David Wojnarowicz: Brush Fires in the Social Landscape

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Wojnarowicz
Review: David Wojnarowicz is presented here almost in his total artistic form (only the music playing and the filmmaking are absent). The paintings and photographs -- beautifully reproduced -- go together with sparse writings by the artist. Adding to this first-hand material, there are several very insightful essays on his work, as well as interviews of other artists who knew him. The way all features are organized is also pretty well balanced. This one is, therefore, the perfect artistic album: enchanting, at times almost paralyzing in its beauty, and quite useful in the information it gives about Wojnarowicz and his work.

Rating:
Summary: AIDS before the cocktail; New York City before Giuliani
Review: Wojnarowicz taught himself photography and painting. The Aperture Foundation printed this book for their photography series, but David's paintings (which are well-represented in this collection) represent the culmination of his art.

David incorporates prose, politics, photography, painting and social criticism in a non-heirachical manner. Look at the cover, and you will see that he is the equal of Keith Haring.