Eros and Thanatos: Regular Ed

Rating:
Summary: The Sorcerer Comes of Age
Review: I believe this is the fourth volume of Duane Michael's work to be published by Twin Palms. This relationship has provided Michaels with a well-deserved vehicle for his creativity. If Alan Ginsberg is the quintessential gay poet, drawing on his sexuality when needed, but never letting his work be overwhelmed by it. Then Michaels holds the same position in the world of light.

"Eros & Thanatos" is a combination of verse and photography that probes love and its mortality, seeking wisdom, and, of course, peace. The metaphysical nature of its theme is echoed in the artist's choices of printing styles and manipulations. Often there is a sense of 'looking through a glass darkly," at some distant hermetic time. The images are dark, with careful use of composition and focus. Many pages are black which makes the images alternate between leaping off the page to floating delicately beneath it.

Michaels use of male models works perfectly for this setting. There is nothing to offend here, the models have a quiet beauty and sensuality that blends with, rather than intrudes upon the images. This allows Michaels to escape from the sometimes cliche-ridden atmospherics of the female figure, and leaves his innovation undiluted.

The poetry that frames the images is surprising. Michaels' writing is misleadingly primitive, lacking in the slick polish that contemporary criticism seems to prefer. Yet, the words and phrases themselves are rich in content, and touch on the myriad forms that love can experience death. Loss, betrayal and grief all make their appearance and are expressed openly. Nor is this mere expostulation. Instead, Michaels has invited us to share some of his own experiences.

The final poem is an homage to Paul Cadmus, an important American painter, who, like Michaels, has shared his homosexuality in his art. Indeed, a study of their images shows many common threads and a shared sense of lighting and imagery.

Twin Palms production qualities are, as usual, immaculate, with much attention paid to the tonal quality of the images. I am reviewing from the limitied edition, which includes a fine slipcase. Other than that, and the signature page, there is no difference from the regular edition.

Rating:
Summary: The Sorcerer Comes of Age
Review: I believe this is the fourth volume of Duane Michael's work to be published by Twin Palms. This relationship has provided Michaels with a well-deserved vehicle for his creativity. If Alan Ginsberg is the quintessential gay poet, drawing on his sexuality when needed, but never letting his work be overwhelmed by it. Then Michaels holds the same position in the world of light.

"Eros & Thanatos" is a combination of verse and photography that probes love and its mortality, seeking wisdom, and, of course, peace. The metaphysical nature of its theme is echoed in the artist's choices of printing styles and manipulations. Often there is a sense of 'looking through a glass darkly," at some distant hermetic time. The images are dark, with careful use of composition and focus. Many pages are black which makes the images alternate between leaping off the page to floating delicately beneath it.

Michaels use of male models works perfectly for this setting. There is nothing to offend here, the models have a quiet beauty and sensuality that blends with, rather than intrudes upon the images. This allows Michaels to escape from the sometimes cliche-ridden atmospherics of the female figure, and leaves his innovation undiluted.

The poetry that frames the images is surprising. Michaels' writing is misleadingly primitive, lacking in the slick polish that contemporary criticism seems to prefer. Yet, the words and phrases themselves are rich in content, and touch on the myriad forms that love can experience death. Loss, betrayal and grief all make their appearance and are expressed openly. Nor is this mere expostulation. Instead, Michaels has invited us to share some of his own experiences.

The final poem is an homage to Paul Cadmus, an important American painter, who, like Michaels, has shared his homosexuality in his art. Indeed, a study of their images shows many common threads and a shared sense of lighting and imagery.

Twin Palms production qualities are, as usual, immaculate, with much attention paid to the tonal quality of the images. I am reviewing from the limitied edition, which includes a fine slipcase. Other than that, and the signature page, there is no difference from the regular edition.