Arnold Gassan 1975

Mike Mandel made this black and white photograph of Arnold Gassan in 1975. I find myself wondering, what’s going on here? Is Arnold ready to swing, or has he just hit a home run? I imagine Mike watching Arnold closely, thinking about how to get just the right shot. Does he want Arnold to seem heroic? Does he want to poke fun at the conventions of athletic portraiture? The high contrast gives the picture a graphic quality. The way the baseball bat cuts across Arnold's body creates a dynamic line, drawing your eye from his hands up to his face. It reminds me a bit of those old baseball cards. Maybe Mike was interested in playing with ideas of celebrity and representation? Artists are always riffing off each other, building on what came before, and trying to say something new. The beauty of art is that there’s no single right answer, just a conversation that keeps unfolding.