Duane Michals

Michals was born in Mckeesport, PN. Not much is known about his early life, but in the mid-50s he chose to take classes at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburch, before moving to attend the University of Denver, Colorado. There he recieved his Bachelor of Arts degree. He served in the army for a time, then moved to pursue his interest in art further at a design school in New York City. His career began when he borrowed a camera while in the Soviet Union and made portraits of people on the streets. He first made significant strides in photography during the 60s. He worked as a freelance fasion photographer and portraitist at this time, but soon his art began to reflect philosphical, as well as literary, ideas. He is still living today in New York City, alongside his partner, with whom he has been in a relationship with for 55 years. Michals lives with Parkinson's Disease which has now confined him to a wheelchair, but he copes through his own sense of marvel and humor as well as through his partner's support.

Michals's photos began as documentary shots of the social landscape. He was self taught, and wanted to capture life as it was, without any changes. Soon in the 1960s Michals moved to capture more ideas such as death, gender, and sexuality. He staged scenes working with sequences, multiple exposures, and series. Michals's sequences become what he was well known for, and they follow cinema's frame-by-frame format. These sequences both gave him fame and infamy. Many artists believe Michals was breaking too many rules in creating these images, and saw it as blasphamous. The subject matter was often troubling to people, which created a certain air about his work as well. Michals also started combining text and drawings with his images. These add another dimension to the art, allowing it to have a voice but not explain the art. Michals published many books containing his work throughout the past 4 decades. His art has been featured in many museums and galleries throughout the US and Europe. Some have even been moved to permanent collections, such as in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Michals has been awarded many times for his contributions to photography. He was honored with a CAPS Grant and an Honarary Doctorate of Fine Arts, as well as other awards.

http://www.josephbellows.com/artists/duane-michals/bio/

http://www.dcmooregallery.com/artists/duane-michals

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2013/11/22/duane-michals-the-photographer-who-invented-himself

"I think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce somebody's face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways"

The Fallen Angel (1968)

This sequence tells a supernatural story in which an angel has sex with a woman, therefore participating in the sin of the flesh. In the first 5 images the wings are visible and a bright white, showing purity The woman is receptive to his advances, and does not dramatically change position throughout the series. In the 6th image you can see the angel hunched over in what appears to be a painful, regretful expression, without his wings. Then in the last two images the angel turns dark, and becomes a clothed man, running from the scene. The woman on the other hand, in these last two shots does not change postion, possibly asleep. I believe this sequence has two parts. The first part to me tells a story simply of an angel partaking in sin, and losing his angelic status. Another story I see though is from the perspective of the woman. She sees an angel when first making love to him, but once it is over, all fantasy is gone and he becomes a man. He also becomes dark because after this fantasy is over he simply gets up and leaves, regretting what has occured. To quote Michals himself, "To fufil a fantasy is the quickest way to destroy it".

The composition of all the photos in this series is wonderful. The contrast is strong, with strong blacks and whites, but there is also great variation in the values. The story is easy to follow, and the observers eye can move easily from one photo to the next. The shots actually encourage this and make the observer want to know how the story ends. The wide depth of field allows for all details in the room to be seen, including the ribs on the man and the feathers on his wings. This speaks volumes when his face is blurred at the ending photo, likely through use of a slower shutter speed, because it shows his desire to leave the room as quickly as possible. The man's movement is also seen in the second photo, this time in a different manner. I believe it shows the eagerness to have sex with the woman, and the speed at which the act occured. Overall, the series is phenomenally done, well composed, and a great addition to a sequence display.