Two men standing by side of road in snow--U.S. 66 between Winslow and Flagstaff, Arizona 1955

This is a photograph by Robert Frank, called 'Two men standing by side of road in snow--U.S. 66 between Winslow and Flagstaff, Arizona'. You see the process of photography immediately in the grainy blacks, whites, and greys, the image itself slightly out of focus. It's a very material picture, like a charcoal drawing; you can almost feel the grit of the snow and the dust of the road in the pit of your stomach. Look how the figures emerge from the landscape, not posed or idealized, but caught in a moment. The texture of their jackets, the way the light catches the edge of their hats—it's all about capturing the realness of the scene. That blur of trucks in the background reminds me a little of the way that Edward Hopper used urban landscapes to frame his figures. Frank seems to suggest that the American road is an emotional state, an ambiguous space in which to be, and he's capturing something quietly profound about the everyday.