Jack Pignatello: Saturday Night Heroes

Superstar Billy Graham 2, 1977, Chromogenic print, 10 x 8 in.

Artist’s Statement:

Photographing professional wrestling from the 1970s was not just a window into a world of heroes and villains, but also a world of sacrifice and struggle. Many of the wrestlers who participated in the sport during that era worked for little money, enduring long hours on the road and putting their bodies on the line night after night, all for the love of the sport. Their reward, in many cases, was a spot on a wrestling card at Madison Square Garden in New York, The Mecca of Professional Wrestling, as it was known, and the location of most of these photos.

Despite the perception that pro wrestling is ‘fake’, the physical toll it took on its participants was very real; the only thing fake about pro wrestling is the intent. These athletes suffered from broken bones, concussions, and other injuries, and their commitment to their craft was evident in the pain they endured. Few wrestling veterans of that era have totally endured life unscathed; many now live with the results of those long-ago injuries, poor diet, constant travel, and bad lifestyle choices.

Through these photographs, Jack Pignatello aims to capture the essence of these heroes and villains and the world they inhabited, and to honor their contributions to the world of professional wrestling. The 1970s were a unique and unforgettable era in the sport, and he is grateful, as a young TV wrestling fan of the 50s, to have been an eyewitness to it all, with the ability to document it.

Artist’s Bio
Jack Pignatello is a seasoned media professional with a career spanning over forty years in the fields of photography, writing, and television production. After a brief teaching career in the arts, he began work in the early 1970s as a freelance photographer, working with several media outlets in documenting professional sports in the New York market. Soon, he began writing stories to accompany the photographs.

He transferred his skills to corporate television, where he wrote, produced, and directed hundreds of in-house videos for a wide range of Fortune 500 corporations. In the mid-1980s, Pignatello became the producer of World of Photography, a syndicated broadcast television program that featured profiles of professional photographers.

In recent years, Pignatello has become a photographic archaeologist. From his files, he has rescued thousands of 35mm negatives from hundreds of assignments covering professional sports, notably professional wrestling. Through these efforts, he is now able to share his passion for photography with a new generation of fans and enthusiasts.

Despite his longstanding attachment to traditional film and darkroom procedures, he has embraced the digital age and become a convert to digital photography and post-production techniques. Despite this change in approach, Pignatello remains committed to the principles of good photography that have guided him throughout his career. He continues to prioritize composition, lighting, and other key elements of the craft, and strives to create images that are both technically and aesthetically excellent.

For more information, visit www.retrophotonj.com.