perfidy

Allan Janus: Puzzle or Enigma?

The Ministry realizes that most of its readership consists largely of rude and unsophisticated bumpkins, militaristic weapons fetishists, and bohemian music lovers with a sadly circumscribed mental horizon. As part of our ongoing attempt to provide at least a facsimile culture and erudition, we present part one of the Ministry Culture and Arts series.

Today, we focus on the works of Allan Janus, photographer, tintypist and occasional freelance dirigible pilot. A native of the Washington, DC, area, Janus cast a wavering eye on the life and landscape around him. He attempted to capture that vision on film. While the art establishment rightly ignored him, he soldiered on in near total anonymity. Over a period of decades, punctuated by the metronymic regularity of rejection notices, Janus acumulated an impressive (if only in bulk) body of work.

By far the most important collection of Janus' work is held by the Janus Foundation of Washington Grove, Maryland, which maintains the virtual Janus Museum. The Janus foundation is attempting to catalog Janus' work, but is hamstrung by a tragic lack of ready grant money or the generous support of wealthy and indiscriminate patrons.

Some examples from the Janus oeuvre:

Gaggle Advancing, Accokeek

Sheep may Safely Gaze, Accokeek, Maryland

Landscape with Devon Cow, Accokeek