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Songs of Innocence and Experience.
Photographs by Joel-Peter Witkin. Poetry by William Blake.
21st,
New York,
2004.
Unpaged,
numerous color and black-and-white illustrations,
12¼x13¼".
About the Limited Edition
For Blake, the artists is always the devil—the transgressive,
vital energy at work in darkness, in dreams, and in prophesy
that breaks through moral and logical thinking. In Blake's
world, God is an artist-devil-prophet. What better artist to
carry on Blake's visionary mysticism than Joel-Peter Witkin,
with his modern photographic depictions
accompanying Blake's Songs of Innocence
and Experience. A true marriage of
heaven and hell, this astonishing edition
highlights their shared fascination
with the workings and interdependence
of good and evil,
violence and passivity, desire and
repression. Questions such as the
Tyger's "Did he who made the
lamb make thee?" resonate with
new meaning in Witkin's interpretation
of exposed sinews and composite
parts. It is in this strange world, of
multiple conflicting perspectives, of dismemberment
and darkness, where divinity resides.
These images not only reinvigorate Blake's poems, they
help us to understand why Witkin proclaims himself, Joel
the Baptist, and appropriately so. This stunning book features
62 images of Witkin's most recent work, including
some fresh color pieces and 40 previously unpublished
images. The work has been printed in a new 10 color, ultra
high resolution process on lush 100% cotton Arches paper;
a truly amazing production.
Read Publisher's Description.
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