Street at night, movie premiere--Hollywood c. 1955 - 1956

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print, "Street at night, movie premiere--Hollywood," sometime during his life, documenting, what seems to be, a movie premiere. The composition strikes me as deeply considered, even if taken spontaneously; look at the way the dark figures are placed against the bright building, creating a powerful contrast. The darks and lights work together, but it’s the greys that make the photo so interesting, so moody. A slick street reflecting the light creates a mirror effect in the lower register, while a bright light obscures the subjects to the left. That light almost obliterates everything, turning the figures into silhouettes, denying us their details. The whole image has this sense of being slightly out of reach, just beyond our grasp, like a memory fading at the edges. Like Garry Winogrand, Frank captured the poetry in the everyday, elevating the mundane into something beautiful and strange. It feels like a conversation, doesn’t it? An ongoing exchange between artists, across time and space.