Composite Nature

by Stan Brakhage, Philip Taaffe (Artist)

Published in an edition of just 2,000 copies, and housed in a splendid French-fold dustjacket designed by Philip Taaffe, Composite Nature gathers 70 full-color reproductions and six tipped-in illustrations of the artist’s most recent work. A conversation between Taaffe and film-maker Stan Brakhage rounds out the volume.

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 1998

About the author

James Stanley Brakhage, better known as Stan Brakhage, was an American non-narrative filmmaker. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in 20th-century experimental film.

Over the course of five decades, Brakhage created a large and diverse body of work, exploring a variety of formats, approaches and techniques that included handheld camerawork, painting directly onto celluloid, fast cutting, in-camera editing, scratching on film, collage film and the use of multiple exposures. Interested in mythology and inspired by music, poetry, and visual phenomena, Brakhage sought to reveal the universal in the particular, exploring themes of birth, mortality, sexuality and innocence.

Brakhage's films are often noted for their expressiveness and lyricism.

Reviews

[Shenine Wangmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've met Philip in Patmos thanks to Rebecca Camhi (gallery owner in Athens) and I've seen some of his works in Manhattan where I've bought this exquisite publication in 1999.