Kenneth Anger, Topanga Canyon, Composite with Gustave Doré Engraving

Chicago native Edmund Teske followed his interest in motion pictures to Hollywood, where he settled in 1943 and lived for over 50 years. Teske’s new home became his principal source of subject matter, from the rugged Southern California landscape to colorful Los Angeles celebrities. These elements meet in the portrait of underground experimental filmmaker Kenneth Anger, shown here astride the otherworldly rock features of Topanga Canyon. Per Anger’s suggestion, Teske overlaid the print with an 1866 illustration by Gustave Doré for John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost depicting the meeting of Satan’s great council to plot the recovery of heaven. Teske joined this combination print with his signature duotone solarization technique, achieved by exposing prints and negatives to light partway through the development process. Through these experiments, he constructed an imaginary and dreamlike vision, setting his work apart from the straightforward documentary photography in vogue at the time.