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Deep Meanings, Butterflies & Dark Humor


I think about thinking, 2000
Today, I’m going to be sharing a couple of my favorite photos from a photographer, Duane Michals. Duane is known for writing notes (annotating) on his photography & having a dark sense of humor. I will be briefly touching on each photo to keep the descriptions short and sweet.
Michals received a BA from the University of Denver in 1953 & worked as a graphic designer until his involvement with photography deepened in the late 1950s. He currently lives & works in New York City.

“I think about thinking”  shows Duane in a chair, reading an open book that has the sentence “I think about thinking.” This self-portrait is about vanity & how he wants people to perceive him. He wants people to see what he is about & not judge him on how he looks.  




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Dr. Heisenberg's Magic Mirror of Uncertainty, 1998, (6) 5x7in.

"Dr. Heisenberg's Magic Mirror of Uncertainty"  suggests that uncertainty allows the chance that something will happen. If you don’t believe in the possibility that something will happen it will never happen. The act of looking in the mirror will change the outcome of how many different photos the photographer will get.


Summer, c. 1980 Photograph with hand-applied oil paint, 15 7/8 x 19 3/4 inches
"Summer"  is simply a black & white photograph with hand-applied, oil painted butterflies around her. The woman glancing straight forward at camera (the viewer) not even acknowledging the butterflies around her.





The Fallen Angel, 1968, (8) 5x7in.
"The Fallen Angel"  is one of Duane's darker photo sequences. The meaning behind this artwork is that once something happens there is no going back. It starts off with an angel walking into a room with a naked women laying on a bed. The angel arrives as an angel & leaves a real man.

On that note, hopefully you guys enjoyed todays blog & learned something new. I might talk about some of his more darker artworks in the near future. If you want to know more about Duane Michals I linked some sources at the bottom of this blog & if you haven't already please check out my website & social media:
Instagram: @Itsmealexblogs

Hope you have a great rest of your day & see you on Thursday.

Sources
http://www.maxestrella.com/artist/Duane%20Michals/work_1053.html

http://www.faheykleingallery.com/photographers/michals/personal/michals_pp_01.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZa_oOzXVkY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyrnEDd-0YE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0yoUWwI90M



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