Accession Number
2013/2.321

Title
Grenade Attack

Artist(s)
Dmitri Baltermants

Artist Nationality
Russian (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1941-1945; printed 2003

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
16 in x 20 in (40.64 cm x 50.8 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Thomas Wilson '79 and Jill Garling '80

Subject matter
In this photograph, the viewer stands behind two Soviet soldiers who occupy a dirt mound, apparently somewhere on the front battle lines. The leftmost figure has just tossed a grenade, which can be seen exploding in the distance on the right-hand side of the photograph. This soldier’s body appears to dissolve into sky, an effect which mirrors the dissolving of the earth on the opposite side of the image. The arc of this soldier’s spine, in fact, traces the curve formed by the rocky debris propelled into the air by the exploding grenade. This image forms part of Baltermants’s larger project—as an official photographer to the Kremlin—which, spread across numerous portfolios, aimed to document scenes from the Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany during World War II (1939-1945), known in the USSR as the Great Patriotic War.

Physical Description
Back view of two soldiers on a dirt mound—one standing with arm outstretched, the other crouching down—with an explosion in the distance. 

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
armies
battles
explosions
fighting
incendiary grenades
journalistic photography
war photography
wars