Sideshow, Paris 1951

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print, Sideshow, Paris, sometime in the middle of the last century. This is an image built on contrasts, layers of light and shadow. Everything in the image feels like it's teetering on the edge of legibility. Look at how the highlights illuminate the scene, how the shadows are cast, and how they obscure as much as they reveal. The beauty of photography is the way it manages to capture a moment in time and also the way it can suggest so much more than what's visible. There's a tension between what's hidden and what's revealed, inviting us to imagine the stories and lives behind these figures. Frank's photography, like some of the paintings of Edward Hopper, uses a limited palette of tones to create a feeling of loneliness and alienation that speaks to the anxieties of modern life. It's the kind of image that stays with you, prompting endless questions.