Looking at Art

In choosing to photograph italian marble sculptures, Michael Kahn references not only Greek and Roman history but also the type of competition we can see on television. His 14-inch-square photograph, on exhibit at Gardner Colby Gallery, crops the torsos of two wrestlers to focus on the primary physical tension of their conflict. Four arms, three hands, three elbows, two heads and a knee make for a fair amount of information to grasp. And as in looking at a still of a close-up from any wrestling match, we must complete what is outside the picture frame. One of the reasons this image pleases the eye is the perfect balance of positive and negative space-the solidity of form and vacuum of air around the bodies.

Kahn tones the black-and-white print with a golden yellow that warms the cold marble, clarifiying the bodies and throwing them in stark relief to the background. The color also warms the light, adding to the heat of the contest we are witnessing. We see taut muscles and a well-defined rib cage as well as imperfections that look like age spots on arms and torsos. With this image, Kahn has not only expanded his body of work but also given us new reason to respect the sport of wrestling, ancient and modern. Our World Wrestling Federation heroes might be inspired by this image as well.

Michael Kahn at Gardner Colby Gallery, 386 Broad Ave. S., Naples, 403-7787.

-Mark Ormond

Mark Ormond is a Southwest Florida writer, art historian and art consultant.