Shadows of Love, Shadows of Loneliness: Volume Two: Drawings, Prints & Paintings: 1980-2020

William T. Vollmann's Shadows of Love, Shadows of Loneliness is a landmark collection of his visual artwork over four decades, with new commentary on his process, inspiration, and intersections with his writing. The collection includes Kodachrome slides, watercolor sketches, gum bichromate prints, silver gelatin portfolios, photogenic drawings, transgender self-portraits, Bible woodblock prints, acrylic paintings, cyanotypes, platinotypes, salt prints, and gold-toned Vandykes. Essays commissioned for the book explore Vollmann's views on photographs, representation, and photographic consensuality, providing insights for fans and scholars.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 07 December 2023
Publisher: Rare Bird Books

In this remarkable collection, William T. Vollmann presents a kaleidoscopic retrospective of the visual artwork he has created over four decades, accompanied by new commentary from Vollmann on his creative process, sources of inspiration, and the numerous intersections with his writing. Renowned for his over twenty-five books, including the National Book Award-winning novel Europe Central, the seven-volume Rising Up and Rising Down, based on Vollmann's career as a war correspondent, and the two-volume climate change investigation Carbon Ideologies, Vollmann's equally ambitious and prolific career as a photographer, printmaker, and painter reflects the artist's deep interest in marginalized individuals, profound empathy for his subjects, and the humility and generosity to meet them on their terms.

Shadows of Love, Shadows of Loneliness encompasses a diverse range of Kodachrome slides featuring Afghan Mujahideen from 1982, a handmade watercolor sketchbook from Subarctic Canada, featuring inscriptions from local Inuit teenagers, gum bichromate prints of American landscapes from Maui to Mount Desert Island, silver gelatin portfolios showcasing insurgents, refugees, prostitutes, police, and criminals across the globe, photogenic drawings of Tahitian women, transgender self-portraits of "Dolores," Bible woodblock prints in which God and everyone else is female, acrylic paintings of California landscapes, cyanotypes, platinotypes, salt prints, and gold-toned Vandykes, among many other remarkable pieces.

To complement these selections, a series of essays have been commissioned specifically for this book, offering Vollmann's perspectives on what photographs can and should convey, his approach to selecting what to represent (beauty, suffering, compassion, love, desire, ideology), thoughts on photographic consensuality, and various technical descriptions. Each essay provides a deeper understanding of Vollmann's artistic vision and the profound insights he brings to his work.

This comprehensive collection showcases Vollmann's exceptional talent and dedication as an artist, offering a captivating journey through his creative journey and the profound impact his work has had on the world of visual art and literature.

Dimension: 279 x 228 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781644281857