Michael Becotte 1975

Mike Mandel made this photographic print, Michael Becotte, at some point, and the process is key. The grayscale gives everything a kind of raw, documentary feel. It's not about slickness; it's about capturing something real, something immediate. The way the light hits Michael's face, the slight blur around the edges, it all adds to this sense of a moment frozen in time. I’m drawn to the texture in this image. The grainy quality of the photograph gives it depth. It’s like you can almost feel the paper, the ink, the history of the image itself. Look at the way the light catches on the brim of his cap. The textures, tones, and shadows here are a real treat. It’s not just a picture, it’s an object. Mandel's work reminds me a little of Ed Ruscha, in its deadpan humor and its fascination with the everyday. But where Ruscha is cool and detached, Mandel feels a little warmer, a little more human. Art isn't about answers, it's about the questions that keep us looking, keep us wondering.