Jose Picayo
Billy
2014

About the Item

Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 20. CURRENT EXHIBITION - runs through September 11th, 2016. Any framed photographs purchased during the show will be available after September 11th. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is produced upon purchase. Please allow two weeks for production. Shipping time depends on method of shipping. Price is subject to availability. The Robin Rice Gallery reserves the right to adjust this price depending on the current edition of the photograph. ABOUT: In the hazy, warm New York summer, little is more refreshing than reclining on the beach in the mist of the icy ocean waves or enjoying a family trip to the country house. Each summer, Rice curates her favorite show, the Summertime Salon, which reminds us of this exact seasonal sentiment. The two, long walls of the gallery become mosaicked, top to bottom, side to side, in photographs that evoke all the preeminent feelings and memories of summer. Each year, the Summertime Salon matures and Rice’s annual masterpiece comes into fruition. This year is no exception. The show is a haven of what the Robin Rice Gallery stands for, a community of art and experience. As the largest annual exhibition, the Summertime Salon is carefully pieced together, the results are staggering. The works of the 53 gallery artists come together communally, reinforcing the overall sense of unity that the show creates as a whole. In knowing the photographs so fluently, Rice strategically places them together in a way that will enhance the individual stories contained in each. Details from one image flow from into the next, elevating every photograph in a distinctly unique way. This year’s invitational image, “Surf Club” by Silvia Lareo-Vasquez, features a woman in a vintage sun hat reclining in the pool with a drink. The black and white image evokes an extreme sense of nostalgia in its cinematic portraiture and supple texture. Though the figure of the woman is tauntingly beautiful, the drink is the darkest tone, nearing black, and is centered in the frame. With this, we are reminded of the refreshing notes of summer and the utter serenity of taking the day off to relax. The show’s imagery is evocative of all eras of summer, thus any viewer can relate or connect to one of the images. As Rice likes to say, “There’s something for everyone.” One image by Benjamin Heller details a strong owl flying past the camera, with a blurry, forested background. This photograph hints at the adventurous, nature-filled summer; one filled with hiking and treasure hunts. Another image by Nenad Samuilo Amodaj details a thin black woman in a round, textured skirt, grasping onto a white orb-like shape covering her head. This image evokes the sense of wanderlust that summer so often indulges and plays well into the selection of more obvious summer scenes that Rice has incorporated as well. Sepia Tone, Portrait, Men, Man, Figurative, Back of Head, Masculine

Creator:
Jose Picayo (Cuban)
Creation Year:
2014
Dimensions:
Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)Depth: 0.1 in (2.54 mm)
Medium:
Silver Gelatin
Period:
21st Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Hudson, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU111027383
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Jose Picayo

In an age where digital photography reigns supreme, José Picayo makes no apologies for his commitment to Polaroid film. “Digital is so overpoweringly real,” he told Musée magazine. “Photography is more magical to me.” With Polaroid film, Picayo explains he can capture his evocative portraits, still-lifes and landscapes “as they are — a moment in time.”

Born in 1959 in Havana, Picayo left Cuba with his family in 1966, moving to Puerto Rico. In 1975, they settled in Kent, Ohio, where he completed high school and attended Kent State University for two years. By 1981, Picayo moved to New York City and graduated with a BFA from Parsons School of Design in 1983.

For the next few years, Picayo assisted several photographers before he began his career as a commercial photographer in 1987. During this time, he worked for several publications, including Italian magazines Sassy, Taxi and Connoisseur. Picayo also moonlighted as a teacher during the 1990s, teaching photography at his alma mater and Manhattan’s International Center of Photography.

Despite the introduction of digital photography in the late 20th century, Picayo has remained loyal to film photography, preferring to shoot with Polaroid film. The 8 x 10 images are then printed on Japanese paper, which lends visual texture and a timeworn quality to his black and white and color photos. While he is well known for his fashion photography, Picayo credits several influential photographers for their impact on his creative works. These include Eugène Atget, Edward S. Curtis, Michael Disfarmer, Walker Evans and Torkil Gudnason.

Picayo has exhibited extensively in both solo and group shows throughout the US, including the Robin Rice Gallery in New York City and the Erie Art Museum in Pennsylvania. His works have appeared in numerous publications such as Harper’s Bazaar, L.A. Style, the New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Rolling Stone and more.

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