John L. Doyle, Bombardier

John L. Doyle
1939 Chicago, Illinois – 2010 Burnsville, North Carolina
Bombardier (from the series: Sharpshooters 76)
1976
lithograph
30 x 41 in.
Albuquerque Museum, gift of Estate of Daniel E. Prall, PC2018.7.4.I
photo by David Nufer

John Doyle’s series, Sharpshooters 76, chronologically depicts soldiers from different U.S. wars. A World War II bombardier can be seen through the windows of a B-29 bomber. Where is he dropping his bomb? Who will suffer? The depiction of the bomber seemingly floating through space further separates him from those who will be impacted by the explosion. Doyle’s print emphasizes how technology enables indiscriminate killing at great distances; the bombs are dropped on “targets,” not human beings.