Monday, July 6, 2015

Robert Frank in the New York Times



Distinguished American Photographer Robert Frank is featured in this week's NY Times Magazine, in an essay called "The Man Who Saw America:Looking back with Robert Frank, the most influential photographer alive," go here. 

His most significant book, The Americans, is also featured here. 

For an interview with Frank, go here.  

For more of Frank's work, go here. 


Funded by a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation, Frank set off in 1955 to photograph America.


Frank made images across the country, but for me his photographs in the South are among his most powerful.  

The image above, made in New Orleans, gives testimony to Frank's eye, as well as his sense of composition and timing.  

The haughty face of the woman to the left of the image, in contrast to the pleading look on the man to the image's right, nails the social dynamics of the Jim Crow South.

Frank's work helped transform photography from a medium of social documentation -- represented by the photography of his friend Walker Evans -- to the world of fine art photography we find ourselves in today. 

Frank is in his early 90's, and lives in Mabou, Nova Scotia. He is definitely an Honorary Southern Photographer, but, oh, so much, much more. 

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for posting this John. I was totally taken by the article, and sent it to friends. I think the Sunday NYT magazine has had some great stuff in it lately - hope they keep it up!

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