Newsletter #8
The Olympics Wrap
I had the great privilege of working on the Olympics for NBC Sports - covering Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Taekwondo, and Wresting as an online producer for London 2012 and managing the then ‘Live Extra’ streaming app (which has morphed into Peacock) for Sochi 2014. The competition is what brings eyeballs to the screen, but I believe what separates the Games from any other sporting event is the storytelling, and the people working behind-the-scenes to research, craft, and deliver those narratives. I’m hoping in the coming weeks to interview some of my friends who worked Paris 2024, and learn more about what went into pulling off such a spectacular iteration this summer. NBC Sports PR - if you’re reading this, hook it up! In the meantime, though, I’ll spend this newsletter talking about the background behind some of what I posted.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 400m hurdles gold medal run was so flawless that it yielded absolutely nothing out-of-the-ordinary to turn into art. I did get lucky in the post-race, however, as Hannah Peters (who was clutch all Olympics) came through with several shots of the crowned Queen, including this look from behind. There’s a compositional practice in Art called ‘Rückenfigur', which translates directly to back-figure. The most recognizable piece in the genre is probably Caspar David Friedrich's Wander Above the Sea of Fog, which could have worked here, but I did want to get something that incorporated a woman & potentially a crown. Side note, the Met is having an exhibition on Friedrich starting next February that I am counting down the days to. If you subscribe as a founding member below, I will go with you to the exhibition.
Back to the description…Friedrich has several rückenfigur works, and I remembered that Woman before the Rising Sun has a hairstyle that resembles a crown.
I wish the background colors and body shape matched a bit better, and that I had a higher resolution shot of the artwork (which I’m hoping to get at the Met exhibition), but I was happy with how this one turned out.
Next up, this viral video of Simone Biles. Throughout the Olympics, I tried to weave in artwork from French artists & institutions, and as soon as this clip dropped, I knew the Mona Lisa from the Louvre would be perfect.
There are two ‘layers’ here - 1. these are two of the most recognizable women in their respective disciplines. The GOATs, if you will, although I would not recommend waiting to see the Mona Lisa in person. And 2. if you watch the video, the essence of what it captures is Simone’s ability to somehow be looking in multiple directions at once. It’s what the Mona Lisa is arguably most famous for. It’s a bit lost with just a screengrab vs. a video (I tried making one and it didn’t come out great), but figured there were enough components to make the image worth posting.
Finally, my favorite. I had this one queued up in the chamber as soon as Noah Lyles called out LeBron and the NBA players. Joe Pinchin (more on him below) had a few angles of LeBron’s chalk toss from one of the pool play games, and I knew it’d be perfect to pair with The Sacrifice of Noah if Lyles lost - there’s the visual composition (the chalk, hand placement, and the beard), but also the deeper play on the beef between Lyles & LeBron. While the former won the 100m, he dropped the 200m and I fired this off as soon as he did. LeBron then held up his end of the bargain by leading the USA Men to gold.
I was a bit disappointed that this one didn’t get as much love as I thought it deserved, but I take solace in the fact that I was able to put out a ton of other quality posts from the Games. Which transitions nicely into…
Art/Sports I’m Into
The Paralympics
Several of you have asked if I’ll be making content for the Paralympics. As is the case with all sports; if there’s compelling imagery and I have the bandwidth, I’ll be there to post about it. Gold Zone has made it stupid simple to isolate out the best of the best, and from what I’ve read, NBC will have it in place for the Paralympics, so stay tuned in a week and a half when they fire up!
Artist of the Week
Abdul “Abe” Mazid
Shared this post the other day of MJ at the Barcelona Olympics (shot by the incomparable Nat Butler), and was excited because I think it’s the first time in 2,000+ posts that I was able to use an art piece from someone I’m friends with.
Abdul's pieces look nice online, but truly shine in person, as his thick application of paint and deliberate but improvised brush strokes (it makes sense when you see it) create texture and movement, turning into a form of accessible modern Dynamism.
He also has an expansive repertoire, working across a number of mediums, including my favorite, a collaboration between him and Julian Lombardi called The Currency Project, where they explore the intersection between art and sports cards, examining what value means and what can be created be implementing layers on top of existing canvases. Give them a follow!
Sports Photographer You Need to Follow
Joe Pinchin
Joe works on content for the Chicago Bulls during the regular season, but lucky for us spent the offseason covering Team USA at Paris 2024. His shots are gold medal worthy, and his understanding that ball is life gets woven into the fabric of every photo that he takes.
He’s also gracious with his time, going out of his way to make sure the perfect shot comes together even if it means taking extra effort out of his day.
Make sure to check out his full catalog of work, even if you’re not a Bulls fan.