Tony

Tony 8th Ave. & 36 St.

50 x 50 oil 2014

This will begin a series of character studies, inspired by old photos found in my archive. This scene is now a quarter century in the past, so details found in the photo have begun to assert a special veneer of history. Because I was concerned with time here, I decided to pack this little canvas with denotative detail.

The makes of cars, for instance, look different, sporting the more angular 70/80s style. Public telephone boxes were still a fixture of each block (the trash bag poncho-wearing street guy looks to be approaching a phone… a reflexive finger search for a free quarter, or an urgent call?)

Tony, the white-jacketed gent, is certainly a NY type. Can he still be seen on the streets, or is he more a part of our collective imagination, promulgated by wise guy films and TV?  I've always been intrigued by his pose. For a guy with obvious experience and street smarts, doesn't he seem a bit hesitant, especially in the middle of busy 8th Ave? Or did I capture him the very instant he spots someone… someone he has been looking for fervently, or perhaps someone he has been hoping to avoid?