New York City 6 1957 - 1958

Curator: Robert Frank's "New York City 6," captured between 1957 and 1958, offers a compelling glimpse into mid-century urban life. It is realized as a gelatin-silver print. My initial reaction is to think it seems kind of…raw, almost like unedited film reels. Editor: Exactly, and that’s precisely what makes it so striking. You see the actual strips of film, complete with manufacturer markings along the edges. There's such a tactile sense, you can almost smell the darkroom. How the photo paper gives different contrasts and grain to this image brings an interesting commentary of labor around photography. Curator: Right, it rejects the pristine, finished presentation that galleries usually favor, giving access to the process of editing as part of art making. The film reels almost seem to democratize the experience and allow to think about who usually gets this exclusive access. The photo of someone sleeping in a gloomy urban area seems to encapsulate themes of alienation that defined much of the postwar narrative of the United States. Editor: I find it so relevant now—it highlights what it meant to engage with this material back in that moment, and to me also evokes the labor. Frank pushes against boundaries. How the streets, with so many contrasts and grain, add texture and also social meaning to what's in display. I think also that we need to mention the lack of studio interventions or setups, we see almost like it came from daily urban experiences. Curator: Absolutely. There is an immediacy that pulls the viewer into Frank's specific moment in time, inviting a reevaluation of everyday life as a source of artistic inspiration. Editor: It's an amazing example of art shaped by, and deeply reflective of, the materials and processes that constitute its creation. Curator: Indeed, its refusal of polish stands as a potent social statement. Editor: So raw, I like how this can lead to the social engagement that Frank encourages with it.