Festival--Children 1941 - 1945

This small photograph, "Festival--Children," was captured by Robert Frank sometime during his life. It's a slice of life, or maybe a crumb of life, really. I’m always interested in the accidental intimacy of black and white photos like this. The image captures a bustling scene of children engrossed in an activity, maybe some kind of artmaking. You can see the seriousness etched on their faces. They are surrounded by adults, their expressions a mix of curiosity and amusement. I wonder, were they thinking about their own childhoods, or worrying about the kids futures? Frank's image reminds us of the simple joys and complexities of human connection, frozen in time. It makes me think about how photographers, like painters, observe and frame the world, and the choices they make about what to show, and what to leave out. Photography, like painting, can be so generative. We interpret and project our own thoughts onto it. That's what makes looking at art so much fun!