As Seen by Both Sides: American and Vietnamese Artists Look at the War

RICHARD J. OLSEN
As a
teenager Richard Olsen was admittedly a "jock". He threw himself into competitive wrestling and weightligting and majored in physical education in college. In the ROTC program he achieved a commission and a civil pilot's license. He fulfilled his three-year obligation in the army by attending flight school.

There was, however, another side to his education. When he found he needed a few credits to graduate, ho took classes in painting, drawing and existentialism. He enjoyed the company of the "intellectuals" in those classes and decided "to be one of those." During his army years he was a "closet artist."

"In Vietnam I felt like I was in the middle of the history of the world. I couldn't have been more excited with my life. It was thrilling to use my flying skills in the service of my government. I earned my passage into manhood.""
From an interview with Lois Tarlow.
COMMITMENT, intaglio with pouchoir on rag paper, 13 x 12 inches, 1966
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TAY NINH, pencil on rag paper, 12 x 18 inches, 1967
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