Dock 1941 - 1945

Robert Frank's 'Dock' is a photograph that feels like a memory, captured in shades of grey. It’s all about layering; the dock leading our eye into the misty water, the boats huddled together, and then that distant monument, barely visible. The texture is key here. Look at the graininess of the image, it’s not crisp or sharp, but soft and dreamy. It's like he’s painting with light, blurring the edges of things. The way the light hits the surface of the water, creating a shimmering effect, is particularly beautiful. It makes me think about how light can transform the ordinary into something magical. Frank’s work often has a melancholic feel, and this piece is no exception. The stillness of the boats, the quiet of the scene, it all adds up to a feeling of solitude. It reminds me a bit of Eugène Atget’s photographs of Paris – capturing a sense of place, but also a sense of time passing, of things changing. There’s no right or wrong way to see it, just different ways of feeling it.