Victor Macarol - subjects from the mainstream of a metropolisThough much has been said about New York having more and more an international flavor, especially in the visual arts, and that the search for 'roots' makes native born Americans go to their overseas past for inspiration, at no time have these and other international influences been more apparent than in observing a number of exhibits this June. The rich interwoven pattern of American art becomes ever more evident. Photographer Victor Macarol is fascinated by the life in city streets. Though he includes some powerful landscapes, almost all his images are city scenes, at the Wiesner Gallery in Brooklyn's Bayridge, until July 3, Wednesday to Saturday, 1 to 7 PM. His silver prints are from all over the world, but the main accent is on New York. Macarol 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. No better summing up of this exhibition is the avowed purpose of N. Wiesner, owner of this gallery, who wishes to bring artists of recognized international stature to this fine residential area which is moving toward wider ranging cultural interests.
Will Grant * A Twice a Month Gallery Review, Bruno Palmer-Poroner, Editor ___________________________________________________________________________ "...Photographs of landscapes and buildings have their own beauties, but they rarely have the compassionate warmth that photographs of people have. It is sometimes more gratifying, and certainly easier, for an observer, to respond to the conditions of other human beings, no matter how different or similar, than to the physical configurations of a tree or a wall...People play an important role in the photography of Victor Macarol. In fact, it's the people who endow these photographs not only with warmth, but also with a pressing vitality that is transferred to their surroundings, thus making the inanimate seem all the more animate and lively."
David L. Shirey ___________________________________________________________________________ "...[Victor Macarol] understands the links and the balance between things. Thus he pays more attention to echoes, overtones, gradations, reverberations and glimmers than he does to objects themselves. His pictures are a balancing act, with Macarol liking to give contradictions in daily life a chance to develop. The result is often a contrast between two moments in time, which can be nostalgic, even poignant."
Victoria Donohoe ___________________________________________________________________________ "...The exhibition ["Where, When and Who Took That Photograph?" at The Newark Public Library] reveals its answers in 150 unique posters, antique albums, unusual books and carefully selected original photographs...The most popular materials in the show are original photographs by Ansel Adams, Harry Callahan, Larry Clark, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, William Eggleston and New Jerseyan Victor Macarol. Of substantial historic interest are issues of the legendary magazine, Camera Work, which was a seminal journal of photography founded by Alfred Stieglitz, who served as editor. Stieglitz published the work of photographers associated with the Photo-Secessionist movement from 1903 to 1917."
J. Dennis Papp ___________________________________________________________________________ "...Victor Macarol's credits include many international shows, currently at one of the most prestigious gallery [Galerie Zur Stockeregg in Zurich] in Switzerland where he was chosen to represent "American Photographers of the 20th Century." He received fellowship awards from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and serves now on a panel selecting artists for such awards. Following the one-man exhibition, Macarol will be heading abroad for four international shows this year."
Bernice Paglia ___________________________________________________________________________
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