Cornell Capa 1975

Curator: Mike Mandel's photograph, "Cornell Capa," a gelatin-silver print created in 1975, shows a close-up portrait of Capa in casual attire: baseball cap and glove. What strikes you about this piece? Editor: Immediately, I see a tension, Curator. He's in a baseball uniform, suggesting leisure, Americana even. Yet the black and white tones, the serious gaze...it hints at something more profound, perhaps the weight of Capa's legacy, considering his brother Robert's tragic passing while working as a war photographer. Curator: Indeed, the use of black and white often evokes a sense of history and gravity, especially in portraiture. The fact that Capa is in baseball attire could be interpreted in various ways. It's also worth noting the date—1975—at a time of societal unease and reckoning in America. Editor: Precisely. Placing the work within the broader historical context deepens its meaning. Baseball becomes more than just a sport; it becomes symbolic of a certain ideal, perhaps even an unattainable one, especially when juxtaposed against the backdrop of socio-political upheaval. But who was Mike Mandel and why make this image? Curator: Mandel, of course, often explores themes of identity, masculinity, and cultural symbolism in his work. By placing Capa in this particular context, he prompts the viewer to consider how societal expectations intersect with individual experiences. Let us also reflect upon baseball as "America's pastime", laden with myth and legend as opposed to a portrait of the famous photojournalist. Editor: I appreciate how Mandel manages to capture the nuances of human existence, that push and pull between individual desires and the weight of cultural baggage. There's also the issue that baseball as a male dominated space is perhaps a loaded symbolic setting. Curator: It also speaks to Capa's identity outside of war photography, revealing something more approachable and human perhaps. Editor: Yes, an alternative narrative where cultural archetypes intertwine with personal histories in nuanced, thought-provoking ways. It definitely makes me consider ideas around masculinity and identity through unexpected juxtapositions. Curator: A worthwhile journey of visual interpretation indeed.