Leonard Freed 1975

This is Mike Mandel’s photographic print of Leonard Freed, and the tones of gray give it this lovely sense of being both here and not here, know what I mean? Like a memory. The texture's all in the details, right? Look how the light catches the wool of his sweater, versus the smooth gloss of his baseball glove. Mandel doesn't hide the grain of the photograph; it’s all part of the story. And that baseball mask... it’s got this superhero vibe. But Freed’s eyes are soft, like he's thinking about something else entirely. The way Mandel plays with this contrast reminds me of some of Philip Guston's later paintings, the way he used simple forms to hint at bigger, messier ideas. This image is like a quiet question hanging in the air, a reminder that seeing isn't just about what's in front of you, but what you bring to it.