Don McCullin’s black-and-white photographs bear witness of the major conflicts the world has been experiencing for the last 60 years. From Cyprus to Syria, from Vietnam to Biafra, from the construction of the Berlin Wall to the conflict in Ulster, his (still ongoing) career as a photojournalist has enabled him to witness and record the pain, sufferings and cruelty the various wars of the last decades have generated.
At home, he has also shot photographs showing the poor and downtrodden in derelict urban areas, as well as the impact left onto English countryside by modernity. The first photojournalist to knighted, laureate of many prizes and awards, the Tate Britain is currently holding a retrospective exhibition retracing his career.
The subject fits the cycle terminale’s “Power, types and sites” notion and lead to a reflection on the power of pictures and the importance of the press as a (counter-)power.
In this B2 sequence, students read extracts of an interview of Don McCullin to get to know him and anticipate a few aspects of his work. Then, they watch a series of photographs and select a few to comment on. Finally, they watch a video dealing with the Tate exhibition, before writing an article presentation about Don McCullin, his work, the exhibition and the importance of photojournalism.
Culture, language and structures
- Don McCullin
- photojournalism
- world History from the second half of the 20th century onwards
- vocabulary related to conflicts, poverty and the press
Don McCullin Retrospective
Tate Britain
Till 6 May 2019
Website
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Don McCullin B2 Pupil Worksheet