From the Bus, New York 1958

Robert Frank captured this photograph, "From the Bus, New York," using what appears to be a candid, grainy aesthetic. The man is frozen in this off balance pose, it's kind of hilarious actually, like a pedestrian ballet. I think the real tension lies in that soft focus; the way the city blurs behind him makes me think about how we’re always moving. How nothing ever stays still long enough for us to really grab onto it. Frank’s not trying to pretty things up; it’s gritty and real, like a Walker Evans with a nervous twitch. In a way, it reminds me of some of the early street photography, the way the Impressionists captured modern life, but with a bit more punk rock energy. There’s no single interpretation here, just a moment, raw and unresolved.