Victor Macarol's aesthetic orderby Zoltan Buki Victor Macarol, the man behind the camera, records unexpected aspects of our daily lives. It is not that we, the observed, are unique; rather, Macarol presents us in a way in which we seldom see ourselves, even while looking in a mirror. All of us prefer the view that we are handsome, gregarious, kind, altruistic; but Macarol sees us as ordinary and, even in the company of others, as loners - more often by choice than by circumstances. The loners range from the derelicts in our streets to the urchins of whatever country to the supremely egotistical individual who needs to state that he is the best artist. Macarol sees us as consumed by our personal life, even when interacting with casual passers-by or with partners of our choice. Macarol does not judge us for what we are. With a perennial glint in his eye and a ready smile at the corner of his mouth, he looks around himself and records even the most insignificant events almost as if it were with the hope that perhaps there is going to be a banana peel to bring us all down to earth. This ability to remove our homemade armor suits actually succeeds in presenting us in a favorable light. We are preoccupied; we stumble; we fight our invisible windmills; yet, we come out of all of this with the knowledge of having tried to do our best - most of the time. While Macarol does not criticize us, he is critical of himself. A frame has to be just so; it can include only so much. Macarol's art is people - it is we; by omission, by deletion, an aesthetic order emerges with an irrepressible delight in life itself. * "Unveiling Illusions" by Zoltan Buki, Curator of Fine Arts at The New Jersey State Museum, appears as a preface in the exhibition brochures for one-man exhibitions at Wiesner Gallery in Brooklyn, New York, and at The Paterson Museum in New Jersey _____________________________________________________________ "...Victor Macarol [at Wiesner Gallery in Brooklyn, New York] has typical people as his subjects, not the tramps or others used for a social message. His subject is in the mainstream of life of a pulsating metropolis, as seen through a lens possessed often of a malevolent humor, carrying forward his message of a zest for life. Some photos are phenomenal, as the elongated broken mirror effect of a curbside puddle of water in "Jump," or "Pumpkins," where the vegetables have a visual impact by their placement in the foreground. Juxtaposition of images creates the humor of a black man preaching before a huge brick wall mural of Jesus Christ, a bulldog standing at attention in a dilapidated alleyway, or the backside of a woman wearing a suit, bending over next to a mannikin in a black dress and necklace."
Will Grant _____________________________________________________________ "...This well-known New Jersey photographer [Victor Macarol] is at his best with "found" humans and animals. And there is no lack of memorable images here. One is that of a disembodied hand on a desk, the only sign of life in an office."
Vivien Raynor _____________________________________________________________ "...[Victor Macarol's] photographs are just wonderful, and we wanted them as part of the whole project. Only Man Ray prints and Stieglitz's "Steerage" are the other photographic works in the exhibit ["A Century of Print Collecting"]. It all looks quite special, indeed."
William J. Dane, Keeper of The Prints & Works of Art on Paper _____________________________________________________________ "...[Victor Macarol's] photographs are about people and, as such, are sometimes wistful at the same time that they are witty and entertaining. As a result, images that are both narrative and philosophical offer the viewer a choice of laughter or sadness while they bring about a thoughtful view of everyday life."
Helen Schwartz _____________________________________________________________ "...Victor Macarol, who is a recipient of the Distinguished Artist Award from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, likes to poke fun at life. He has a talent for creating illusions and for capturing human moments which often go unnoticed."
Lorie Russo _____________________________________________________________
"...The protagonists in Victor Macarol's photos are drawn from the impressions he gets as he observes the inner city. Featured are visages of humanity that range from the whimsical to the contemplative, from the alienated to the humorous. His humor, however, is frequently tainted by the
Cettina Cardone _____________________________________________________________ "...Victor Macarol's images are very modern, both in subject matter and outlook. The range of emotional reaction offered in this group of his photographs is perhaps its greatest attribute. From the whimsical - two women conversing on stilts - to the pained - a troubled man lying on a bench - the works offer truthful glimpses into life on the streets."
Jonas Livingston _____________________________________________________________ "...Victor Macarol tugs at the heart with two street scenes. One depicts a cat sitting on a stool in front of a shop whose window displays a provocative poster photo of Marilyn Monroe. The other, taken in Paris, depicts a homeless man and his dog, both asleep in a doorway. A handwritten sign in French for passers-by solicits 'a franc or two to eat with my dog.'"
William Gordon _____________________________________________________________ "...Victor Macarol is unquestionably one-of-a-kind. The artist mixes ingredients in his photographic studies the way a chemist mixes elements, taking them to the stage where they cannot be separated out."
Sally Friedman _____________________________________________________________ "...Catch the classic Silver Prints by Victor Macarol, acclaimed American photographer whose work has bowled over audiences because of its loaded and eloquent simplicity. This exhibit also 'opens' the new Front Room Gallery that aims to promote well known and recognized international artists in Visual and New Media Arts in Singapore. This is the first Asian presentation of works by the distinguished Macarol. There's an unmistakable 'Americana feel' about this set of prints, which carries a pronounced wit about it. The poetic compositions make one guess at the drama and narration behind them. Macarol's work is clearly one-of-a-kind."
Cheah Ui-Hoon _____________________________________________________________
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