Jacob Deschin 1975

This photographic print of Jacob Deschin was made by Mike Mandel sometime in the 20th Century. I’m thinking about the moment Mandel pressed the shutter, capturing Jacob’s gleeful grin. I wonder, was it a posed shot or a spontaneous moment? You know, that millisecond when the light is just right, and the essence of the subject reveals itself? The monochrome palette gives the image a timeless quality, and the texture of the photographic paper gives the picture a physical presence. The image evokes feelings of nostalgia and a bit of humor. It’s like a snapshot from a bygone era, yet it still resonates today. Mandel’s work often plays with portraiture and documentary styles, blurring the lines between fiction and reality, and the work encourages us to question the stories we tell ourselves about identity, representation, and how we perceive each other. Just a reminder that art doesn’t exist in a vacuum, each artist builds on the foundations laid by those who came before, offering their own unique perspective.