Street scene--Alabama 1955

Robert Frank’s silver gelatin print, “Street scene—Alabama,” captures a moment, or maybe even manufactures a moment out of light, chemicals, and emotion. Look at how the light falls on that traffic cone, almost splitting the picture in two, and then note how grainy the image is. It's not a smooth, glossy surface, but a textured field of blacks, whites, and grays, which almost feels like it could be charcoal or conté. This grittiness gives the photograph a raw, urgent quality. It's as if Frank isn't just showing us a scene, but also the very act of seeing itself. The expressions on the faces of the figures are difficult to read, some blurred and cut off, whilst the child in the foreground looks straight at the camera. This directness draws us in. It feels like a conversation, as if we are being invited to question what the moment might mean. There is a connection here with Walker Evans, in his use of photography to document the reality of American life, but perhaps it’s a little more raw, a little more personal. These are not just images, but emotional impressions, and the process of image-making is there on the surface for us to see.