Raoul Hague, Woodstock, New York 1962

Robert Frank made this photo, Raoul Hague, Woodstock, New York, and it’s all about seeing. The composition isn’t just what’s in the frame, it’s about how we look, how we feel looking. It's about what is concealed. Frank gives us this whole mood, this light. The road behind the figures recedes so far, so fast into the distance, that it's almost hard to believe. Hague's face is full of attention, full of life - the angle of the light catching the lines of his face, the creases of his brow. His companion is anonymous, their back turned to the camera. It's like a counterpoint to Hague’s watchfulness. There's a stillness in this photo, a quality of observation that recalls the paintings of Fairfield Porter or Alex Katz. Like them, Frank shows how the everyday is full of feeling, full of an inner intensity. Art isn't just about beauty, it’s about experience, about how we see each other, and the world around us.