Michael Ruetz: The Family of Dog

With The Family of Dog, Michael Ruetz has created a unique photographic series over the last 50 years that presents a subtle and enlightening depiction of people and their social behavior. Dogs, after all, are what we want to see in them and what we make of them. In the rarest case, a dog is simply an animal. Michael Ruetz photographed dogs on the street, at homes, on the beach or in front of the TV, which usually makes them fall asleep. He depicts them alone, with cats and cows and again and again as man's companion. Ruetz avoids any mise-en-scene and imposing himself on the animals. Occasional provocative payoffs result from patient observation. As man in his daily routine, dogs slide into odd situations all the time. In this sincere and nevertheless ironic book, Michael Ruetz shows the various forms of canine existence, a comedie canine, in life as in death.