Robert Frank was a photographer that hailed from Switzerland. His nature was very much like his native country - in the middle of chaos, but remains calm and peaceful. He came to New York during the time considered the golden age of photography. Frank’s ideas for his art came from the raw life that was surrounding him; he wanted to capture the “real.” When he would travel, the purpose was specifically to avoid sightseeing, but to actually see the places that he visited.
In his art, Frank sought out the people who were strange and disturbing; he wanted to show the truth of the civilization in which we are all a piece. One of his most notable collections is the photography book “The Americans.” He created a collection of images of the people he came across as he traveled the United States. This book became a highly political book because it showed to all what a powerful, violent, hypocritical country we belong to. I am not sure if these images are so powerful because they were taken by someone who is not native to the US. Would a person that lived in one area all their lives ever understand the beauty behind their everyday lives? Do we become so blinded by our own surroundings that we are no longer able to see what is there staring us in the face?
-Racheal Johnson-
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment