Arthur Tress 1975

This is Mike Mandel’s black and white photograph of Arthur Tress, but the date is unknown. What jumps out right away is the texture of the photograph, the way the light catches on the surface and creates these subtle gradations of grey. It feels immediate, like a snapshot, but also very composed. There's something intriguing about the contrast between the soft focus and the hard edges, like the sunglasses that the subject wears. The overall effect is one of both spontaneity and careful control, which reminds me of the work of people like Robert Frank or Garry Winogrand, artists who found beauty in the everyday. Ultimately, this photograph strikes me as a beautiful example of how art can capture a moment in time. The picture doesn't tell us everything, and that's okay. It leaves room for us to fill in the blanks, to imagine what Arthur Tress was thinking and feeling in that moment.