Iconic war photography hauntingly reduced to simple, empty lanscapes

Date
26 March 2013

Czech photographer Pavel Maria Smejkal is responsible for this arresting series of images that are completely familiar yet strikingly alien. Taking iconic photographs of moments that have shaped the course of human history (think Iwo Jima, Tiananmen Square and The Grassy Knoll) Pavel removes the human elements from them, leaving nothing but empty, haunting landscapes behind. They offer an eerily prosaic look at the geographical plainness of sites that have been imbued with such enormous importance.

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Pavel Maria Smejkal: Fatescapes (Gettysburg)

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Pavel Maria Smejkal: Fatescapes (Vietnam)

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Pavel Maria Smejkal: Fatescapes (Kent USA)

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Pavel Maria Smejkal: Fatescapes (Saigon)

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Pavel Maria Smejkal: Fatescapes (Berlin)

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Pavel Maria Smejkal: Fatescapes (Iwo Jima)

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About the Author

James Cartwright

James started out as an intern in 2011 and came back in summer of 2012 to work online and latterly as Print Editor, before leaving in May 2015.

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