Cigar store, Ventura Boulevard--Los Angeles 1956

Editor: So, this is Robert Frank's "Cigar store, Ventura Boulevard—Los Angeles," taken in 1956. It’s a black and white photograph of what looks like a shop counter absolutely crammed with cigars and cigarettes. The whole scene feels incredibly dense and claustrophobic, and almost confrontational. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, Robert Frank. He always manages to capture the pulse of a place, doesn’t he? It’s a beautiful organised chaos. What strikes me is the repetition, those rows upon rows of cigarette boxes, creating this almost hypnotic pattern. Do you get a sense of American consumerism and its hold even then? Editor: Absolutely, it’s overwhelming. All those brands competing for your attention! It’s also interesting that the woman behind the counter seems almost… resigned, lost among the product. Was Frank commenting on the working class in America? Curator: He was interested in portraying the everyday, yes, and he wasn't afraid to reveal its darker, more monotonous sides. It is up for us to imagine, to empathize with this unnamed, hardworking character. I mean, imagine being surrounded by so much, and yet... do you see opportunity in that chaos, too? The immigrant opportunity maybe? It seems it can apply today as it could then... don't you think? Editor: That's true; there are multiple interpretations there. There’s so much more here than just a picture of a shop counter. Thanks, I see the image quite differently now! Curator: My pleasure. It's always amazing when we stop and imagine lives inside an image, right? Frank excelled at it, and that is, at least for me, the power and potential in art.