of Lorenzo Odone, 24, hooked up to an IV machine and sleeping peacefully in his Fairfax, Va., home. Odone suffers from an inherited disease that was the subject of the film ìLorenzoís Oil.î Not all of the photographs, however, convey such heavy emotions. Sports images help punch up the exhibit, including a gorgeous shot of Olympic ice skating champ Sarah Hughes leaping to victory, a very literal football photograph titled ìKick, Jump, Block,î and an image of hometown favorite Juan Dixon in the midst of congratulatory mob after being drafted by the Wizards. A swirling color menagerie of moneychangers selling goods in Afghanistan and the misty glow that a double rainbow casts over a Montana street are examples of some of the more visually artistic contributions in the exhibit. And a photo of Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio) talking to Sesame Streetís Elmo (who testified before the House on the importance of music education) is notable for its sheer oddity and humor. Like the photo of Regula, many of the images shed a more personal, spontaneous light on politicians and government officials, especially Al Gore and President Bush, who are equally well represented in the exhibit. Goreís perpetually stoic faÁade is given a refreshing facelift in the series ìGoreís Final Hoorah,î which, like the photographs that document Bush, reveal a more human side to their carefully controlled public personas. A weathered-looking National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is pictured in one photo, and in two other candid shots, Rice is seen joking around with Secretary of State Colin Powell and, in another photo, standing in the middle of a heated discussion between Powell and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The scenes offer a revealing look into some of the vastly different personalities behind the administration, in the process suggesting the clashes and ties that exist between those personalities. Ultimately though, it is the images of everyday people that are likely to trigger the deepest sense of relevance for viewers. One series in particular offers a unique visual record of the enduring impact of 9/11. The photographs center on retired firefighter Capt. B.J. Thomas, who was part of the first engine that responded to the Pentagon attacks. The simple but profound images tell the story of a man still struggling, like many others, to cope with the emotional fallout from the terrorist attacks, a story that has largely been relegated to the sidelines in todayís fast-paced media coverage. Of course, video is just as capable of capturing vivid images and is in a very real way its own art form. Thus the exhibit also features two screens running various television news pieces that won awards for best videography and video editingóeverything from eerily graphic and lifelike prosthetic human parts to palpable landscapes of the Australian Outback. Two other television screens rotate the other photography winners that were not included in the exhibit. Taken together, all of these works create a collection that does more than merely recap the yearís news storiesóit brings them back to life. ìThe Eyes of History 2003î runs through July 28 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St., NW. For more information, please call (202) 639-1703 or visit www.corcoran.org. Anna Gawel is the assistant managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.