Self-Portrait as Dreaming Man 1972

Editor: So, here we have Douglas Prince’s "Self-Portrait as Dreaming Man," a gelatin-silver print from 1972. The image has such a still, quiet quality. The figure submerged in water is contrasted with the landscape above in a way that feels symbolic. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Immediately, I see the water, which throughout art history has represented both cleansing and the subconscious. The figure immersed evokes a symbolic baptism or perhaps a descent into the self, but which is it? Consider the cord-like string across the man's forehead - is it a physical restraint, suggesting suppression, or an anchor to something deeper, like a connection to unseen forces? Editor: That’s a great point about the cord. It could represent so many things! And the way the landscape looms above him almost feels oppressive. Curator: Precisely. The earth and sky form a psychological barrier. Note also how Prince positioned himself beneath the "moon." Is the moonlight bathing him, offering clarity? Or does the desolate landscape reveal existential isolation? The single "moon" brings out Jung's idea of a person trying to integrate disparate pieces of themselves. What’s your impression? Editor: It’s almost like he's mediating between different planes of existence: conscious and unconscious, earth and sky… Trying to reconcile these forces. Curator: Exactly. Think of the history of representing the artist. Often, a "portrait" involves symbolic objects – a skull, a book, etc. – but here, nature becomes the language of the self, where the moon echoes illumination and the landscape speaks to his internal life. A perfect synthesis of artist and dream state. Editor: I never thought about landscape operating like that! It reframes my thinking about photographic self-portraiture. Curator: And what do you take away from seeing it combined in that way? Editor: I see how personal symbolism embedded within this work speaks to timeless and universal ideas. It prompts self-reflection about who we are, how we construct identities through cultural cues, and where memory resides in dreams. Thank you.