From the Bus, New York 1958

Robert Frank made this photograph, From the Bus, New York, at an unknown date. It's a scene caught on the fly, or maybe slightly staged, who knows? What’s great is the way it captures a feeling more than a place. Look at the layers—a sculpture of Atlas, a couple in the foreground, and other figures blurred in the background. You get the sense that Frank is interested in how we all carry weight, the weight of the world and personal burdens. He's got a great talent for freezing people in a moment. I wonder what Frank was thinking when he framed this shot. Was he drawn to the contrast between the mythological figure of Atlas and the everyday people riding the bus? Does the couple know they're being watched? It reminds me a bit of some of the pictures Helen Levitt made. These photographers help us see ordinary lives with new eyes. We look at things a little differently.