Kenny Raider, San Francisco Possibly 1973 - 1994

Richard Gordon’s photograph, Kenny Raider, San Francisco, shows us two portraits in one frame, a man smiling into the camera and a poster of a public figure staring out from behind glass. I imagine Gordon walking the streets with his camera, looking for these kinds of quirky juxtapositions. Is he smiling too? Is it a coincidence that the sitter is wearing a checked shirt, which reflects the window frame behind him? Or is he deliberately orchestrating the image to reflect what he sees around him? The poster hangs slightly askew, and a small tear in the plastic adds another layer of reflection to the image. It reminds me of those off-kilter portraits by Gerhard Richter, where the glass adds a sense of distance, but also a feeling of intimacy, as if we're peering into someone's private space. Painters and photographers are always having this conversation across time, influencing each other in ways we can’t fully know. And in this image, I feel the ghost of both painting and photography, of observation, humour, and a playful eye.