Alexandra,
I highly suggest two books on Witkin. One is "The Bone House," which was published in 2000, and is a beautiful, clothbound edition. The best part of the book, IMHO, is Witkin's own writing in the forward. He describes his techniques in detail.
Another great little book, and it's very cheap from Amazon.com ($8), is Phaedon 55's Witkin publication. I own both of these books and I will look for any information on "La Serpentine" for you.
I recently gave a detailed slide show on Witkin's work for a class project. I can talk at length about a lot of his works, but "Serpentine" isn't one of them.
As far as technique goes, Witkin does scratch his negatives and uses chemicals to distress them. In "The Bone House" he refers to shooting in medium format, although I have read he also uses a 4x5 view camera. When he prints, he covers his photographic paper in wet tissue paper, then as the paper is exposed, he will manipulate the wet paper, tearing it sometimes, to achive a vintage look. The print receives further manipulation with chemistry and toner.
I also learned that some of his fine prints are mounted on aluminum, then coated with thin layers of beeswax, which is heated and polished. Supposedly, he only makes about 10 of these prints a year. No Photoshop manipulation is employed.
Witkin works with cadavers (He has an arrangement with a morgue in Mexico), and actively seeks out those who are disfigured or exhibit any types of physical abnormalities.
I shall look at my Phaedon 55 book this evening to see if "Serpentine" is featured. Eugenia Parry, an art critic, wrote extensive commentary on all the works in the book.
The thing to remember with Witkin is that he's "reinventing" the history of art.
Look at many of his works -- they feature elements of myth ("Beauty Has 3 Nipples" for instance, is his take on Venus), and many of his photos are stylized to resemble common art cliches ("Feast of Fools" looks like a Dutch still-life).
There are also intense religious themes present ("Glassman", "Horse Crucifixion," "Queer Saint" and many others), and themes of constant pain/martyrdom ("Testicle Stretch with Possibility of Crushed Face" comes to mind).
Good luck with your research. Witkin is a fascinating study!
-Andrew
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