Art Sinsabaugh 1975

Mike Mandel made this photograph of Art Sinsabaugh sometime in the mid-twentieth century. It looks like a baseball card. The light flares up on the left, drawing our eye to a kind of visual echo of the figure in the image. The way Mandel used black and white here is so evocative, not just as a choice, but as an active agent in creating depth and mood. There's a flattening, but also a surprising amount of detail, especially in the contrast between the figure's clothing and the stark white blur. It feels immediate, almost like a snapshot, yet considered. The texture of the print itself—its graininess—adds to this feeling. This makes me think about the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, who cataloged industrial structures with similar deadpan precision. But here, Mandel brings a sense of humor and personality. It's a small gesture, but it shifts the whole game. Art is always a conversation, a game of telephone across time. It’s never just about one voice.