ROBERT FRANK
Photo by: Richard Avedon
Robert Frank was born in 1924 and grew up to be one of the most influential photojournalists. He was born in Switzerland and grew up in a very wealthy family with constant pressures on him to maintain this status. The constant pressure made him turn to the art of photography. Photography allowed Robert to escape both his family and the oppression of World War II. After migrating to America in 1947, he began work as a fashion photographer for Harper's Bazaar Magazine. He continued working for the magazine for 5 years.
In 1954 Robert applied for a grant in order to travel and he was approved. From 1955-1956 he traveled across the United States where he took over 28,000 photos in 43 states. These photos were later published into one of the most influential books of photographs, known as The Americans. Frank said the book was "a visual study of a civilization…an authentic contemporary document." (4) Robert Frank used natural lighting and produced 750 rolls of 35mm film. Out of all the photographs, he chose 83 images to be published in The Americans. The affect of the lack of technology during this time did not hurt Robert Frank, in my opinion, but rather helped him. He stated that, "Black and white are the colours of photography. To me, they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected. Most of my photographs are of people; they are seen simply, as through the eyes of the man in the street." (4) From 1957 to 1963 he worked as a freelance photographer for the New York Times. He also dabbled in film making for a short period of time until returning to what he did best, photography.
The images he produced helped society to view the reality of segregation and racism in America and he had sympathy for them. Many people were outraged by his images, while others were glad the truth is being put out there for the world to see. Robert Frank said, "My photographs are not planned or composed in advance, and I do not anticipate that the onlooker will share my viewpoint. However, I feel that if my photograph leaves an image on his mind, something has been accomplished." (1) He was motivated by capturing images that would leave a lasting impact on people. He had a photographers eye that allowed him to see what others did not see, when it came to segregation. During the 1950's segregation and racism was at it's peak. Robert Frank was able to exploit these issues through his photojournalists images. Different people viewed his images in different ways. Many southern whites were bias and did not agree with Robert Franks message. These southerners used violence and crime to try and resist blacks from their right to be treated equally.
An aspect of Robert Frank's career relates to my Nursing major. He had a heart and feelings and portrayed this in his photographs. "I always say that I don't want to be sentimental, that the photographs shouldn't be sentimental, and yet, I am conscious of my sentimentality."(1) He had empathy for those who were affected by racism and as a nurse I have empathy for my patients. He did not look at someone and see their race and judge them by that, he saw what was past that, on the inside. As a nurse you need to look past certain things and not place judgements on your patients and treat all individuals equally. Robert Frank exploited the inequality in America during the 1950s and I commend him for that. Even though many photographers did not agree with his ways, he continued to produce his images.
A famous qoute by Robert Frank, "When people look at my pictures I want them to feel the way they do when they want to read a line of poetry twice."
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Photo By: Robert Frank
This is my favorite image produced by Robert Frank. To me this photo is more of an abstract and is representational of a typical American family. The 3 children visiting the beach, the little girl running while holding a giant American flag and the boy reading the paper. The front page of the paper with headlines Marilyn Dead, referring to Marilyn Monroe. The image does not necessarily have a startle value but seems to grow on you. The children seem so innocent and clueless to what is really going on in the world. The use of lines from the American flag draws your eyes to the flag and then your eyes flow from the flag to the two children in the sand.
Photo By: Robert Frank
In this image a black couple are riding a motorcycle. The motorcycle is a Harley Davidson, which is a very American brand which goes along with their American fashion. The contrast is very low in this image with not much difference between the light and dark areas. This low contrast helps to create that feeling of darkness and despair. The feeling I get when viewing this image is sadness. The couple and the people in the background have a very serious expression on their face. They do not look overly posed but rather somewhat proud with their backs straight instead of slouched over. They are both looking down at something. I wondered whether it was a body or a racial scene they were observing. Their is a crowd of black men lining the street in the background behind the motorcycle. The people in the background are all in focus hinting that they were included in the image intentionally.
Photo By: Robert Frank
The setting of this image is on a Trolley in New Orleans back in 1955. This image shows the segregation between white and black people. This photo is representational of racism and segregation. The white people sat in the front of the bus, while black people were forced to stay in the back. The obvious main subject is the people riding the trolley. If part of the trolley was not captured it would be more confusing as to why their were white people on the left side of the photo and black people on the right side. This image captured my attention because of the obvious inequality. I think racism is wrong and 50 years later racial issues are still present in our society.
Photo By: Robert Frank
The elevator girl in this image has a blank expression on her face. She looks as if she is staring into space as people walk by ignoring her. She looks sort of sad and almost numb as the people go off in their highly fashionable clothes most likely to some lavish party. The people exiting the elevator are blurry while the girl is in focus drawing your eyes immediately to her. The sharpness of this photo places the elevator girl in the spotlight for once instead of her blending in the background as usual. The use of high contrast in this photo is very bold and dramatic which again allows the girl to stand out.
Photo By: Robert Frank
The quality of light in this image in engaging. The direction of the light casts shadows of the impacts the image tremendously. With the sunlight high in the sky it casts shadows from the tree branches onto the ground. The shadows casted from the branches of the tree are bold and dramatic. The shadows were used by the photographer in an interesting way. He decided to capture the shadows casted from the tree rather than the tree itself. The man in the image is looking up towards something but you do not know what. The shadows surrounding this man are what makes the picture complete.
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