Streetcar lines, Milan 1945

Curator: This gelatin silver print, taken by Robert Frank in 1945, is titled "Streetcar lines, Milan." Editor: My first thought? Stark. Bleak. The destroyed building looms, like a silent scream. Curator: It certainly evokes that feeling. Considering it was taken in 1945, just after the end of World War II, the context is crucial. Frank captured the physical and emotional scars of war, a society grappling with immense trauma. This reality and trauma becomes the reality of Frank’s life in total Editor: Exactly. Look at the rubble piled high. We're not seeing a picturesque cityscape; we're witnessing the literal aftermath of destruction. This gelatin silver process – it captures not just light, but the grain, the texture, the sheer weight of the damaged building itself. What processes of reconstruction were able to grow after the total breakdown of the conflict, physically but especially culturally and emotionally, this city presents is a society of rubble but alive. Curator: And consider how Frank positions the people. They’re present, moving about, but seem dwarfed by the ruined architecture, insignificant when compared to it. The historical weight presses on us through the subjects represented on the negative. What do you see the impact of gender or race when considering this image? Editor: We see primarily the male form throughout all the photograph; the silhouette of women, we can perceive the trauma that they are also undergoing at the conclusion of the conflict, understanding they do not carry with them a male, active role. Also considering the historical perspective that women played as war support makes for the stark images. Gelatin is, obviously, organic. The materiality hints at the very bodies that suffer war, are destroyed in war. Curator: It's interesting how you draw attention to the human form here. Thinking about the societal conditions for Milan during the Second World War and the impact of class, we cannot ignore the way post-impressionist ideals began to wane as photographers began incorporating realism in order to capture an accurate, true depiction of daily existence at this point in history. Editor: A fitting tribute considering his oeuvre is described as ‘realistic.’ But the real triumph here lies in the composition, with the lines of perspective drawing you in and emphasizing scale, texture, material, all that conveys an emotional experience so much weightier and significant. Curator: Precisely. It allows us to really see the past as tangible—not just as a history textbook reading, but as an experience. Editor: Absolutely, and that's the power of focusing on process, material, to understanding of history.