Going Beyond the Photo

The three portraits currently on display in the Zoller Gallery by Sal Salvatore demonstrate an exploration of gesture as it relates to his sense of theatricality.

The staging of the image is apparent in the way that Sal chooses to position his subjects. This is most clearly seen in his portrait of Doug and Pam. The books do not allow the figures to get any closer while the tight clenching of the embrace does not allow them to back away. The lack of movement betrays an awareness in the image of both itself and of the viewer.

The gestures of the embrace allow the viewer to immediately identify with the figures depicted, but do not extend beyond the image. Sal begins to capture not only the gesturing of the figures, but also the gesturing of the artist in his self-portrait. The abrasive method of sanding records how and where the artist’s hand has moved; it becomes both a caress and a destructive act and contributes to the understanding of the image.

Sal’s interest in the image of the book has moved away from a direct reference and towards an interest in the object itself. Still, the book is a symbol with understood meaning that prompts the viewer to ask expected questions. Is there a transference of knowledge happening between the figures and the object? Is knowledge becoming a barrier? Are the figures part of an unknown race that sense through this object? Sal is best able to break free of this literalness in his portrait of Brian Franklin. The background and the foreground merge creating an undulating sensation. There is also a merger of technology as the green screen that is associated with the digital age morphs into and becomes the book. Or, perhaps it’s the other way around. Through the uncertainty of what is depicted, Sal creates a curiosity that allows the viewer to consider the image in a more rhizomatic way.

As Sal’s images begin to be realized on the canvas instead of the photo, I am finding myself more interested in what they are and what they allude to.