Untitled (Platoon), 1974
Oil paint and wax crayon on wood
7.25 X 56.25 in (18.415 x 142.875 cm)
Hand-signed and dated “Young 74” upper right
Photographed in situ on Goodbread Alley installation, Miami 1974 [see additional vintage photo]
In this poignant tale of the Vietnam era, it is the woodgrain that instructs your view, providing a continuous and unbroken timeline – while also quietly showcasing Young’s nuanced relationship with the natural surface. They are battle ready soldiers in single file, with duty uncertain but destiny foreshadowed. Yet regardless of path, they move in presence of the divine as portrayed by the lone soldier beneath a halo. This brilliant snapshot of calm and conflict, of redemption and grace still resonates today – and makes the truth visible no matter how obscured by the fog of war.