Place de l'Etoile 1951 - 1952

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print, Place de l'Etoile, during his time in Paris in 1949. The image is rendered in shades of gray, and has a stark, grainy quality typical of the period. Frank's choice of photography as a medium is critical here. Unlike painting or sculpture, photography has an inherent relationship to the everyday. With the right equipment, a photographer can capture a fleeting moment, making art out of ordinary life. In this image, we see a flower stand on a wet Parisian street, an anonymous figure walking past. Frank presents the scene with a certain detachment, a stark realism that captures the grit of postwar Paris. The flower stand, a site of commerce and beauty, is juxtaposed against the bleak urban landscape. The image is less about the flowers themselves, and more about the transient nature of urban life, labor, and the commerce embedded within it. Frank's photograph is a reminder that even the most mundane materials can be transformed into something meaningful.