Artist Research: Duane Michals
For my self study task this week I will be attempting some artist research in this post, I have chosen two works from Duane Michals to research and discuss.
The Spirit Leaves the Body (1968)
Shown above is the first sequence of photos from Duane Michals that spoke to me. I often only see photographs of buzzing locations, flowers with vibrant colours or people that look happy to be where they are, things that feel alive. Whenever I see work surrounding death it is usually pictured in a scary manner since most people fear death, the sequence above makes death feel simple and peaceful. 'Michals was interested in telling stories, often about ideas and subjects that had been left out of the photographic conversation of the 1960s and ’70s.' (Robertson and Robertson, 2013). The sequence shows a transparent figure leaving a solid body behind, indicating that the man lying down has passed on and his spirit has left just like the title of the sequence. I personally do not think that this sequence is only to be interpreted as someone passing away, I think it can be seen as a disconnect between the body and mind as well. As someone with a physical handicaps I often feel like my body cannot keep up with my mind and they end up working separately from each other, I think 'The Spirit Leaves the Body' explains this feeling through its photographs very well. When your spirit wakes up, but your body never does. 'There is neither captions nor text, as there often is in other sequences of Michals’s work. We are left to figure out the meaning on our own.' (Andrew Gallery, 2023).
The photo above caught my attention because despite the simple joke of the hat being worn the wrong way around, it looks funny and the subject of the picture is clearly having fun judging from his facial expression. 'Duane Michals, the master photographer in his own right, instills mortality and humanity back into the two icons in his stunning series Magritte + Warhol.' (Wiener, 2023). The photograph shows an iconic person in a simplistic and funny way. The hand holding the hat the right way around adds another element of interest, it makes you wonder what Michals thoughts were behind this photograph. 'There is no inflation of the ego, no braggadocious energy throughout.' (Wiener, 2023).
References:
Andrew Gallery, J. (2023). The Life of the Spirit. [online] Friends Journal. Available at: https://www.friendsjournal.org/the-life-of-the-spirit/ [Accessed 21 Jan. 2024].
Robertson, R. and Robertson, R. (2013). Duane Michals: Fighting Against Photography. [online] ARTnews.com. Available at: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/duane-michals-fighting-against-photography-2274/.[Accessed 21 Jan. 2024]
Wiener, M. (2023). Duane Michals | DC Moore Gallery. [online] Musée Magazine. Available at: https://museemagazine.com/culture/2023/11/24/through-the-lens-of-duane-michals-camera-two-iconic-figures-of-art-come-fully-to-life-on-the-walls-of-the-dc-moore-gallery [Accessed 21 Jan. 2024].
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