Skis in snow--Sports 1941 - 1945

Robert Frank made this photograph, Skis in Snow--Sports, a small silver gelatin print, printed on paper. It’s all about tone, really, isn't it? And texture. Look at the way the snow clings to the rocks. The grainy surface makes me think about the physicality of the darkroom process, the way the image emerges from the chemicals, almost like magic. It feels raw, immediate. The skis, standing upright on the left, are such a simple, almost nonchalant, compositional choice. They disrupt the landscape, but also become a part of it, just two sticks against the vastness of the mountain. Frank's work reminds me a little of Walker Evans, but with a more personal, less formal approach. Both were interested in capturing reality, but Frank was more willing to embrace the imperfections, the ambiguities. Like all great art, there are no definitive answers, just a space for us to bring our own questions.