The work of self-taught photographer Duane Michals is presented in a solo exhibition at the Stephen Bulger Gallery, the gallery’s first of his work. Titled, An Exhibition, the display spans nearly fifty years of the artist’s oeuvre. The photographs on display can be described as solemn; depicting not only dignified portraits but also narratives that speak to the transient nature of man: guilt, trepidation, and accomplishment.
Willem de Kooning, 1985 © Duane Michals. Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York and Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto
The first section of the exhibition features portraits of famous artists Williem de Kooning, Andy Warhol, Giorgio de Chirico, and Joseph Cornell. I found the most interesting image of the set to be the portrait of de Kooning. Seated facing away from the camera, the viewer only recognizes the artist from his painting and Michals hand-scrawled label on the print itself. For a number of years, Michals worked as a commercial photographer; without a studio of his own, he often took portraits of people in their own settings, bringing the viewer into the private sphere. Not only do we see this in the de Kooning’s portrait, but in the photographs of Andy Warhol and his mother, Julia Warhola, as well. The diptych images focus on each of the figures, situated in what appears to be their living space. The top images clearly focuses on Julia Warhola, with a blurred smirking Warhol standing behind. In both images she embodies a rather stern gaze, one that Warhol reflects in the bottom image. The dual portrait places the viewer in the home of Andy Warhol, providing an intimate look into the life of the artist.
Andy Warhol and his Mother Julia Warhola, 1958 © Duane Michals. Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York and Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto
Michals brings a new perspective to the photographic subject with his narratives, I Build A Pyramid (1978), The Fallen Angel (1968), and The Moments Before the Tragedy (1969). Each uses several photos, similar to film stills, to show a sequence of events that prompts the viewer to consider themes of morality, anticipation, and personal reflection. The Fallen Angel, my favorite piece in the exhibition, depicts two figures, a man and a woman, in a brightly window-lit bedroom. The man, wearing nothing but a set of angel wings, appears covetous as he forces himself on the resting woman. Unlike historical representations of the nightmare, such as the work by Henry Fuseli (1781), the subject of the work focuses more on the aggressor and his transformation rather than the female victim. The last two images of the set show the man, now dressed in a dark suit, looking regretful as the woman lays motionless on the bed. In the final image, he dashes out of the room.
The Fallen Angel, 1968 © Duane Michals. Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York and Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto
The gelatin silver prints strongly contrast with the colorful, and some of Michals’s newest works, that hang across the gallery. Here, we find portraits of early twentieth-century figures covered with colorful geometric shapes. The Foto Deco Series (2012) are a set of antique celluloid photo buttons on which, Michals has painted basic geometric shapes with oil paint. Understanding these paintings in connection to his photographs can be difficult without first viewing his digital sequences The Cabinet of Curiosities (2010) and Archimboldo’s Music (2011).
The Cabinet of Curiosities, 2010 © Duane Michals. Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York and Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto
The Cabinet of Curiosities presents the viewer with a deconstructed environment that breaks down physical objects into geometric representations. Michals’s abstracted environment would make little sense without viewing the progression from whole object to digital shape. The digital geometries found in the third pane provide a bridge between the photographic real and the abstractions found in Foto Deco.
Foto Deco: Chamber Music, No. 1, 2012 © Duane Michals. Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York and Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto
The work of Duane Michals has been exhibited in many galleries around the world, and is a crucial part to several prestigious permanent collections. It is quite an exciting case that some of his most popular work is available for viewing at the Stephen Bulger Gallery. An Exhibition is an experience that allows you to see a revolutionary photographer, and some of his greatest work.
First Holy Communion, 2013 © Duane Michals. Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York and Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto
Brinae Bain
*Exhibition Information: September 2o – October 18, 2014, Stephen Bulger Gallery, 1026 Queen Street West, Toronto. Gallery hours: Tue – Sat 11 – 6 p.m.