Sexuality was for him a source of artistic ideas.
In his journals, he wonders: “Is the repetitive preoccupation with women in my work an avenue to escape the original trauma by investigating the woman, demystifying her mystery so that she becomes reassuring rather than dangerous, thus transforming her into something satisfying in itself, a work of art?” This might explain his fascination with the female body, breasts in particular, not only as sexual objects but also as “loving warmth and heart of a woman-forgiving, comforting, consoling and life-affirming” (self-interview by painter Paul Matthews, September 26, 2006, Dave Heath journals). This became his name as an artist.ĭespite his abandonment issues and his inability to connect with others or to maintain a long-term relationship, his work reveals his love for women. Adopting the name “Dave” was his way of gaining the necessary dimension, presence and character denied to him as a child. The abandonment in his early years, by his mother in particular, was a curse he was unable to exorcise throughout his adult life. Reclusive by nature, Heath lived his life as a continuous struggle.
His art, though deeply personal, is an exploration of the human condition. He understood photography as a “wordless poetry” (Dave Heath journals). Heath’s journals, spanning 1974 to 2016, are now part of Library and Archives Canada’s collection.įollowing in the traditions of Walker Evans and Robert Frank, Heath considered photographic sequence as an art form and put the relations between words and images at the centre of his work.
Best known for his book A Dialogue with Solitude (1965), he experimented with different expressive forms: traditional darkroom work, audiovisual slide presentations, Polaroid technology, digital colour photography and artistic journals. Mostly self-taught, Heath was a photographer, printmaker, writer, critic, editor and teacher. In 1970, he came to Canada and settled in Toronto. Three years later, he began to pursue photography as an escape from loneliness, setting the stage for a long and outstanding career that would leave a mark on modern photography. Abandoned by both parents by the age of four and rejected by the rest of his family, Heath grew up in a series of Jewish foster homes until he was placed in an orphanage at age 12. The late David Martin Heath was born on June 27, 1931, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Diptych of Dave Heath, 2005, by Michael Schreier ( e008299923)
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