At the far side of the spectrum from The Huebscher Family is Man's Best Friend—Todd's Point Edition.  It is on display as of April 15, 2014, in the First Selectman’s Office of the Greenwich CT Town Hall.


The choice of location is telling as the work illustrates a well known, but underreported, slice of Greenwich life. The title refers to the events, during the off-season, at the Greenwich shore. From December through March, dog owners are permitted to let their dogs run free on the beach. The backdrop of a familiar stillness where the waters of the Sound meet the distant  shore of Long Island, stands in stark contrast to the abandon with which hundreds of dogs, of every stripe, express themselves when left to their own devices.


Three elements combine to reveal the complexity and charm of the world of these canines; the literal photographs of each individual animal, a tableau of images that depict dogs doing those things that dogs love to do—splashing in the water, running races, catching frisbees, letting loose—and the ambiguity of a central photograph mimicking the unknowable inner life of man’s best friend.


These elements are complimented by an invisible piece, lying just outside the boundaries of the canvas, which is the hallmark of the unique relationship shared by humans and their dogs. I witnessed its incorporeal form time and again as I interviewed the owners, listened to their tales and recorded names and breeds; the air was filled with a deep and abiding love and empathy.


It may appear that there is a great divide between The Huebscher Family and Man’s Best Friend, and in some ways that is certainly true. However, the thematic diversity ultimately serves as a reenforcement of the unifying concept of my work. The information is presented so as to be both eminently available and yet removed just enough to lead each viewer forward into the ever elusive mystery of reality and of art, offering as much meaning, poignancy, and emotion as they desire.

Man’s Best Friend

                   Panel 1

Todd's Point Edition

©2014

emily.lopatin@gmail.com

Man's Best Friend