Wynn Bullock 1975

Editor: This black and white photograph by Mike Mandel, titled "Wynn Bullock," was created in 1975 and looks like a baseball card. Bullock is in full pitching motion wearing a Giants baseball cap. I find it humorous! What do you see in this piece, something that stands out? Curator: The immediate impact is precisely that feeling of playful humor and a subversion of expectations. What does this image evoke for you when you think of "hero" imagery, the imagery of a sports hero, perhaps? Does this meet those expectations or challenge them? Editor: It definitely challenges them. The typical hero is athletic-looking, often younger and conventionally attractive, whereas this photo is much more down-to-earth. Curator: Exactly. We have the baseball iconography: the uniform, the ball, the mitt, even the classic baseball card framing, but the figure is older, bespectacled, an intellectual perhaps, someone known more for visual creation than athletic prowess. Notice the tension in his expression as well, which could indicate either excitement or even…struggle. Editor: Struggle? I didn’t consider that. It is a very determined, almost pained, expression. Curator: Is there a reading of this card as the struggle to create, to 'throw' something meaningful out into the world, even as an artist ages? Does the 'card' format add another layer about the way we collect and remember iconic figures of our culture? Editor: That's insightful. So, it's a play on heroism and creative struggle, using a common cultural artifact as its mode of delivery? Curator: Precisely. It layers multiple meanings upon one simple, immediately recognizable image, using those pre-existing cultural associations and shared memories. The format almost becomes as important as the subject, or vice-versa. Editor: I'll definitely remember that, seeing the deeper meaning behind the easily-accessible imagery. Thanks for pointing that out. Curator: My pleasure; I have a feeling this one will resonate for a while.