Customer Reviews

Questions Without Answers

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Michals has produced a work that is full of contrasts, ranging from mysterious to obvious, from profound to vapid, from sad to funny, much like life itself. The "questions" of the title are (without the question marks): What is/are beauty, the universe, magic, trust, language, luck, happiness, pleasure, consciousness, the mystery of the Sphinx, dreams, memory, youth, old age, time, humor, grief, desire, love, music, God, life, death, nothing? and Who am I?. In the middle of these is a section on "the seven ages of man." Each concept is explored with black & white photograph(s) and poetry. For example, for "grief" there is a series of six photos showing a man reading a letter, looking at a picture, and then holding his head in his hands, and the sentence "grief is the unconsolable melancholy of loss." I do not feel that the photography is Michal's best, and the poetry sometimes borders on bathetic. Nevertheless, I recommend this book as a strong example of one of the most original artists of our time.

Duane Michals is a humanist of the first order. His concerns are not unlike those of Walt Whitman, who seems to have played a major role in Michals' development as an artist and thinker. The format of this book is elegant, simple, and touching. It will come as no surprise that his 'Questions' for which he poses no answers are those same questions we all ponder, alone, in the still of darkness, in the solitude of nature.

What makes Duane Michals pertinent is his lack of posturing as an artist. One of the drivers for this portfolio is to continue his multiple studies of a few beautiful people. Adding the written word or phrase in response to one of the 'Questions' at times is additive, at times superfluous, at times pedestrian, but at all times honest. The photographs are his usual beautiful images, some touched with items, others reliant on the simple beauty of his models.

Books such as this are warm companions for lonely times, times of loss, times for rejuvenation. And isn't that true for all of art? Recommended. Grady Harp, August 05

Duane's back . . . and he still has plenty to say (even under the guise of asking questions, he can't stop giving away the answers). There are plenty of new poems here, but the best thing about the book is that it features more of his signature series. Telling stories with these series has been and remains Duane Michals strong point.