Artist Research week 1   - Duane Michals 


A Young Girls Dream - 1969 

Dr. Heisenberg's Magic Mirror of Uncertainty - 1998

I really like Duane Michals work because its really creepy and mysterious, and i love how most of his photos are in black in  white which give his work a deep feeling of emotion and dreams. Born February 18, 1932, Duane Michals is an American photographer, Michals's work makes innovative use of photo-sequences; often incorporating text to show emotion and philosophy.  Michals's interest in art began at age 14 while attending watercolour university classes at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh. In 1953 he received a B.A. from the University of Denver. After two years in the Army, in 1956 he went on to study at the Parsons School of Design with a plan to become a graphic designer; however, he did not complete his studies. He describes his photographic skills as completely self-taught. Though he has not been involved in gay civil rights, his photography has addressed gay themes. In discussing his notion of the artist's relationship to politics and power however, Michals feels that aspirations are useless:

"I feel the political aspirations are impotent. They can never be seen. If they are, it will only be by a limited audience. If one is to act politically, one simply puts down the camera and goes out and does something. I think of someone like Hartfeld who ridiculed the Nazis. Who very creatively took great stands. He could have been killed at any moment, he was Jewish, and my God what the guy did. It was extraordinary. You don’t see that now" - Duane Michals. 

 Michals influences were Balthus, William Blake, Lewis Carroll, Thomas Eakins, René Magritte, and Walt Whitman. In turn, he has influenced photographers such as David Levinthal and Francesca Woodman. In the 1960s, Duane Michals worked as a freelance fashion photographer and portraitist, while his artistic work began to address literary and philosophical ideas about death, gender and sexuality.

I think Duanes work is really amazing, his works are like a documentary and are really powerful.