"The Natural"
"Mondale"
John Schaefer and Fred Wright
by
Annabelle Numaguchi
Brian Parkin of Moab Art Works selected twelve enlarged archival images taken by photographer John Schaefer and aptly entitled the exhibit “The Big Picture Show”. This assemblage of photos captures indelible and characterizing moments from the 1980’s awakening our best memories of that decade.
Because so many of the subjects in the photos are iconic, Schaefer manages to leave much of the subject hidden requiring the viewer to fill in the rest. “The Natural”, a 24"x20" Polaroid print depicts Robert Redford, whom anyone familiar with the actor and his full head of thick blond hair would recognize, despite that only a quarter of his face is shown. The characteristic cowboy stance of hunkering his shoulders identifies the actor, along with the lettering on the back of his jacket that reads “The Natural”, which this untraditional angle emphasizes so subtly and successfully.
This ability to convey the subject and something insightful about his or her personality by focusing on less traditional features of the subject appears through most of Schaefer’s photos in this exhibit. The majority of these images were taken while he followed the political campaigns of notable figures, in particular that of Ronald Reagan.
Although the subject matter is politics, which means the viewer will naturally impose some predisposition to the images based on their own leanings, the result is not political. These photographs capture some of the most influential figures of that time to reveal the iconography of a nationalistic Cold War era, and evoke nostalgia, particularly being viewed twenty-three years after they were taken.
Four images depict Ronald and Nancy Reagan on the campaign trail. Through each moment captured on film Schaefer tells the story of this actor-turned-politician and his ever-supportive spouse, all evinced through posture and facial expression. Red, blue, and white dominate the color scheme so emblematic of the patriotism Reagan used to stir the public. This palette works aesthetically by offering strong patches of color as focal points in an almost monochromatic image and by creating strong linear movement, seen in the sweeping sashes and a ten-story long American flag in the “Republican National Convention, Dallas, 1984" displayed as a 94"x44" super-large Polaroid print.
Schaefer documents the gestures of a motivating politician, as seen in the waving hands of both Walter Mondale and Ted Kennedy. The most nostalgic piece is 80"x50" silver gelatin mural print of “Congressman Wayne Owens, Washington, D.C., 1986" whose youth, good looks and clean cut are reminiscent of one of American’s most beloved presidents, John F. Kennedy. The relaxed posture with hands brought together imbues Owens with a paternal air, emphasized by the framed photograph of a young boy sitting on the desk.
The final image, “John Schaefer & Fred Wright, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1984", depicts the artist and a colleague surrounded by their photographs symbolizing how the images reveal much about their famous subjects and even more about those who document them.
The retelling of a story usually results in characters that seem larger-than-life. The arresting size of Schaefer’s work appropriately underlines the legendary status many of these iconic personalities have taken on, a reminder that the 1980’s has joined preceding decades into the stature of bygone era, open to nostalgia and aggrandizement.