Duane Michals is a surrealist photographer known for his humour and sharp wit. This humour is evident in his self-portrait, "The Illuminated Man" (Figure 1, above), where he lights up his own head in a pastiche of Magritte's "The Pleasure Principle" (Figure 2). This image satirises the concept of enlightenment while challenging viewers to reflect on their perspectives of human existence. Similarly, Michals' "Self-Portrait Asleep in the Tomb of Mereruka at Sakkara" (Figure 6) juxtaposes a modern man with an ancient Egyptian tomb, inviting contemplation of mortality and human legacy. The idea of Michals falling asleep in a tomb adds a touch of amusement. Often, Michals' photographs initially present as humourous but convey deeper messages upon closer examination. As summarised by Artnet, Michals "makes innovative use of photograph sequences to depict emotion and universal themes like love, death, and immortality" (Artnet, 2011).
Michals specialises in storytelling through his portraiture, striving to capture the essence of his subjects. He formed strong friendships with René Magritte and Andy Warhol, among others, and photographed them many times over the years. Magritte was a particular inspiration to Michals. His portraits (Figures 3 and 4) "convey the surrealist sense of humour shared by the two artists, using double exposures and other techniques to perplex the eye" (DC Moore Gallery, 2023). By posing Magritte in front of an easel, Michals illustrates the inextricable connection between the artist and his paintings, while the double exposure honours Magritte's contribution to surrealism. Their shared humour is especially evident in Figure 4, where Magritte is dressed as his iconic "Magritte Man" in the familiar suit and bowler hat, albeit upside-down and balanced on his head. The slight smirk on Magritte's face reveals the jovial nature of their friendship.
Andy Warhol was the subject of Michals' portraits many times over the years. Each set captures the ever-changing Warhol as he was at that moment. The DC Moore Gallery (2023) states, "The subsequent portraits taken over the years illuminate Warhol’s constant self-reinvention", as demonstrated in Figure 7 (above). Warhol is viewed through a pane of glass, separating the audience from the artist, as though Warhol himself is the artwork on display. As Michals commented, Warhol has "transcended being a mere artist, he’s a phenomenon. Andy was phenomenal" (DC Moore Gallery, 2023). Similarly, Michals' short sequence featuring Warhol (Figure 8, below) shows his self-reinvention in action, as Warhol's face becomes increasingly blurred through the use of long exposures.
Successive photographs form a core part of Michals' body of work, as he uses multiple images to form a narrative. As noted in the New Yorker, "These enchanting photo sequences and montages, which are often accompanied by Michals’s handwritten prose, make innovative use of the medium’s ability to suggest what cannot be seen" (Bohnacker, 2015). In these "fictionettes" deeper themes of love, death, and identity start to unfold.
Figure 10 (above) tells the story of an elderly lady as Death comes to her. We witness her final moments as the ominous figure of Death gently releases her soul. Through the use of long exposures, Michals evokes a sense of the spiritual in the otherwise mundane setting, reinforcing the notion that, despite the fear and uncertainty surrounding death, it is an inevitable part of life.
Figure 9 features a series of images titled "Heisenberg's Magic Mirror of Uncertainty", referencing Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. This principle suggests that "we cannot measure the position and the momentum of a particle with absolute precision. The more accurately we know one of these values, the less accurately we know the other" (Jha, 2013). Michals illustrated this principle by using a convex mirror that warps the reflection within, stating that even a small movement changed the image completely. "It seemed as if I was looking at her energy evolving and vibrating right in front of my eyes. Of course, we can’t see energy changing state at this level, but to see her distort into all these faces was still marvellous" (Andreasson, 2015). In the text written on his sequence of photos, Michals explains that "uncertainty permits the possibility of anything and everything", blending the scientific principle he aimed to illustrate with his work as a surrealist photographer.
Michals often writes on his photographic prints, and instead of "serving a didactic or explanatory function", his scrawled messages add "another dimension to the images’ meaning" (DC Moore Gallery, 2017). Michals stated, "When I write, it’s to talk about what you cannot see in the photograph" (Boxer, 2019), an idea that echoes the nature of infrared photography. This use of text is something I need to consider when creating my zine. Should I include text that adds another dimension to my work? I aim to allow my audience to reflect on what loss means for them, so I want to avoid explaining my images. However, without any written context, I may not achieve that goal. Instead, I could include text, such as poetry, that loosely relates to each section in my zine without being too prescriptive.
After examining his work, Michals has shown me that infrared photography is an appropriate technique to create surreal images, as surrealism relies heavily on the relationship between the seen and the unseen. As Michals said, "I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see" (Artnet, 2011).
References
Andreasson, K. (2015) Duane Michals’ best photograph: French vogue does quantum physics, The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/feb/26/duane-michals-best-photograph-french-vogue-quantum-physics-heisenberg (Accessed: 09 June 2024).
Arthive (2020) Le Principe du plaisir, 1937, 55×73 cm by René Magritte: History, Analysis & Facts, Arthive. Available at: https://arthive.com/renemagritte/works/562921~Le_Principe_du_Plaisir (Accessed: 09 June 2024).
Artnet (2011) Duane Michals, Artnet. Available at: https://www.artnet.com/artists/duane-michals/ (Accessed: 09 June 2024).
Bohnacker, S. (2015) The last sentimentalist: A Q. & A. with Duane Michals, The New Yorker. Available at: https://projects.newyorker.com/portfolio/michals-empty-ny/ (Accessed: 09 June 2024).
Boxer, S. (2019) Duane Michals: Storyteller, Photograph. Available at: https://photographmag.com/feature/novemberdecember-2019-feature/ (Accessed: 09 June 2024).
DC Moore Gallery (2017) Duane Michals, DC Moore Gallery. Available at: https://www.dcmooregallery.com/artists/duane-michals (Accessed: 20 February 2024).
DC Moore Gallery (2023) Magritte + Warhol by Duane Michals, DC Moore Gallery Viewing Room. Available at: https://dcmoore-viewingroom.exhibit-e.art/viewing-room/magritte-warhol-by-duane-michals (Accessed: 20 February 2024).
Jha, A. (2013) What is Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle?, The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/10/what-is-heisenbergs-uncertainty-principle (Accessed: 09 June 2024).
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