Herbert Pfostl’s work is ripe with a distinct stoicism that, in the words of his friend (and author of the publication’s Forward) Jon Beacham, represents a sensation beyond nostalgia: “There is no nostalgia here, only an appreciation for antiquity.” Bound dutifully in a heather-gray jacket with embossed type features, Light Issued Against Ruin gestures at the weathered objects, those tinted with time, that produce gestures to compete with lighter and more immediate visuals that exist contemporaneously.
Pfostl’s rich visualizations are paired with single lines or words of poetic prose; together, these elements represent a body of work that revels in a deep quietude, far from (but still connected to) the image-saturation and textual associations that dominate visual culture on a larger scale.
Light Issued Against Ruin is published by The Brother in Elysium Publications based in New York. The publication exists in an edition of 300, with 10 copies containing original artwork by Herbert Pfostl.